A short-lived station on the Birmingham West Suburban Railway was Church Road. Opened in 1876, the station was
to close some 29 years later as a result of early 'rationalisation' of stations on the line due to poor passenger
numbers at certain stops along the otherwise increasingly busy route. Along with Somerset Road, the preceding station on the line
heading towards the City, Church Road's location failed to ignite the enthusiasm of the Cross City Line's planners in the
mid-1970s, who decided upon building a new station in the University grounds, and all trace of the station was
swept away with the ensuing works on the route. Above we see one of the rare photographs of the station taken in
1929, four years after closure (photo: Clarence Gilbert/Roger Carpenter) looking South. |
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Above-left we are taking a similar view to the 1929 photograph and can see that there are no
remains today of the station. The platforms, which lay ahead, are in a very deep cutting, hemmed-in by the walling to
the right and the Worcester-Birmingham Canal to the left. As could be seen from the 1929 photograph, a rather precarious
structure enabled access to the narrow platforms. Above-right we have moved closer to the 96 metre tunnel that takes the
line under Church Road. If you look closely at the enlarged image you can see discolouration of the brickwork above the
tunnel mouth corresponding with the stairwell and footbridge that used to be appended to the walling here and a close
inspection of the site also reveals the truncated remains of the fixings that held them up! |
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Above-left we are approaching the station site from the South with the tunnel ahead. Above-right
we are at the station site looking towards Five Ways, and the City beyond, with the tunnel mouth immediately to our
rear. A signal box once stood ahead controlling the then-branch serving the Midland Railway's Central Goods
facility half a mile or so in the distance. All-in-all, this is an interesting site to visit and also one that
was seldom photographed during its period of operation and while any of the structures remained in situ due to
its awkward location - a long walk along the canal is the only option. |
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