Trivia: List of places with populations above 10,000 with no stations?

[D365]

Wetherby has a population just over 10,000, so qualifies.

 

[Snow1964]

Dorset has a few too, here are some that used to have stations :

Wimborne 16,630
Verwood /Three Legged Cross 15,697
Bridport 14,697
Portland 13,417
Ferndown 13,268
Blandford Forum 10,355
Broadstone 10,289
Corfe Mullen 10,133

If you include local parishes, rather than the town then get these too
Shaftesbury
West Moors
Upton
Swanage

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Tuesday at 06:37 ==

Wiltshire has these :

Calne 19,074
Devizes 16,834
Royal Wootton Basset 13,570
Corsham 13,369
Amesbury 12,700
Tidworth 12,089

If you include local parishes, rather than strict town boundaries
Marlborough is 18,135

 

[NorthOxonian]

In the North East, there's Washington (68,000), Blyth (until this? year) (40,000), Consett (30,000), Spennymoor (20,000), Stanley (19,000), Whickham (17,000), Ryton (16,000), Houghton-le-Spring (14,000), Hetton-le-Hole (12,000), Crook (10,000) and Ponteland (10,000).

Depending on how you treat the Peterlee-Horden "conurbation" you might add Peterlee to this list too - some sources consider it and Horden to be distinct places.

There are a few other candidates towards the southern fringes of the region into the Tees Valley: Eston (30,000), Ingleby Barwick (23,000), Guisborough (18,000). Eston is a bit of a grey area as some definitions include South Bank, which does have a station - though by that logic many definitions of Whickham extend north to take in Swalwell and the MetroCentre so this would also have a station.

Alnwick falls just below the threshold (for now, I know there's a fair amount of housebuilding going on up there). Alnmouth station may be advertised as "for Alnwick" but is probably far enough away from town to not be considered an Alnwick station.

 

[Benjwri]

Wallingford 44,000, only has a very poor bus connection to Cholsey.

 

[tsyxa]

In Leicestershire we’ve got a few:
Oadby 24k
Coalville 22k
Ashby 15k
Shepshed 14k
Birstall 14k
Blaby & Whetstone 14k
LFE / Kirby Muxloe area 14k
Mountsorrel 12k
Earl Shilton 11k
Lutterworth 10k

It’s a shame the Ivanhoe scheme was cancelled, as three of these areas would have been given stations as well as Derby’s 42k rich Swadlincote

 

[Mag_seven]

Newport (Isle of Wight) (25k) - now of course I suppose we should confine this list it to mainland UK but the IOW does have a railway with stations!

 

[cjw714]

No mention yet of Plympton in Devon which not only has a population of nearly 30 000 but has a railway running through the middle and, as yet, no plans to re-open the station.

 

[birchesgreen]

Dudley in the West Midlands. Yes There are Sandwell & Dudley and Dudley Port stations but they are several miles away. Dudley used to have a station of its own until the 60's on the lines from Walsall, Stourbridge and Wolverhampton but that is long gone.

Though Dudley will soon get the metro.

 

[lpjthomad]

How about a nice bit of controversy - Kidlington (pop 13000). Oxford Parkway just to the south of the southern extremity, but it's not named for Kidlington and is in a different local government administration (Cherwell DC Vs Oxford City Council).

The original Kidlington station was right at the northern end of the settlement, and no more convenient for most of the residents than OXP is.

Oxford Parkway is just within Cherwell DC, the Oxford City boundary is just after the golf course. Technically within Gosford and Water Eaton Parish, so still not Kidlington.

 

[davetheguard]

Wallingford 44,000, only has a very poor bus connection to Cholsey.

That seems an awful lot. Wikipedia gives the population as a quarter of that: 11,600 in 2011 census - admitedly quite a while ago.

 

[Zomboid]

Oxford Parkway is just within Cherwell DC, the Oxford City boundary is just after the golf course. Technically within Gosford and Water Eaton Parish, so still not Kidlington.

Ah, I thought the A34 was the boundary.

I'd still argue that Kidlington counts, though!

 

[Magdalia]

Wallingford 44,000, only has a very poor bus connection to Cholsey.

Source for that?

The ONS built up area 2021 figure for Wallingford is 8455.

 

[Western Lord]

Shropshire
Oswestry (17,105)
Market Drayton (10,407)

Nottinghamshire
West Bridgford (45,509)
Arnold (37,768)
Clifton (22,407) (although it's served by the tram)
Eastwood (18,422)
Stapleford (16,190)
Kimberley (11,353)

Derbyshire
Swadlincote (45,000)
Ripley (20,807)
Staveley (18,247)
Eckington (11,855)

Staffordshire
Newcastle-Under-Lyme (75,082)
Burntwood (28,553)
Leek (19,624)
Biddulph (17,669)

Although the Melton-Nottingham line went right through it, West Bridgford never had a station. Presumably too close to Nottingham to be worthwhile, like a lot of the places mentioned on this thread (that is close to other places with stations, not close to Nottingham!).

 

[davetheguard]

No mention yet of Plympton in Devon which not only has a population of nearly 30 000 but has a railway running through the middle and, as yet, no plans to re-open the station.

Plympton has a frequent bus service to/from Plymouth but it takes a long time; rail would be so much quicker, and on journeys from the east (i.e. most of the UK) you currently have to go through it non-stop on a train, only to take the 30 minute bus journey from the city centre -the railway station is not on the route adding even more time- back again!

 

[duffield]

Shropshire
Oswestry (17,105)
Market Drayton (10,407)

Nottinghamshire
West Bridgford (45,509)
Arnold (37,768)
Clifton (22,407) (although it's served by the tram)
Eastwood (18,422)
Stapleford (16,190)
Kimberley (11,353)

Derbyshire
Swadlincote (45,000)
Ripley (20,807)
Staveley (18,247)
Eckington (11,855)

Staffordshire
Newcastle-Under-Lyme (75,082)
Burntwood (28,553)
Leek (19,624)
Biddulph (17,669)

Places like West Bridgford are only technically "without a station" due to the unusually tight boundaries of Nottingham city (which are currently under review). The northernmost boundary of West Bridgford is less than a mile from Nottingham station by road - meanwhile I'm located more than three miles from Nottingham station and nearly two miles from Bulwell station despite being well within the city boundary! Even the very centre of West Bridgford is closer to Nottingham station than I am to Bulwell.

So in practical terms it's pretty odd to define places as "without a station" when they are closer to a station than many places defined as "with a station"!

 

[Harpo]

Shropshire
Oswestry (17,105)
Market Drayton (10,407)

Monmouth (11,040)

Bridgnorth (12,182)
Actually has a station, but…….

Newport Shrops (14,182)

 

[The exile]

Midsomer Norton (13K) makes it to the list on its own. Add in Radstock and Westfield (the three are contiguous and a single settlement in all but name - though I’m sure some locals will disagree!) you get to about 28K.

 

[Zomboid]

Midsomer Norton and Bridgenorth are contenders for a different crown - largest settlement with only a heritage railway station.

 

[A S Leib]

Midsomer Norton and Bridgenorth are contenders for a different crown - largest settlement with only a heritage railway station.

I think Rawtenstall, Ramsbottom, Bo'ness, Caernarfon and Swanage in that category have more than 10,000 people each as well.

 

[brad465]

Midsomer Norton (13K) makes it to the list on its own. Add in Radstock and Westfield (the three are contiguous and a single settlement in all but name - though I’m sure some locals will disagree!) you get to about 28K.

That place used to have a higher population but DCI Barnaby kept rocking up

 

[Islandexpress]

Elland! 11000 or 14000 depending on the source!?

 

[A S Leib]

DCI Barnaby

Immingham's another one, whilst on the topic of things which are almost Barnetby.

 

[dgl]

Chard, in Somerset, seems to be another contender.

If only Crewkerne had a few more residents, as whilst there is a Crewkerne station it's actually in the next village, Misterton, though the only thing that separates the two places is the sign for Misterton!

 

[4COR]

Source for that?

The ONS built up area 2021 figure for Wallingford is 8455.

Agree - there is no way it is anything like 44000, but Wallingford Town Council (at: https://www.wallingfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/your-council/town-council/) does state:

Wallingford Town Council is the parish authority for Wallingford, which has a population of over 11,600.

which would bring them into this, assuming we are disregarding heritage stations.

Using 2021 census figures, the only places that qualify for this thread in Oxfordshire are:

Abingdon-on-Thames - 33175
Witney - 30168
Carterton - 17949
Kidlington - 14644
Wantage - 13106
Thame - 12951

Faringdon was 8620 in 2021 - there has been a lot of house building there so it might well sneak in now. Grove at 7945 might be close too.

Grove never had a station as such (though Wantage Road was pretty much it). The rest I think all had stations at some point (Wantage was on the tramway until 1945, but I guess it qualifies).

 

[Benjwri]

Agree - there is no way it is anything like 44000, but Wallingford Town Council (at: https://www.wallingfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/your-council/town-council/) does state:


which would bring them into this, assuming we are disregarding heritage stations.

Yes apologies for the above, I’m not entirely sure where I found the 44,000 figure to be honest, going back to my search to doesn’t seem to show up anymore…

 

[Bradford PA]

I know there's Heckmondwike which i think used to have a railway line but then the beeching axe appeared

Adjacent to Heckmondwike are the other Spen Valley towns of Cleckheaton and Liversedge which were formerly along the same line/s and both also have populations of over 10000.
Otley is another former rail-served town in West Yorkshire of over 10000.

 

[liamf656]

Places like West Bridgford are only technically "without a station" due to the unusually tight boundaries of Nottingham city (which are currently under review). The northernmost boundary of West Bridgford is less than a mile from Nottingham station by road - meanwhile I'm located more than three miles from Nottingham station and nearly two miles from Bulwell station despite being well within the city boundary! Even the very centre of West Bridgford is closer to Nottingham station than I am to Bulwell.

So in practical terms it's pretty odd to define places as "without a station" when they are closer to a station than many places defined as "with a station"!

I sort of knew that West Bridgford would be a funny one when I included it. Wikipedia shows it as a settlement in its own right which I'd say goes with the OPs criteria as it doesnt have a station of its own, but I do understand that its proximity to Nottingham Station itself would make it unnecessary for it to need one, especially with the bus connections

 

[The exile]

Surprisingly unmentioned (unless I’ve missed it) is Portishead - 26K, where breath is still being held.
A bit further East we have Cranleigh - 11K and Southwater just nosing over the 10K line.

 

[Snow1964]

Devon has a few too

Tiverton 22,291
Bideford 18,260
Brixham 16,825
Sidmouth 13,258
Ilfracombe 11,042
Kingsteignton 11,000
Braunton 10,017

 

[Brubulus]

What about largest towns more than 5 miles from a railway, tram, or metro station. (As the crow flies, from the town centre)
Witney just about doesn't count, but it should because the station in question is Finstock but for largest town, I'd guess Wisbech.