Building record 408/1/8 - Brackley Railway Station (Great Central Railway)

Brackley Central Station was constructed in 1899, serving the Great Central Main Line which ran from Manchester Piccadilly to London Marylebone. The line closed in 1966, and the train station became utilised as a tyre fitting workshop in the late C20.

{1} Railway Station: Great Central Railway. Brackley had two railway lines with a station at each. The first to be erected was the Bletchley and Oxford branch of the London and North Western Railway in 1850 and the second was erected on the Great Central Railway in the 1890's. Both railway lines have now gone, but the earthwork of the lines and some of the brickwork for the viaduct of the Great Central Railway remain. The goods shed and main station building of The Great Central Railway are still in existence and are being utilised by small businesses on an industrial estate. The station building was designed by Alexander Ross who was the architect for all the buildings on the Great Central line. Film 1 photo 25/26.

{2} Opened in 1899 on the Great Central Railway, only the station building remains, now an auto spares company. The island platform was reached from the station building via a footbridge, now gone. The station closed in 1966.

{4} Reasons for currently not Listing the Building
CONTEXT Historic England has received an application to consider the former Central Station in Brackley for listing. The former train station does not stand within a conservation area, and there is no known threat to the building. It has not previously been assessed for listing. HISTORY & DESCRIPTION Brackley Central Station was constructed in 1899, serving the Great Central Main Line which ran from Manchester Piccadilly to London Marylebone. The line closed in 1966, and the train station became utilised as a tyre fitting workshop in the late C20. The station building was constructed on a sloping site, having a single storey to the front to Northampton Road, and two storeys to the rear, providing access to the platform from the lower level, and the island platform via a footbridge from the upper level. The station building is formed of two parts: the north part (former booking hall) had a round-arched window either side of a central gabled doorway, which contained a round-arched window over double-leaf half-glazed doors (the south window and door were replaced by rolling shutters in the late C20); the south part (probably the former waiting room) was formed of five bays, however all openings were demolished and replaced by the garage in the late C20. The platforms to the rear (east) were demolished in the late C20 and the area redeveloped for housing. The nearby stationmaster’s house was demolished in 2014 to make way for a new roundabout. ASSESSMENT The statutory criteria for listing are the special architectural or historic interest of a building, as set out in the Principles of Selection for Listing Buildings (DCMS, March 2010). The Historic England Listing Selection Guide for Infrastructure: Transport (2017) discusses the history of railway stations, and specific considerations when assessing them for designation, including date, architectural quality, and extent of alteration. The railway station in Brackley was extensively altered when it was converted to use as a tyre workshop in the late C20, with most windows and doors either replaced by rolling shutters or entirely removed. In addition, the associated railway structures such as the platforms, footbridge, railway bridge and stationmaster’s house were all demolished in the late C20. Based on the information provided and with reference to the Principles of Selection (DCMS, 2010) and Historic England’s Listing Selection Guide for Infrastructure: Transport (2017), the former Central Station in Brackley is not recommended for listing for the following principal reasons: Architectural interest: * for the extensive alterations to the railway station as a result of its conversion to a tyre workshop in the late C20; Historic interest: * for the demolition of the associated railway structures in the late C20, including the platforms, footbridge, railway bridge and stationmaster’s house, which has eroded the historic interest of the site. CONCLUSION While the former Central Station in Brackley has been extensively altered and converted to use as a garage and does not merit statutory designation in a national context, it is certainly of local interest.

<1> Ballinger J.; Foard G., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Brackley, (checked) (Digital archive). SNN100499.

<2> Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group, 2001, A Guide To The Industrial Heritage Of Northamptonshire, p.13 (checked) (Gazetteer). SNN104759.

<3> Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group, 2011, A Guide To The Industrial Heritage of Northamptonshire (2nd Edition), p.16 (checked) (Gazetteer). SNN107622.

<4> English Heritage, Designation Advice Report, A T S Euromaster, Station House, Top Station Road Industrial Estate (Report). SNN113190.

<5> Historic England, Undated, BRACKLEY STATION, BRACKLEY, BF017242 (Archive). SNN113966.

Record last edited

Sep 1 2022 10:35AM