Difference between revisions of "Arley"

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Arley station has two platforms and a [[Arley signal box|signal box]], allowing trains travelling in opposite directions to pass. The next stations in the Up direction towards [[Kidderminster]] are [[Northwood Halt]] and then [[Bewdley]], and the next station in the Down direction towards [[Bridgnorth]] is [[Highley]].
+
[[File:Arley Station - geograph.org.uk - 25512.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Arley station building]]
 +
[[File:Arley Station Running In Board.jpg|thumb|Running in board, down platform.]]
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|+Next stations
 +
|-
 +
! Up (towards [[Kidderminster]]) !!  Down (towards [[Bridgnorth]])
 +
|-
 +
| [[Bewdley]] (3&frac34; miles)<br>via [[Northwood Halt]] || [[Highley]] (2&frac14; miles)
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
−
Barrow crossings are located at both ends of the platforms.  [[Skeet's Farm foot crossing|Skeet's Farm crossing]] is also located in the station area, immediately north of the goods yard.
+
==The station==
 +
Arley station has two platforms and a [[Arley signal box|signal box]], allowing trains travelling in opposite directions to pass.
 +
 
 +
Barrow crossings are located at both ends of the platforms, but may not be used by the general public.  [[Arley Station Bridge|Bridge 17]] is located at the south end of the station, immediately south of the barrow crossing, and is the main passenger route between the platforms. [[Skeet's Farm foot crossing|Skeet's Farm crossing]] is also located in the station area, immediately north of the goods yard.
 +
 
 +
During periods of lighter traffic, when Arley signal box is switched out, all trains use the platform adjacent to the main station building.
 +
 
 +
From January to Easter 2011 the SVR's winter works dealt with severe damage at Arley due to ground movement caused by failed drainage, in turn occasioning track twist. The Up platform was rebuilt, drainage installed and track relaid at a cost of £367,000.<ref>Railway Magazine September 2010</ref><ref>SVR(H) Report and Accounts for year ending 31 December 2011, page 3.</ref>
 +
 
 +
In February 2017 the waiting room at Arley Station became licensed to hold civil marriages and partnerships, with space for up to 21 people. Further information on the SVR's wedding packages may be found on the [https://svr.co.uk/experience/weddings/ SVR website Weddings page].
 +
 
 +
Arley was until 2018 also the site of [[Santa's Grotto]] for the [[Christmas services|Santa Special services]]. From 2020 it hosted the plays that formed part of the SVR's Christmas services.   
 +
 
 +
==Arley village==
 +
The village itself is named Upper Arley (also historically Over Arley<ref>[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17612/17612-h/17612-h.htm Handbook to the Severn Valley Railway, by J. Randall 1863]</ref><ref>[http://www.shropshirestar.com/entertainment/2016/05/03/the-first-ever-map-of-shropshire-up-for-sale/ 1579 map of Shropshire on the Shropshire Star web site]</ref>), which differentiates it from the similarly named, but differently spelled Areley Kings less than six miles away near Stourport.
 +
 
 +
Until 1895 Arley, including the railway, was part of a narrow neck of Staffordshire bounded on three sides by Shropshire and Worcestershire until it was moved to Worcestershire<ref>[https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/worcs/vol3/pp5-10 "Parishes: Upper Arley", British History Online] (Retrieved 12 December 2019)</ref><ref>[https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/STS/UpperArley Upper Arley, UK and Ireland Geneology)] (Retrieved 12 December 2019)</ref>.
  
 
[http://www.sharpos-world.co.uk/cpg/thumbnails.php?album=318 Photos at Arley, showing station building, signalbox & gardens]
 
[http://www.sharpos-world.co.uk/cpg/thumbnails.php?album=318 Photos at Arley, showing station building, signalbox & gardens]
  
−
== See Also ==
+
==Facilities==
 +
Arley station does not have a public car park.
 +
 
 +
There is a small café building behind the station (sometimes referred to as ''Tom's Cabin'', after an earlier building) which serves hot and cold drinks and snacks. It remained closed after the [[2020 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic]] until reopened in time for the 2023 [[Spring Steam Gala]] by station volunteers.
 +
 
 +
The [[Arley Station Fund]] has a shop next to the refreshment kiosk in the station yard.
 +
 
 +
==Film and TV productions filmed at Arley==
 +
Several [[List of film and TV productions filmed on the Severn Valley Railway|film and TV productions]] have scenes from, or filmed at, Arley. The station has temporarily carried other identities for filming purposes, including:
 +
 
 +
*[[Candleshoe]] 1977 (''Hambleden'')
 +
*[[Silver Blaze]] ‎1977 (''Tavistock'')
 +
*[[The Good Soldier]] ‎1981 (''Branshaw'')
 +
*[[L For Lester]] 1982 (''Barrow Gurney'')
 +
*[[The Box Of Delights]] 1984 ‎(''Condicote'')
 +
*[[A Wreath of Roses]] 1987 (''Hampton'', for which a dummy footbridge connected platforms 1 and 2)
 +
*[[The Halt]] ‎1987 (''Newton Halt'')
 +
*[[Oh Doctor Beeching!]] 1995-97 (''Hatley'', see below)
 +
*[[Goodnight Mister Tom]] ‎1998 (''Weirwold'')
 +
*[[Enola Holmes]] 2020 (''Ferndell'')
 +
 
 +
===Oh Doctor Beeching!===
 +
(See ''[[Oh Doctor Beeching!|main article]]'')<br>
 +
A BBC TV sitcom ran from 1995 to 1997, set in the small fictional branch line railway station of Hatley. Filming took place at Arley. 
 +
 
 +
A row of Victorian railway cottages was built in the yard as a film prop. After final filming the cottages were dismantled and retained, but despite reminders to the BBC about what they wanted with them they gave no response. Ultimately they were broken up with the assistance of the [[SVR Apprentices|Junior Club]].
 +
 
 +
The garden on the main platform by the Gents WC was created by the BBC and is known today as the BBC garden.
 +
 
 +
The signalbox had a name plate above the door.
 +
 
 +
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">
 +
File:Hatley1.jpg | Hatley (Arley) signal box
 +
File:Hatley2.jpg | Film prop cottages at Arley
 +
File:Hatley3.jpg | Film prop cottages at Arley
 +
File:Hatley4.jpg | Film prop cottages at Arley
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
==Points of interest==
 +
 
 +
===Station buildings===
 +
The main station building at Arley dates from the opening of the Severn Valley Railway in 1862. Extensions were later added, consisting of a Ladies' waiting room authorised in 1892 and an additional bedroom in the Station Master’s house added in 1901.
 +
 
 +
The shelter on Platform 2 is also original, dating from the opening of that platform in 1883.
 +
 
 +
The café building behind the station was built during the summer of 1992 on the site of the former weighbridge. It replaced a similar building known as 'Tom’s Cabin' (named after volunteer Tom McGee who ran the cabin and did much restoration at Arley over many years) that had become dangerous.
 +
 
 +
In 2016, a number of stone sills, coping stones and quoins were replaced.
 +
 
 +
During maintenance works in 2023 volunteers uncovered the old water pump beside the station building, believed to have been manufactured by Joseph Evans of Wolverhampton. Reportedly Mrs Jones was still using this pump for the house water when the early preservationists first came to Arley.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/ArleySVR Arley Station Facebook page, 6 March 2023] (Retrieved 24 April 2023)</ref>
 +
 
 +
<gallery mode=packed heights=150px style="text-align:left">
 +
File:Arley SVR Station, northbound platform - geograph.org.uk - 699616.jpg | Shelter on Platform 2 (Wikimedia Commons)
 +
File:Arley kiosk.jpg | Refreshment kiosk
 +
File:Arley stone1.jpg | Stone lintel on refreshment kiosk
 +
File:Arley stone2.jpg | Stonemason at work in 2016
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
In 2018 an [[:Category:SVR fundraising lotteries|SVRA raffle]] raised over £7,000 for new facilities including a workshop and storage for Santa equipment to replace a small corrugated metal shed next to the gift shop.<ref>SVR News 200</ref> In late 2019 construction started on the new building at the north end of the station, with the roof coming from part of the old [[Bewdley]] platform canopy. It was also partly funded by the [[Arley Station Fund]]<ref>[https://www.svrlive.com/epfeb20 Express Points, February 2020] (Retrieved 4 February 2020)]</ref>.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
 
 +
===Restoration===
 +
 
 +
When the SVR first re-opened the line between Hampton Loade and Bewdley in [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1970-1979 #1974 | 1974]], there was no facility to pass trains, the Up loop (the running line nearer the station building) having been removed by BR in the 1960s.  This was re-laid over the next year and re-opened on [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1970-1979 #1974 | 25 May 1975]].
 +
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">
 +
File:S0635 Arley Station 1972.jpg | Rebuilding platform 2 in 1972 (David Cooke)
 +
File: S6842 Arley Station 1973.jpg | Relaying the Up line (David Cooke)
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
===Telephone kiosk===
 +
The telephone kiosk on Platform 1, which can be seen in the main picture above, was acquired from the P.O. in Birmingham circa late 1981, having been vandalised ‘beyond economic repair’<ref>SVR News 62</ref>. Once at Arley it was duly repaired, and within a year had been returned to full working order<ref>SVR News 66</ref>.
 +
 
 +
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">
 +
File:Arley phone box.jpg
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
===Anderson shelter===
 +
An Anderson shelter was erected in the picnic garden in 2018, where it could be seen during that year’s ‘Step Back to the 1940s’ weekends. More than 3.5 million of these shelters were issued to the public before and during World War II to provide shelter from bombs and shrapnel. This particular example was originally installed at a house in Weoley Castle, Birmingham, and was donated to the SVR by Lisa Priest of Birmingham City Council and Mrs Dorothy Sigures of Weoley Castle.<ref>Information board next to the shelter</ref><ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_raid_shelter#Anderson_shelter Anderson shelter on Wikipedia]</ref>
 +
 
 +
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">
 +
Arley_Anderson_Shelter_20180705.jpg|Anderson Shelter
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
===GWR 446 6 ton hand crane===
 +
[[GWR 446 6Ton Hand Crane]] is stabled with [[GWR 2501 'Rotank' 6-Wheeled Road Milk Tank Flat Wagon]] which arrived in July 2021 to replace the former [[BR 707261 Crane Runner | Crane Runner 707261]], 2501 being considered better suited to the crane.<ref>SVR Wagons Facebook 13 January 2019</ref> The crane and flat wagon will undergo cosmetic restoration.
 +
 
 +
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">
 +
GWR_446_and_B707261_20190506.jpg|GWR Crane 446 and former crane runner 707621 at Arley in May 2019
 +
GWR_2501_20210729.jpg|New crane runner GWR 2501 in July 2021
 +
GWR446.16.01.88.jpg|GWR Crane 446 in use at Bewdley in 1988
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
==Station masters==
 +
Station masters at Arley since preservation have been as follows:
 +
*C.P. May (1974-1975)
 +
*Barrie Geens (1975-1983)
 +
*Ian Latimer (1983- )
 +
 
 +
==Arley history before preservation==
 +
[[File:Arley_Pre_1882.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Arley before the addition of a second platform and ladies waiting room]]
 +
*1862: Arley station opened with the rest of the Severn Valley Line on 1 February, but had only one platform and no facility for crossing trains.  Control of train movements was by single needle telegraph only
 +
*1883: A second platform, authorised in August 1882, was brought into use in June 1883. Installation of a signal box and interlocking of points and signals were completed around this time.
 +
*1891: 'Train staff and ticket' working in conjunction with a single-needle block telegraph was introduced throughout the line, replacing the earlier simple telegraph working arrangements. Henceforth drivers could not enter a section without possession of a physical staff, or a paper ticket stating the staff would follow on a succeeding train.  Those used at Arley were for Arley to [[Bewdley North signal box|Bewdley North]] (hexagonal staff, yellow ticket) and Arley to [[Hampton Loade]] (square staff, red ticket). The 1893 Working Timetable noted that the persons authorised to exchange the staff and ticket were the Station Inspector J. Pugh (see below) and the Porter-Signalman on late duty.
 +
*1894: ‘Electric staff’ working replaced staff and ticket working. [[Highley]] also became a staff station, breaking the long section to Hampton Loade.
 +
*1898: An [[The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership#Accidents | accident]] occurred when a train overran signals when entering the station and was derailed.
 +
*1907: The platforms were lengthened and the up platform widened.
 +
*1913: Following the building of a signal box at [[Kinlet and Billingsley Sidings signal box | Kinlet and Billingsley Sidings]], Arley to Kinlet (when switched in) was worked by electric staff but Arley to Highley was worked by electric tablet, probably Tyers No 7.
 +
*1922: [[SVR staff in 1922#Severn Valley Railway (Kidderminster to Bridgnorth)|GWR staff records]] show the station had a staff of 3, comprising the stationmaster and two signalmen.
 +
*1938: A GWR [[Arley Camp Coach|camping coach]] was based at Arley.
 +
*1950: By this date, [[ETT | Electric Train Token]] working had been introduced, becoming the fifth method of train control.
 +
*1960: The loop capacity, for the purpose of crossing trains, was 27 wagons, plus engine and brake van.<ref>Sectional Appendix to the Working Time Tables and Books of Rules and Regulations, Birmingham Traffic District, October 1960</ref>
 +
*1963: Through passenger services ceased on 9 September, with through freight services ending at the end of November.
 +
*1964: The signal box closed on 28 June. The up line and sidings were lifted, and the edge of the down platform was removed to give greater clearance for coal trains from [[Alveley Sidings|Alveley]]. The original signal box was later demolished by SVR volunteers, and parts used to reinstate [[Bridgnorth signal box]] in 1969.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books | Marshall (1989), p. 200.]]</ref>
 +
 
 +
===Early Station Masters at Arley===
 +
The first description of 'Station Master' in GWR records is in 1897.
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable
 +
|+ Early Station Masters at Arley prior to 1939
 +
|-
 +
!Name!!Born !! From !! To !! Comments
 +
|-
 +
|Samuel Allard||1820, Great Creeton, Northamptonshire|| August 1863|| September 1865||Joined West Midland Railway February 1852. Booking Constable at Buildwas (1865 - 1866). Retired 1897.
 +
|-
 +
|William Pearson||1835, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire|| September 1865||Retired ca.1885||Died 7 March 1886.
 +
|-
 +
|Joseph Pugh||28 September 1830, Stoke Prior, Worcestershire||January 1886||Resigned October 1900||Joined West Midland Railway December 1855. Formerly Booking Porter at Linley (1864 - 1880) Described as Station Inspector in the 1893 WTT (see above).
 +
|-
 +
|George Batchelor||1 April 1860, Honeybourne, Worcestershire||20 October 1900|| Retired 1920?|| Formerly Signalman at Hartlebury (1882) and Kidderminster (1887). Died 23 December 1942.
 +
|-
 +
|Joseph Thomas Hill||5 April 1877, Kinver, Staffordshire||1920?|| Before 1932||Formerly Porter at Bewdley (1896), Signal Porter at Hampton Loade (1897) and Bridgnorth (1899) and Station Master at Hampton Loade (1915?). Transferred to Fernhill Heath in the early 1930s. Died July 1943.
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
George Batchelor and Joe Hill both won numerous [[Awards#Prior to preservation|awards]] for the gardens at Arley. Joe Hill was the last resident Station Master; after he left the station came under the supervision of [[Bewdley]] and the house was occupied by Fred Jones and his wife Diane who both served as Porter/signalman. Their son David became a fireman and regularly worked on the line, exchanging tokens with his mother for the last time on the final passenger train to run on the branch on 7 September 1963<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Geens (1985)]] p. 18.</ref>.
 +
 
 +
===Traffic statistics===
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|+ [[Traffic statistics in commercial service]] for Arley, selected years 1903 to 1952
 +
|-
 +
! !! colspan="3" | Passenger Traffic !! colspan="2" | Freight Traffic !!
 +
|-
 +
! Year !! Tickets issued !! Parcels dispatched !! Revenue (&pound;) !! Tons received &amp; despatched !! Revenue (&pound;) !! Total revenue (&pound;)
 +
|-
 +
|1903||style="text-align:right"|17,295||style="text-align:right"|2,453||style="text-align:right"|914||style="text-align:right"|881||style="text-align:right"|178||style="text-align:right"|1,092
 +
|-
 +
|1913||style="text-align:right"|15,796||style="text-align:right"|3,219||style="text-align:right"|761||style="text-align:right"|1,399||style="text-align:right"|301||style="text-align:right"|1,062
 +
|-
 +
|1923||style="text-align:right"|12,898||style="text-align:right"|1,341||style="text-align:right"|862||style="text-align:right"|1,828||style="text-align:right"|996||style="text-align:right"|1,858
 +
|-
 +
|1933||style="text-align:right"|8,663||style="text-align:right"|997||style="text-align:right"|477||style="text-align:right"|54||style="text-align:right"|47||style="text-align:right"|524
 +
|-
 +
|1938||style="text-align:right"|11,623||style="text-align:right"|926||style="text-align:right"|526||style="text-align:right"|44||style="text-align:right"|24||style="text-align:right"|550
 +
|-
 +
|1942||style="text-align:right"|17,119||style="text-align:right"|X||style="text-align:right"|1,144||style="text-align:right"|159||style="text-align:right"|X||style="text-align:right"|X
 +
|-
 +
|1947||style="text-align:right"|16,030||style="text-align:right"|757||style="text-align:right"|1,136||style="text-align:right"|101||style="text-align:right"|X||style="text-align:right"|X
 +
|-
 +
|1952||style="text-align:right"|11,769||style="text-align:right"|763||style="text-align:right"|834||style="text-align:right"|(a)||style="text-align:right"|X||style="text-align:right"|X
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
X: Information not recorded <br>
 +
(a): Information recorded under Bewdley
 +
 
 +
==Historic maps of Arley station==
 +
 
 +
* GWR plan of Arley station showing the original single line with later amendments in red
 +
* 1885 OS map (survey date 1883) showing the single line through the station 
 +
* 1904 OS map showing the passing loop and second platform opened in June 1883
 +
* 1927 OS map showing the 1907 extensions to both platforms
 +
* 1960 OS map showing no significant changes in over 30 years
 +
* 1905 GWR schematic plan of Arley giving siding capacities and other details.
 +
 
 +
<gallery mode=packed heights=150px style="text-align:left">
 +
File:GWRplanArley.jpg
 +
File:Arley1885map.jpg | 1885
 +
File:Arley1904map.jpg | 1904
 +
File:Arley1927map.jpg | 1927
 +
File:Arley1960map.jpg | 1960
 +
File:Arley plan 1905.png | 1905
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
== Gallery ==
 +
 
 +
<gallery mode=packed heights=150px style="text-align:left">
 +
File:Arley-Prairie-1959-10-03.jpeg | An ex-GWR Prairie calls at Arley in October 1959 ([[Sellick Collection]])
 +
File:Arley-1962-09-29.jpg|Pannier 3619 calls at Arley in September 1962 ([[Sellick Collection]])
 +
File:16998936 10209018257838938 3707299790826753434 n.jpg|Arley station in 1960
 +
File:16938449 10209018258438953 3626944390644231402 n.jpg|4153 arrives at Arley in 1960
 +
File:Station Master Mr Batchelor and gardens.jpg|Arley Station gardens in the early 1900s
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
== See also ==
 +
*[[Variant spellings of SVR station names]]
 +
*[[List of stations]]
 +
*[[Christmas services|Santa Special services]]
 +
*[[Santa's Grotto]]
 +
*[[List of film and TV productions filmed on the Severn Valley Railway]]
 +
*[[List of shops]]
 +
 
 +
==References==
 +
<references />
 +
 
 +
==Links==
 +
*[https://svr.co.uk/experience/weddings/ SVR Wedding packages]
 +
*[https://www.facebook.com/ArleySVR/ Arley Station Facebook page].
 +
*[https://www.facebook.com/pages/Arley-railway-station/124216724289052 Arley Railway Station Facebook page].
 +
 
  
−
[[List of stations]]
+
{{#coordinates:52.416955|-2.348406|[primary|][dim:1000]}}
 +
{{StationNavbox}}
 +
[[Category:Featured articles]]
 +
[[Category:SVR fundraising lotteries]]

Revision as of 11:08, 5 November 2023

Arley station building
Running in board, down platform.
Next stations
UpIn reference to the direction of travel means towards the major terminus (i.e. towards Kidderminster on the present day SVR) (towards Kidderminster) DownIn reference to the direction of travel means away from the major terminus (i.e. towards Bridgnorth on the present day SVR) (towards Bridgnorth)
Bewdley (3¾ miles)
via Northwood Halt 		Highley (2¼ miles)

The station

Arley station has two platforms and a signal box, allowing trains travelling in opposite directions to pass.

Barrow crossings are located at both ends of the platforms, but may not be used by the general public. Bridge 17 is located at the south end of the station, immediately south of the barrow crossing, and is the main passenger route between the platforms. Skeet's Farm crossing is also located in the station area, immediately north of the goods yard.

During periods of lighter traffic, when Arley signal box is switched out, all trains use the platform adjacent to the main station building.

From January to Easter 2011 the SVRSevern Valley Railway's winter works dealt with severe damage at Arley due to ground movement caused by failed drainage, in turn occasioning track twist. The UpIn reference to the direction of travel means towards the major terminus (i.e. towards Kidderminster on the present day SVR) platform was rebuilt, drainage installed and track relaid at a cost of £367,000.[1][2]

In February 2017 the waiting room at Arley Station became licensed to hold civil marriages and partnerships, with space for up to 21 people. Further information on the SVRSevern Valley Railway's wedding packages may be found on the SVR website Weddings page.

Arley was until 2018 also the site of Santa's Grotto for the Santa Special services. From 2020 it hosted the plays that formed part of the SVRSevern Valley Railway's Christmas services.

Arley village

The village itself is named Upper Arley (also historically Over Arley[3][4]), which differentiates it from the similarly named, but differently spelled Areley Kings less than six miles away near Stourport.

Until 1895 Arley, including the railway, was part of a narrow neck of Staffordshire bounded on three sides by Shropshire and Worcestershire until it was moved to Worcestershire[5][6].

Photos at Arley, showing station building, signalbox & gardens

Facilities

Arley station does not have a public car park.

There is a small café building behind the station (sometimes referred to as Tom's Cabin, after an earlier building) which serves hot and cold drinks and snacks. It remained closed after the 2020 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic until reopened in time for the 2023 Spring Steam Gala by station volunteers.

The Arley Station Fund has a shop next to the refreshment kiosk in the station yard.

Film and TV productions filmed at Arley

Several film and TV productions have scenes from, or filmed at, Arley. The station has temporarily carried other identities for filming purposes, including:

Oh Doctor Beeching!

(See main article)
A BBC TV sitcom ran from 1995 to 1997, set in the small fictional branch line railway station of Hatley. Filming took place at Arley.

A row of Victorian railway cottages was built in the yard as a film prop. After final filming the cottages were dismantled and retained, but despite reminders to the BBC about what they wanted with them they gave no response. Ultimately they were broken up with the assistance of the Junior Club.

The garden on the main platform by the Gents WC was created by the BBC and is known today as the BBC garden.

The signalbox had a name plate above the door.

  • Hatley (Arley) signal box

  • Film prop cottages at Arley

  • Film prop cottages at Arley

  • Film prop cottages at Arley

Points of interest

Station buildings

The main station building at Arley dates from the opening of the Severn Valley Railway in 1862. Extensions were later added, consisting of a Ladies' waiting room authorised in 1892 and an additional bedroom in the Station Master’s house added in 1901.

The shelter on Platform 2 is also original, dating from the opening of that platform in 1883.

The café building behind the station was built during the summer of 1992 on the site of the former weighbridge. It replaced a similar building known as 'Tom’s Cabin' (named after volunteer Tom McGee who ran the cabin and did much restoration at Arley over many years) that had become dangerous.

In 2016, a number of stone sills, coping stones and quoins were replaced.

During maintenance works in 2023 volunteers uncovered the old water pump beside the station building, believed to have been manufactured by Joseph Evans of Wolverhampton. Reportedly Mrs Jones was still using this pump for the house water when the early preservationists first came to Arley.[7]

  • Shelter on Platform 2 (Wikimedia Commons)

  • Refreshment kiosk

  • Stone lintel on refreshment kiosk

  • Stonemason at work in 2016

In 2018 an SVRA raffle raised over £7,000 for new facilities including a workshop and storage for Santa equipment to replace a small corrugated metal shed next to the gift shop.[8] In late 2019 construction started on the new building at the north end of the station, with the roof coming from part of the old Bewdley platform canopy. It was also partly funded by the Arley Station Fund[9].


Restoration

When the SVRSevern Valley Railway first re-opened the line between Hampton Loade and Bewdley in 1974, there was no facility to pass trains, the UpIn reference to the direction of travel means towards the major terminus (i.e. towards Kidderminster on the present day SVR) loop (the running line nearer the station building) having been removed by BRBritish Rail or British Railways in the 1960s. This was re-laid over the next year and re-opened on 25 May 1975.

  • Rebuilding platform 2 in 1972 (David Cooke)

  • Relaying the UpIn reference to the direction of travel means towards the major terminus (i.e. towards Kidderminster on the present day SVR) line (David Cooke)

Telephone kiosk

The telephone kiosk on Platform 1, which can be seen in the main picture above, was acquired from the P.O. in Birmingham circa late 1981, having been vandalised ‘beyond economic repair’[10]. Once at Arley it was duly repaired, and within a year had been returned to full working order[11].

  • Arley phone box.jpg

Anderson shelter

An Anderson shelter was erected in the picnic garden in 2018, where it could be seen during that year’s ‘Step Back to the 1940s’ weekends. More than 3.5 million of these shelters were issued to the public before and during World War II to provide shelter from bombs and shrapnel. This particular example was originally installed at a house in Weoley Castle, Birmingham, and was donated to the SVRSevern Valley Railway by Lisa Priest of Birmingham City Council and Mrs Dorothy Sigures of Weoley Castle.[12][13]

  • Anderson Shelter

GWRGreat Western Railway 446 6 ton hand crane

GWR 446 6Ton Hand Crane is stabled with GWR 2501 'Rotank' 6-Wheeled Road Milk Tank Flat Wagon which arrived in July 2021 to replace the former Crane Runner 707261, 2501 being considered better suited to the crane.[14] The crane and flat wagon will undergo cosmetic restoration.

  • GWRGreat Western Railway Crane 446 and former crane runner 707621 at Arley in May 2019

  • New crane runner GWRGreat Western Railway 2501 in July 2021

  • GWRGreat Western Railway Crane 446 in use at Bewdley in 1988

Station masters

Station masters at Arley since preservation have been as follows:

  • C.P. May (1974-1975)
  • Barrie Geens (1975-1983)
  • Ian Latimer (1983- )

Arley history before preservation

Arley before the addition of a second platform and ladies waiting room
  • 1862: Arley station opened with the rest of the Severn Valley Line on 1 February, but had only one platform and no facility for crossing trains. Control of train movements was by single needle telegraph only
  • 1883: A second platform, authorised in August 1882, was brought into use in June 1883. Installation of a signal box and interlocking of points and signals were completed around this time.
  • 1891: 'Train staff and ticket' working in conjunction with a single-needle block telegraph was introduced throughout the line, replacing the earlier simple telegraph working arrangements. Henceforth drivers could not enter a section without possession of a physical staff, or a paper ticket stating the staff would follow on a succeeding train. Those used at Arley were for Arley to Bewdley North (hexagonal staff, yellow ticket) and Arley to Hampton Loade (square staff, red ticket). The 1893 Working Timetable noted that the persons authorised to exchange the staff and ticket were the Station Inspector J. Pugh (see below) and the Porter-Signalman on late duty.
  • 1894: ‘Electric staff’ working replaced staff and ticket working. Highley also became a staff station, breaking the long section to Hampton Loade.
  • 1898: An accident occurred when a train overran signals when entering the station and was derailed.
  • 1907: The platforms were lengthened and the up platform widened.
  • 1913: Following the building of a signal box at Kinlet and Billingsley Sidings, Arley to Kinlet (when switched in) was worked by electric staff but Arley to Highley was worked by electric tablet, probably Tyers No 7.
  • 1922: GWR staff records show the station had a staff of 3, comprising the stationmaster and two signalmen.
  • 1938: A GWRGreat Western Railway camping coach was based at Arley.
  • 1950: By this date, Electric Train Token working had been introduced, becoming the fifth method of train control.
  • 1960: The loop capacity, for the purpose of crossing trains, was 27 wagons, plus engine and brake van.[15]
  • 1963: Through passenger services ceased on 9 September, with through freight services ending at the end of November.
  • 1964: The signal box closed on 28 June. The up line and sidings were lifted, and the edge of the down platform was removed to give greater clearance for coal trains from Alveley. The original signal box was later demolished by SVRSevern Valley Railway volunteers, and parts used to reinstate Bridgnorth signal box in 1969.[16]

Early Station Masters at Arley

The first description of 'Station Master' in GWRGreat Western Railway records is in 1897.

Early Station Masters at Arley prior to 1939
Name Born From To Comments
Samuel Allard 1820, Great Creeton, Northamptonshire August 1863 September 1865 Joined West Midland Railway February 1852. Booking Constable at Buildwas (1865 - 1866). Retired 1897.
William Pearson 1835, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire September 1865 Retired ca.1885 Died 7 March 1886.
Joseph Pugh 28 September 1830, Stoke Prior, Worcestershire January 1886 Resigned October 1900 Joined West Midland Railway December 1855. Formerly Booking Porter at Linley (1864 - 1880) Described as Station Inspector in the 1893 WTTWorking Timetable (see above).
George Batchelor 1 April 1860, Honeybourne, Worcestershire 20 October 1900 Retired 1920? Formerly Signalman at Hartlebury (1882) and Kidderminster (1887). Died 23 December 1942.
Joseph Thomas Hill 5 April 1877, Kinver, Staffordshire 1920? Before 1932 Formerly Porter at Bewdley (1896), Signal Porter at Hampton Loade (1897) and Bridgnorth (1899) and Station Master at Hampton Loade (1915?). Transferred to Fernhill Heath in the early 1930s. Died July 1943.

George Batchelor and Joe Hill both won numerous awards for the gardens at Arley. Joe Hill was the last resident Station Master; after he left the station came under the supervision of Bewdley and the house was occupied by Fred Jones and his wife Diane who both served as Porter/signalman. Their son David became a fireman and regularly worked on the line, exchanging tokens with his mother for the last time on the final passenger train to run on the branch on 7 September 1963[17].

Traffic statistics

Traffic statistics in commercial service for Arley, selected years 1903 to 1952
Passenger Traffic Freight Traffic
Year Tickets issued Parcels dispatched Revenue (£) Tons received & despatched Revenue (£) Total revenue (£)
1903 17,295 2,453 914 881 178 1,092
1913 15,796 3,219 761 1,399 301 1,062
1923 12,898 1,341 862 1,828 996 1,858
1933 8,663 997 477 54 47 524
1938 11,623 926 526 44 24 550
1942 17,119 X 1,144 159 X X
1947 16,030 757 1,136 101 X X
1952 11,769 763 834 (a) X X

X: Information not recorded
(a): Information recorded under Bewdley

Historic maps of Arley station

  • GWRGreat Western Railway plan of Arley station showing the original single line with later amendments in red
  • 1885 OSOrdnance Survey map (survey date 1883) showing the single line through the station
  • 1904 OSOrdnance Survey map showing the passing loop and second platform opened in June 1883
  • 1927 OSOrdnance Survey map showing the 1907 extensions to both platforms
  • 1960 OSOrdnance Survey map showing no significant changes in over 30 years
  • 1905 GWRGreat Western Railway schematic plan of Arley giving siding capacities and other details.
  • GWRplanArley.jpg

  • 1885

  • 1904

  • 1927

  • 1960

  • 1905

Gallery

  • An ex-GWRGreat Western Railway PrairieLocomotive with a 2-6-2 wheel configuration calls at Arley in October 1959 (Sellick Collection)

  • Pannier 3619 calls at Arley in September 1962 (Sellick Collection)

  • Arley station in 1960

  • 4153 arrives at Arley in 1960

  • Arley Station gardens in the early 1900s

See also

References

  1. ↑ Railway Magazine September 2010
  2. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway(H) Report and Accounts for year ending 31 December 2011, page 3.
  3. ↑ Handbook to the Severn Valley Railway, by J. Randall 1863
  4. ↑ 1579 map of Shropshire on the Shropshire Star web site
  5. ↑ "Parishes: Upper Arley", British History Online (Retrieved 12 December 2019)
  6. ↑ Upper Arley, UK and Ireland Geneology) (Retrieved 12 December 2019)
  7. ↑ Arley Station Facebook page, 6 March 2023 (Retrieved 24 April 2023)
  8. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 200
  9. ↑ Express Points, February 2020 (Retrieved 4 February 2020)]
  10. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 62
  11. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 66
  12. ↑ Information board next to the shelter
  13. ↑ Anderson shelter on Wikipedia
  14. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway Wagons Facebook 13 January 2019
  15. ↑ Sectional Appendix to the Working Time Tables and Books of Rules and Regulations, Birmingham Traffic District, October 1960
  16. ↑ Marshall (1989), p. 200.
  17. ↑ Geens (1985) p. 18.

Links


Stations and halts
Present day stations and halts
Former stations and halts
Severn Valley branch
Loop line
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