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The Vale's railway stations Ambergate Railway Four railway stations on the Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston and Eastern Junction Railway – Bottesford, Elton and Orston, Aslockton and Bingham – were built between 1855 and 1857 to the designs of Thomas Chambers Hine (1813–99), an architect based in Nottingham. More about T.C. Hine here. All that remains of Bottesford station in 2025. You can hardly miss Hine's 'trademark' massive chimney stack. The waiting room on the Nottingham-bound side of Aslockton station. The waiting room on the Nottingham-bound side of Aslockton station is Grade II listed. But seemingly not designed by T.C. Hine. The Historic England listing reads as follows: Railway platform shelter. Late C19 for the Great Northern Railway. Small timber framed shelter with timber cladding and a Welsh slate roof. Single storey, rectangular plan. Front of five bays, glazed above a panelled base. Each bay has a three light window with a narrow mullion and central transom; the head of each light is shaped by the triangle at the top of each mullion. The end bay on the right has two lights only, the left hand one of which is the doorway. The base has vertical boarding with an expressed frame, the sides and probably the rear wall have diagonal boarding. Hipped roof with spiked finials. Side and rear walls plain. Plain interior with horizontal boarding, vertically boarded dado and rear wall. History: This structure appears to have been constructed from standard components of Midland Railway signal boxes of the design which was current from c.1880–c.1905. The station is however on a line constructed by the Great Northern Railway in the 1860s and which continued to belong to that company until 1923. It may be that the shelter was moved to the site after that date but its construction does seem to date from the period indicated. The Bingham Buttercross was also designed by T.C. Hine. It was erected in 1861 in memory of John Hassall, the land agent for the Earl of Chesterfield. Elsewhere in the Vale T.C. Hine also designed the rectory at Kinoulton and, in 1853, remodelled Flintham Hall. Lots about the early history of Bottesford railway station and the Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Railway: www.bottesfordhistory.org.uk/content/places/buildings-and-houses/a-history-of-bottesford-railway-station. For passengers from Nottingham or Grantham who wanted to visit Belvoir Castle there was a horse-drawn omnibus service from Bottesford station. Indeed the platform signs said 'Bottesford for Belvoir'. But by the late 1870s there was a station nearer the castle… Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Railway The Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Railway was constructed in the 1870s. It ran from Newark down to Market Harborough, going via Bottesford, Redmile, Melton Mowbray and Tilton on the Hill. The whole route was completed in 1879; it closed to passengers in 1951 but continued in use for freight until at least 1980. Advertising in 1881 promoted the then-new line with a timetable 'Showing L&NW connections to Birmingham and Leamington Spa and GN connections to Kings Cross, Kings Lynn, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness.' I wonder how many people living in, say Barnstone, opted to have a trip to Leamington Spa? Or Inverness? Redmile station Redmile station was by far the most lavishly-built station on the line. It served the villages of Redmile and Barkestone-le-Vale. But that wasn't why it was so posh. It was the nearest station to Belvoir Castle, so needed private waiting rooms suitable for the Duke of Rutland and his family and friends – who may include royalty, up to and including the monarch. The architect who rose to the challenge was James Barlow Fraser (1835–1922). It was constructed 1878–9, perhaps just before a visit by the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII). The grand design included a porte-cochère at the street entrance, elaborate brickwork, a seven-bay canopy over the south platform, and a waiting room with an imposing fireplace topped by a carved depiction of a fox hunt in full cry. In 1951 Nikolaus Pevsner described it as: … red brick with ornamental details of brick. Big chimney-like turrets with garlands flanked the royal exit at the gable end which had a big coat of arms in the aedicule surround. There's a few photographs of the station here: www.redmilearchive.freeuk.com/station.html I'm reminded of the grandiose station at Wolferton station on the Lynn and Hunstanton Railway line which opened in 1862 to serve Sandringham. That was designed by William Neville Ashbee (1852–1919) who created most of the Great Eastern Railway stations from 1874 onwards. Redmile station was demolished soon after 1951 although the goods yard continued to be used for oil deliveries and storage until the 1980s. Back to top of this page     Back to home page   This website does not gather or store any visitor information. Copyright Bob Trubshaw 2025 No unauthorised copying or reproduction except if all following conditions apply: a: Copy is complete (including this copyright statement). b: No changes are made. c: No charge is made. www.hoap.co.uk/chronicle

Chronicle entries home page what's new? the geology of the Vale the boundaries and rivers of the Vale long, long ago prehistory in the Vale prehistoric boundaries in the Vale north-south prehistoric routeways Romans roads in the Vale Roman settlements in and near the Vale long ago introduction to Anglo-Saxons place-names of the Vale waterborne transport around the sixth century Orston's early church Anglo-Saxon sculpture in the Vale why Orston lost out to Bingham and Bottesford what the Normans did for the Vale Granby's importance in 1086 Granby's lost castle the Vale's watermills in 1086 Romanesque sculpture in the Vale St Remigius why Bottesford is in Leicestershire the Vale in medieval times medieval gargoyles of the Vale Eastwell's chancel screen St Ethelburga's church other early saints Elston's old chapel Muston and Long Clawson saltways of the Vale the Vale's medieval tile collection the Vale in Tudor times Dissolution in the Vale not that long ago the Vale in the C17th the 'great and the good' of the Vale Bottesford's effigies 'wicked practice and sorcerye' the whales on the Whalley memorial Car Colston's bigoted GP cum JP the Vale's very own regicide Wiverton Hall five rare C17th fonts in the Vale pinfolds and pounds in the Vale dovecotes in the Vale the Vale in the C18th turnpiking the Vale gravestones and C18th trade routes goodbye 'Belvoir Angels' C18th gravestone carvers in the Vale Daffy's Elixir the Marquess of Granby Stilton from the Vale springs and spas of the Vale outstanding organs in the Vale Grantham canal changes in the Vale's agriculture since 1800 Eastwell's recusant priest house and chapel Colston Bassett's ruined church seems like yesterday windmills in the Vale stained glass in the Vale village life in the southern Vale 1850 to 1880 folklore of the Vale Flintham museum lacemaking in the Vale gypsum pits in the Vale brick and tile works in the Vale ironstone quarrying in the Vale ironstone railways ironstone quarries of Leicestershire (YouTube video) The Vale's railway stations Orston's famous architect Mothers Union banners of the Vale redundant telephone exchanges in the Vale WWII airfields and pillboxes in the Vale the Vale in 1944 location shooting at Belvoir Castle Screveton's giants researching and writing local history the Vale as a verb getting started free advice from 2005 asking curious questions (YouTube video) local history groups in and around the Vale Aslockton (Cranmer LHG) Bingham Heritage Trails Association Bottesford Eastwell Harby Harlaxton Hickling Redmile archive Belvoir Villages History and Memories Group Belvoir Angel Society Grantham Canal Society you may also be interested in free PDFs written by Bob Trubshaw Earliest Churches in Nottinghamshire How Anglo-Saxons Found Their Way Anglo-Saxon Leicestershire Conversations in Churchyards Little-known Leicestershire and Rutland Bob Trubshaw's YouTube channel Introduction to medieval carvings Anglo-Saxon and Romanesque carvings How Anglo-Saxons found their way Anglo-Saxon shrines at fords Meetings at triangles Rota's Land and Franni's Land Reading Romanesque fonts Church and manor The significances of square headdresses Early churches and waterborne trade Charnwood slate gravestones and C18th trade routes Ironstone quarries of Leicestershire Roman roads in north-east Leicestershire Salt ways in Leicestershire Why Melton Mowbray needed to called 'middle town' Evolving Anglo-Saxon agriculture Nottinghamshire's earliest churches Ploughs not piety? Economic regeneration in the C7th Were Anglo-Saxon weaving huts women-only places? Barrowby Until Now website Rutland Village by Village website Sepulchral Effigies of Leicestershire and Rutland