Trivia: Stations still known by old names

[TravelDream]

I was arranging to meet up with a family member earlier. She is only in her late 30s, but referred to Cardiff Central as 'General station'. Cardiff General was renamed Cardiff Central in 1973 (49 years ago).

I'm not from Cardiff itself and have always referred to it as Cardiff Central/ Central station.

Are there any other train stations still widely known by their old names? What about any still called by an old name when that name was changed before that person was born?

 

[Surreytraveller]

I still refer to train stations as railway stations

 

[steamybrian]

Tunbridge Wells station is still known locally as Tunbridge Wells Central.
Do consider that the Spa Valley Railway runs from Tunbridge Wells West station.

I would be interested to know if any locals in Ashford (Kent) call their station Ashford International..?

 

[bramling]

I was arranging to meet up with a family member earlier. She is only in her late 30s, but referred to Cardiff Central as 'General station'. Cardiff General was renamed Cardiff Central in 1973 (49 years ago).

I'm not from Cardiff itself and have always referred to it as Cardiff Central/ Central station.

Are there any other train stations still widely known by their old names? What about any still called by an old name when that name was changed before that person was born?

I don't think I've *ever* heard anyone locally refer to "Letchworth Garden City", either in terms of the station or the town. It was only a push by a few people some years back which got everything changed to the full name. Given that Garden City is only one step up from New Town, which is generally regarded as a negative thing, I've always found it a bit of a strange thing to be wanting to publicise.

 

[duncanp]

Some football fans refer to the tube station just before Finsbury Park station on the Piccadilly Line (heading out of London) as Gillespie Road just to avoid saying the name of the football club after which it was renamed.

 

[unlevel42]

Sheffield station is often still referred by the public and officially as 'Midland station', 'Sheffield Midland' etc.
An 'official' example can be seen on the current posters and media associated with the Hope Valley(misnamed?)Capacity scheme, an examples is post 1,082 in the photo provided by Killingworth

 

[dk1]

Great Yarmouths surviving station is still refered to locally as Vauxhall.

 

[Johnny Lewis]

Until they died, my (Polish) grandparents living in Nottingham used to refer to the station as "Midland station". Of course, other stations HAD been available in Nottingham in their lifetime, if not in mine.

 

[leytongabriel]

Kings Cross St Pancras underground station was given its full name in 1933 (1940 for the Metroplition line according to Wikipedia) but people always refer to it as Kings Cross, which was the original name, as well as obviously being shorter.

Alexandra Palace and Harringay Green Lanes have been renamed so many times they get called all sorts of variants and often not the current one!

 

[Acfb]

Lanyon Place (Central) in Belfast.

 

[Parallel]

I've heard Reading station referred to as 'Reading General' or 'General station' as few times. I wonder if this will become more common once Reading Green Park opens and there are three stations serving Reading (arguably 4 including Tilehurst).

 

[Steddenm]

Nuneaton Trent Bridge springs to mind.

Some manual announcements on the old Central Trains services used to refer to it as such. Same as Leicester London Road.

 

[Merthyr Imp]

Until they died, my (Polish) grandparents living in Nottingham used to refer to the station as "Midland station". Of course, other stations HAD been available in Nottingham in their lifetime, if not in mine.

I used to do that for many years after Victoria station closed, but I'd got over it by the time I left Nottingham 20+ years ago.

 

[johnnychips]

Thank goodness nobody has come up with saying they still go from London Road to Ringway!

 

[Gloster]

I have heard, and used myself, the description ‘Town station’ for Portsmouth & Southsea. I think some people still call Plymouth ‘North Road’.

 

[Basil Jet]

Edmonton Green station stopped being Lower Edmonton 30 years ago, but my brain hasn't caught up yet. For a forty year anachronism, I still call Alexandra Palace station "Wood Green Overground" just to confuse people in two ways simultaneously (back in the day, "The overground" meant anything that wasn't The Underground).

 

[fgwrich]

I've heard Reading station referred to as 'Reading General' or 'General station' as few times. I wonder if this will become more common once Reading Green Park opens and there are three stations serving Reading (arguably 4 including Tilehurst).

They’ve even applied some (pretty garishly done) mock Reading General totems in the Western entrance now. I don’t think there are any closer to the old Southern entrance.

I have heard, and used myself, the description ‘Town station’ for Portsmouth & Southsea. I think some people still call Plymouth ‘North Road’.

Plymouth North Road is still semi regularly used in my family!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I usually refer to the two sub surface stations at Paddington as Praed Street and Bishop's Road...

 

[D6130]

Nuneaton Trent Bridge springs to mind.

I think you mean Nuneaton Trent Valley!

 

[Ashley Hill]

When I started on the railway many older passengers still asked for tickets to Queen Street (Exeter Central since 1933).

 

[43096]

I've heard Reading station referred to as 'Reading General' or 'General station' as few times. I wonder if this will become more common once Reading Green Park opens and there are three stations serving Reading (arguably 4 including Tilehurst).

Should change the main station to be Reading Hauptbahnhof!

 

[greyman42]

Alexandra Palace and Harringay Green Lanes have been renamed so many times they get called all sorts of variants and often not the current one!

What did they used to be called?

 

[Ken H]

Leeds City. (Edinburgh) Waverley

 

[jupiter]

Born and brought up in Nottingham, my mother would always refer to the station as Midland Station, and of course the market place was always Slab Square.

 

[Magdalia]

Alexandra Palace and Harringay Green Lanes have been renamed so many times they get called all sorts of variants and often not the current one!

The current Alexandra Palace was Wood Green until 1982. It has also previously been Wood Green (Alexandra Park).

Harringay Green Lanes is the 5th name, starting in 1991. It has previously been Harringay Park Green Lanes, Harringay Park, Harringay Stadium and Harringay East.

 

[BingMan]

What did they used to be called?

Carlisle Citadel

 

[Allwinter_Kit]

Leeds City. (Edinburgh) Waverley

I came with both of these and realised that I'm actually not sure what the "official" designation is? I think just "Leeds" and "Edinburgh" (with Edinburgh's other main station being simply "Haymarket" but I'm also pretty sure that both of those stations carry signage with "Leeds City" and "Edinburgh Waverley".

 

[The exile]

I came with both of these and realised that I'm actually not sure what the "official" designation is? I think just "Leeds" and "Edinburgh" (with Edinburgh's other main station being simply "Haymarket" but I'm also pretty sure that both of those stations carry signage with "Leeds City" and "Edinburgh Waverley".

The survival of suffixes in places like Edinburgh is unsurprising - as within the local area just saying "the (train / railway) station" doesn't necessarily make it clear which one you mean - particularly when the secondary one isn't actually that secondary (Waverley and Haymarket for most destinations, for example). There will be a lot of "local usage" variations to this - it's just dawning on me that as a Bath resident, it would never occur to me that, out of context, "the station" meant anything but Bath Spa; if I lived in Oldfield Park however, I might think differently.

 

[306024]

St Botolphs instead of Colchester Town
Parkeston instead of Harwich International

 

[fat_boy_pete]

St Botolphs instead of Colchester Town
Parkeston instead of Harwich International

And the classic 'North Station' for Colchester, called that locally since Victorian times (see NLS historic maps), but never officially ever named that by the Railway.