Woodcroft Halt Railway Station
History
During World War II, in 1940, the Admiralty requisitioned Ditcham Park, a nearby country house for use as a convalescent home for sailors (the house is now a private school). The halt was built to serve Ditcham Park, principally for trains from the extensive naval facilities in Portsmouth about 20 km (12 mi) away. Woodcroft Halt, which was also known as Ditcham Park Halt, opened on 4 October 1943, and closed on 1 October 1945.
Because of its naval nature, it was featured on few maps, but some maps did mark it by a little tab without a name.
It was closed in 1945 and subsequently demolished; just a footbridge remains.
Location
The halt was located 59 miles 72 chains (96.4 km) from Waterloo, at grid reference SU737161 which is now marked on the OS 1:25000 map as "Woodcroft Farm". The stations to either side were Petersfield and Rowlands Castle.
Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Petersfield Line and station open |
Southern Railway Portsmouth Direct Line |
Rowlands Castle Line and station open |
Notes
- ^ Croughton, Godfrey; Kidner, R.W.; Young, Alan (1982). Private and Untimetabled Railway Stations. Salisbury: Oakwood Press. p. 142. ISBN 0-85361-281-1.
- ^ Yonge, John (November 2008) [1994]. Jacobs, Gerald (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 5: Southern & TfL (3rd ed.). Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps. map 26B. ISBN 978-0-9549866-4-3.
References
- Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (December 1985). Woking to Portsmouth (Southern Main Line Railway Albums). Middleton Press. fig. 96. ISBN 0-906520-25-8.
External links
- Buritan Heritage Bank - Information Sheet No. 14 Ditcham
- BBC WW2 People's War - COMMISSONS [WAR] CANDIDATE, Ralph W. Hill, 5 August 2005
- Picture of Ditcham Park School at Geograph
- Ordnance Survey - New Popular Edition - Map