Godshill railway station explained

Godshill station was at Godshill on the Isle of Wight on the Newport, Godshill & St Lawrence Railway, later the Isle of Wight Central Railway.

History

It opened on 20 July 1897^[1] as a single platform station with a small goods siding and this layout remained until closure. The station was reduced to the status of an unstaffed halt in 1927.

The station was not a financial success and never brought a large income to managers. There was some agricultural traffic, notably milk, and a few local passengers until the bus services became well established.

Stationmasters

• William Froud ca. 1898 ca. 1901
• Harry Alfred Phillips ca. 1910 ca. 1911
• Frederick William Henry Stay 1917 - 1923^[2]

Location

The station was surrounded by fields but at the same time ½ mile from the centre of the village. This is still the case today. The platform still stands and the station buildings have been converted into private dwellings.

Other stations on the branch

See main article: Ventnor West branch.

The other stations on the Ventnor West branch were:

• Merstone (where the branch joined the Newport-Sandown line)
• Whitwell
• St. Lawrence (the original terminus of the line from 1897 to 1900)
• Ventnor West

External links

• Godshill station on navigable 1946 O. S. map
• Subterranea Britannica: SB-Sites: Godshill Station

References

50.636°N -1.2637°W

Notes and References

1. News: . A new route to the undercliff. Successful inauguration of the Newport, Godshill and Ventnor-Stl Lawrence Railway . Isle of Wight County Press and South of England Reporter . England . 24 July 1897 . 28 July 2021 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription .
2. News: . Island Stationmaster. Tragically Sudden Death . Hampshire Independent . England . 16 March 1923 . 26 July 2021 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription .