Station name suffix

[bramling]

How many "A for B" station names are there? I can only think of the recently-introduced 'Alnmouth for Alnwick' - what might in the past have been Alnwick Road had there not already been an Alnwick station.

Ravenglass seems to have increasingly become “Ravenglass for Eskdale”, although it does’t feature on the signs IIRC.

“Ashchurch for Tewkesbury” is another more established example. “Greenhithe for Bluewater” is yet another, although seems to be used more sporadically.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Sankey for Penketh (for now).

 

[edwin_m]

Newton for Hyde.

 

[transmanche]

How many "A for B" station names are there? I can only think of the recently-introduced 'Alnmouth for Alnwick' - what might in the past have been Alnwick Road had there not already been an Alnwick station.

There's Gobowen for Oswestry (at least on some of the station signs).

Of course, Alnmouth station isn't actually in Alnmouth. I believe it's in Hipsburn, about a mile from Alnmouth. So maybe the station should be called Hipsburn for Alnmouth and Alnwick.

 

[LUYMun]

I think Hatch End used to be called Hatch End (for Pinner), but the 'for Pinner' part dropped out when it renamed.

 

[Tom B]

The Ratho situation was not unique, and one survives as Carstairs Junction village is separate from Carstairs Village. I have always wondered why Holytown station is so called and not New Stevenson, as this is the village that it is in???

Highgate Station is, whilst not an official name, used locally to differentiate the station and village.

I think Hatch End used to be called Hatch End (for Pinner), but the 'for Pinner' part dropped out when it renamed.

Finchley Central (Church End) was another one in late LNER or early LT days.

 

[John Griffiths]

Leuchars (for St Andrews) - just seen on Portillo's programme!

 

[Spamcan81]

I stand to be corrected bur wasn’t it only the GWR who used road in that context... Bodmin Road, Grampound Road, Gwinear Road, Wantage Road, Cemmaes Road etc."? Other railways named roads to signify the location of a station within a town, ie London Road in Brighton, Nottingham Road in Derby, Mauldeth Road in Manchester (is there such a place as Mauldeth?) and Wandsworth Road, Edgware Road etc in London, although admittedly these roads had generally previously been named after the places that they ultimately led to.

Colonel Stephens liked to use Road. E.g. Wittersham Road on the KESR.

 

[Calthrop]

"A for B" station names have of course been around for a very long time. I recall from sixty-plus years ago, my father -- a tireless creator of jokes and jests of varying funny-ness -- claiming with a highly straight face, that the roadside sign "Grit For Roads", quite often seen in those times when driving around, was the name of a railway station....

 

[Calthrop]

Colonel Stephens liked to use Road. E.g. Wittersham Road on the KESR.

I love his "Canterbury Road", alias Wingham -- the point where the section of the East Kent Light Railway which wandered westward from Eastry, petered out in the middle of nowhere, on a road which after some miles further west, reached Canterbury.

 

[Gwenllian2001]

My favourite was PONTSARN or VAYNOR on the Brecon & Merthyr. The 'f' in for had fallen off years before closure. It must have been confusing to a stranger.

 

[John Griffiths]

Are there any 'Barracks' suffixed stations other than Maidstone Barracks? Hounslow West used to be Hounslow Barracks until all three District Rly Hounslows were renamed in 1925, but I can't think of any others.

 

[WesternLancer]

Are there any 'Barracks' suffixed stations other than Maidstone Barracks? Hounslow West used to be Hounslow Barracks until all three District Rly Hounslows were renamed in 1925, but I can't think of any others.

Burnley Barracks

 

[John Griffiths]

Thanks - and foraging around I see that there was a Catterick Camp station between 1915 and 1964.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

I wonder how many non-Londoners have gone to Tottenham Court Road, expecting to find the Spurs ground, thinking Court Road was a suffix?

 

[DPWH]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the international stations yet - Ashford, <s>Waterloo</s>, St Pancras, Ebbsfleet, Stratford and Birmingham.

I've heard that Nottingham Victoria was going to be Nottingham Central but the Great Northern vetoed that idea, so went with the monarch instead.

How about Leicester for a station clearly identified by two alternative names - you can find it as "Leicester Midland" or as "Leicester London Road".

 

[Taunton]

I wonder how many non-Londoners have gone to Tottenham Court Road, expecting to find the Spurs ground, thinking Court Road was a suffix?

There are a range of London station names confusing to visitors.

Certainly one American I know was told by another to go by Underground to "Edgware". Now Americans have a habit of leaving 'Road' or 'Street' off the end of a streetname. And in this case it meant Edgware Road, on the Circle Line. But the poor misdirected soul travelled to the end of the Northern Line!

Visiting Beatles fans wanting to go to the famous zebra crossing have looked at the tube map and gone to Abbey Road station on the DLR, to the extent of there needing to be special signage there telling them how to correct their error. It doesn't help that it's about the most tourist-unfriendly area in London.

https://www.london-walking-tours.co.uk/secret-london/abbey-road-station.htm

 

[341o2]

The erstwhile North Cornwall branches had
Maddaford Moor for Thorndon Cross
Ashbury for North Lew
Halwill for Beaworthy
Port Isaac Rd
St Kew Highway
Bodmin Rd, Bodmin General and Bodmin North

 

[DerekC]

Southampton Airport has had periods as Southampton Parkway, but now seems to have settled for Southampton Airport Parkway, which to me sounds really clumsy but I suppose covers everything.

I just found out (courtesy of Mr Google) that it was originally opened as "Atlantic Park Hostel Halt" which is a new one on me!

 

[Brian M]

One of the Bicester stations qualifies on two counts !

was named...... Bicester London Road, then later..... Bicester Town

and now it's..... Bicester Village

 

[30907]

I just found out (courtesy of Mr Google) that it was originally opened as "Atlantic Park Hostel Halt" which is a new one on me!

Intriguing, so I too Googled: www.eastleighhistory.org.uk has a PDF about the hostel - it was a migrants' transit hostel post WW1, a halt was opened in 1929 but the hostel closed in 1931; the platforms were demolished around 1956.

The Airport station opened in 1966, so it would be better to say there was previously a halt on the site. I can't find any other reliable info.

 

[Dr_Paul]

My favourite was PONTSARN or VAYNOR on the Brecon & Merthyr. The 'f' in for had fallen off years before closure. It must have been confusing to a stranger.

For a short while, Highbury and Islington station was known as Highbury or Islington. I don't know if this use of 'or' in a station name is unique, but it's certainly unusual.

Returning to 'for' stations, I'm pretty sure that Wickham Market station used to have 'for Campsea Ashe' after it. There's still some local confusion as we can see here.

 

[duffield]

For a short while, Highbury and Islington station was known as Highbury or Islington. I don't know if this use of 'or' in a station name is unique, but it's certainly unusual.

It sounds quite bizarre and very 'wrong'. Challenge: I'd bet 100 internet points that there has never been another UK station called 'x or y'!

I certainly can't find any amongst open or closed stations.

 

[mailbyrail]

Hadlow Road always surprised me - in the village of Willaston, but there are two villages of that name in Cheshire and the other one got the eponymous station. Why wasn't it Willaston (Wirral)?
Yes, it was on Hadlow Road in the village but the minor road didn't lead to anywhere called Hadlow and has never been a well known road name - not even to me and my parents lived in the village for a few years at the time the station was being restored.

 

[xotGD]

It sounds quite bizarre and very 'wrong'. Challenge: I'd bet 100 internet points that there has never been another UK station called 'x or y'!

I certainly can't find any amongst open or closed stations.

Maybe it was meant to be "for" and someone missed off the 'f'?

 

[duffield]

Maybe it was meant to be "for" and someone missed off the 'f'?

Sounds like a plausible theory!

 

[edwin_m]

It sounds quite bizarre and very 'wrong'. Challenge: I'd bet 100 internet points that there has never been another UK station called 'x or y'!

I certainly can't find any amongst open or closed stations.

Unfortunately the Fife village known as "Dairsie or Onasburgh" never had a station. ​

 

[swt_passenger]

Intriguing, so I too Googled: www.eastleighhistory.org.uk has a PDF about the hostel - it was a migrants' transit hostel post WW1, a halt was opened in 1929 but the hostel closed in 1931; the platforms were demolished around 1956.

The Airport station opened in 1966, so it would be better to say there was previously a halt on the site. I can't find any other reliable info.

I have the Vic Mitchell photo book on the route, and he reckons Atlantic Park Hostel was in use for 5 years from 1929, which conflicts slightly with the pdf you mention.

The book has a location plan showing that there was only a down platform, presumably an up platform was never needed as all rail passenger traffic to and from the hostel was southbound.