Rickmansworth (Church Street) railway station was a

London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the LNWR was the largest joint stock company in the world. Dubbed the "Premier Line", the LNWR's main line connec ...

(LNWR) station in

Rickmansworth Rickmansworth () is a town in south-west Hertfordshire, England, located approximately north-west of central London, south-west of Watford and inside the perimeter of the M25 motorway. The town is mainly to the north of the Grand Union Canal ( ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, UK. Opened in 1862, it was the terminus of a

branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...

which used to run from

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

. The station closed to passengers in 1952, although the line continued to be used as a goods line until 1967. Church Street station has since been demolished. Rickmansworth station is about northwest of the site of Church Street station. Opening on 1 September 1887, it continues to serve both the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

Metropolitan line The Metropolitan line, colloquially known as the Met, is a London Underground line between in the City of London and and in Buckinghamshire, with branches to in Hertfordshire and in London Borough of Hillingdon, Hillingdon. Printed in mage ...

and

Chiltern Railways Chiltern Railways (legal name The Chiltern Railway Company Limited) is a British train operating company that has operated the Chiltern Railways franchise since July 1996. Since 2009, it has been a subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains. Chiltern Rail ...

between and via . Church Street station was the terminus of the Watford and Rickmansworth Railway (W&RR), a business venture of the Whig politician, Robert Grosvenor, 1st Baron Ebury (1801–1893). It opened on 1 October 1862. The line ran from

Watford Junction Watford Junction is a railway station serving the town of Watford in Hertfordshire, England. The station is on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), from and the Abbey Line, a branch line to St Albans. It is also the northern terminus of the Lion ...

to with many small freight branches, the most notable of which ran to

Croxley Green Croxley Green is both a village and a suburb of Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire, England. It is also a civil parish. Located on the A412 between Watford to the north-east and Rickmansworth to the south-west, it is approximately north-west of ...

. Lord Ebury's plan was to extend the line south and to open a new railway to on the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

's Uxbridge branch. However, the GWR withdrew its funding for the scheme and line was never extended. The line failed to operate at a profit, the W&RR ran into financial difficulties, and eventually the operation was taken over by the

in 1881. In 1923, under the

London, Midland and Scottish The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally ...

Railway (LMS), the Rickmansworth line and the service from Watford Junction to London Euston was converted to fourth-rail electric trains. The station was renamed Rickmansworth (Church Street) on 25 September 1950. It continued to be operated as a branch line from Watford by

British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commis ...

until the passenger service was withdrawn on 3 March 1952. The station and tracks continued to be used for goods services until the line was cut back to one of the intermediate freight sidings. The track to Watford High Street has since been removed and the trackbed is now the Ebury Way

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

. The platforms and station buildings have been demolished; the site is now occupied by social housing. A new hotel now stands between the old station site and the canal.

References

External links

Subterranea Britannica - Details and pictures of Rickmansworth (Church Street)
{{Closed stations Hertfordshire Disused railway stations in Three Rivers District Former London and North Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1862 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1952 Rickmansworth 1862 establishments in England