Woodford Halse Station

[@reggiesmith3866]

I travelled on steam hauled trains between Marylebone and Nottingham Victoria several times in the early 1960s, preferring this route to the faster diesel alternative from St Pancras to Nottingham Midland. The G.C. was clearly being run down with a slow sparse service and even on some of the stations publicity was being given to the Midland route but it was evident what a great line it had once been with gentle curves, gradients and very high quality construction. It is tragic that its potential was never fully realised.

[@MiddyExplores]

Thanks for watching. The quality of the building and bridges shines through everywhere I go on this line and I agree it was a shame it never really saw its full potential.

[@ianhosier4042]

The midland main line is slow and crap!

[@Carolb66]

Loved this video, beautiful bridges love the blue brick this area I know very little about so very interesting. Noticed the line closed a month after I was born during Beechings cuts, what a shame. Lovely memorial garden. ❤😊👍

[@MiddyExplores]

Thank you for watching. I never saw the line running either! A very sad loss but some of the architecture left behind is magnificent. Unfortunately now some being lost to HS2 but it was built so well it's been formidable to demolish! Thanks again glad you enjoyed the video 👍

[@Carolb66]

@@MiddyExplores 🥰👍

[@robertpalmer5803]

There was 30 miles of sidings in the North yard at Woodford...Bob..Paignton.

[@AnthonyJCooper]

Thank you for your fascinating videos. I would spend my summer holidays with my uncle and aunt in Woodford Halse before WWII. They had one of the railway houses backing on to the goods yard. It was on a steep slope so that the kitchen on the ground floor at the back led into a cellar underneath the front of the house. We lived with the background noise of the goods yard, the constant shunting. My mother and I moved in with my uncle and aunt at the beginning of WWII and I was put into the village (Church) School. When it was clear that the war was not going to be over by Christmas I was put into Magdalen College School in Brackley as a boarder where I was to stay until 1949. I remember Brackley train station; it was beautifully landscaped. The line to Marylebone led over the viaduct, dominating the valley between Brackley and Turweston. When my father visited me on leave from the army we would spend time waiting for his train in the station waiting room. I remember the poster displayed in the waiting room describing the work of the Universal Aunts, and escort service for unaccompanited children. The Great Central must have lost a lot of money because savvy passengers would change on to a Metropolitan train at Aylesbury and at the ticket barrier at Baker Street claim that they had only travelled from Finchley Road!

[@MiddyExplores]

Thank you for watching and your kind comments. It is always wonderful to hear old stories of when this railway was a force to be reckoned with and how it affected people's lives. Thank you for sharing your story.

[@robertpalmer5803]

There was a triangle for turning steam engines at Woodford Halse ...it was near the coaling stage...Bob...Devon....

[@sarahwinfield3989]

My mum lived at Woodford Halse and I remember making a special effort to see some of the railway. That must have been 50 years ago. Where have those years gone? Thanks for posting your video.

[@MiddyExplores]

Thank you for watching. It's hard to imagine how busy this station once was. Very shortsighted to destroy this once great railway but thankfully a lot of the architecture survives. I am filming more on the GCR very soon.

[@streetscrambler8075]

Definitely recommend going back in the winter, you can get to explore Woodford West junction where it joined the SMJR there is a lovely footbridge a little further on as well, and if you are prepared to be a little bit naughty 👿 you can get to the old south junction also.

[@MiddyExplores]

Thanks for watching. Yes I think a winter visit is Definitely required!

[@ffrancrogowski2192]

Another main line that lasted for a short while compared to others. The bridges were built to last out of well produced bricks that haven't perished and gone into pieces like some of the railway structures around Britain have done in places. I seem to recall that Woodford Halse had a sizeable allocation of locomotives at it's shed in steam days, it was such an important location. The remembrance garden looks very nice. Many thanks for this video showing.

[@MiddyExplores]

Thank you for watching. There was indeed an engine shed and various works there at one time. Now mostly gone and forgotten unfortunately. I am going back in the winter to explore the line more around the area.

[@declan210606]

Another great video. Infrastructure that’s lasted since 1899. Built to last and every brick laid by hand

[@MiddyExplores]

Thank you and thanks for watching. The workmanship and quality of materials are outstanding. Built to last.

[@levelcrossing150]

Fantastic bridges those, shame nothing else is left considering what was there. Many thanks.

[@MiddyExplores]

Thanks for watching. Such a shame there's not more to see.

[@richarddoran3877]

More fantastic brickwork! Joseph Hamblet's brickworks must have been very busy supplying bricks to the GC, as I keep seeing his bricks. From West Bromwich, the quarry was where Hanbury primary school is, and the brickworks were directly below that where Pennington Close is. The finished bricks would then be transported on the Birmingham canal.

[@MiddyExplores]

Thanks for watching. I am always interested in the brickwork (as you have probably realised!) Nice to know some more about the brickworks and where they came from. Thanks for that and glad you enjoyed the video.

[@only1hawky]

Another excellent “Middy Explores” production. I always pay attention to what you say, but whenever you start a sentence with the phrase, “let’s see what we can find”, my attention levels go up even higher! Just a shame about the litter in and near the memorial glade.

[@MiddyExplores]

Thanks as always David. Whenever I utter those words I genuinely don't know what's coming next as I don't pre explore and then film, I literally get there and start filming as I think it's a lot more honest if you get my first reaction! Glad you enjoyed the video.👍

[@helenthorne8451]

Amazing piece of architecture and built to last which it has thank you for sharing with us looking forward to seeing more xx

[@MiddyExplores]

Thank you as always. It's just a shame it's missing the trains! Built to last and superb architecture 👍

[@simonballard6413]

Excellent video and very interesting. Many thanks.

[@MiddyExplores]

Thank you for watching I am glad you enjoyed it. Probably my favourite station site so far👍

[@simonballard6413]

@@MiddyExplores more, please! Look forward to it.

[@NWP_EXPLORING]

Defo a re-visit in winter! You can see a lot more

[@MiddyExplores]

Already planning one! Once the weeds take over it blocks so much.

[@NWP_EXPLORING]

@@MiddyExplores don’t forget to get me a shout, I’ll show you some Hidden treasures in that area

[@evebeinguniquebeingme6205]

I went to Belper yesterday with my mum from there to Matlock especially there's loads of little bridges and curved edges to the walls surrounding thw sides of the station too such a great trip with our two together rail card from Narborough to Belper was £8 each and Belper to Matlock £3 🙌

[@MiddyExplores]

I am going to Matlock next week for a good look around! Sounds like my sort of place 👍

[@sturmtigerking4263]

Another great video on the GCR. I quite liked those 2 road bridges, they looked stunning. Some great structures.

[@MiddyExplores]

Thanks for watching as always. Yes it is a very glorious looking structure

[@richardmarshall4322]

Woodford Halse was a huge site with loco sheds and Workshops. Many locals worked on the Railway in some capacity, so a whole community was destroyed when the GC closed.

[@MiddyExplores]

Thanks for watching. I am going back in the future to give it the video it deserves a sad loss.

[@None-zc5vg]

In a way, the whole country has been destroyed since the 'Sixties.

[@ianhosier4042]

If only there was a way to charge beechings estate for the costs of reinstating all the railways he destroyed. Would be quite fitting if the govt sent his kids the bill for HS2. In the meantime so sad to see all those magnificent bridges left to rot away.

[@MiddyExplores]

Thanks for watching and I totally agree and also the estates of the people that backed him, and the ones that made a small fortune from destroying the actual tracks etc. The list is endless!!

[@ianhosier4042]

@@MiddyExplores I recently heard about why brackley viaduct was destroyed and it made me mad at all the evil corrupt people that destroyed the railways for money. Look at all the money that is being poured into HS2 which could have been used to feed the poor when once we had a perfectly good line the GCR that these evil twats destroyed

[@bd4_l]

Yup it was definitely built back in the day when people actually gave a crap about their trade and their quality!

[@MiddyExplores]

Thanks for watching. Totally agree that brickwork was built to last forever. Of all the places I gave visited this one stands out as being really built to last.

[@seamusmcevoy2011]

I'm down that way in August, but as you pointed out everything is massively overgrown at the moment, so it will have to wait until winter when I go to Swindon for one of my throwing competitions. When you got down along side the bridge I was going "go on Middy, get down onto the trackbed", but it looked as if it was fenced off. May I ask, in the picture intro at the start you have a shot of a tunnel entrance @0:14, where is it please?

[@MiddyExplores]

Thanks as always for watching. Yes the track bed was completely fenced off so there was no way of getting on the bridges. The tunnel on the intro is Ashby tunnel which I covered in an earlier video. If you want directions I will DM them to you 👍

[@seamusmcevoy2011]

@@MiddyExplores Is that also called Dunton Bassett? I should have recognised it as I was down there only a couple of months back - must be my age😆🤣😂!!!!

[@MiddyExplores]

@@seamusmcevoy2011 no this is near Ashby de la zouch on the old ticknall line👍

[@seamusmcevoy2011]

@@MiddyExplores Ok, another one to visit!!!

[@jappedut9009]

So in short : With a doser and some tracks we might have a lot more GCR ❗

[@MiddyExplores]

Absolutely. Got my vote👍

[@BigPaul62]

Disgusting that people dumped litter in that memorial garden.

[@MiddyExplores]

Thanks for watching. Yes I absolutely agree some people have no respect at all.