Monument record 6292/1 - Midland Railway (Higham Ferrers Branch)

The Higham Ferrers Branch Railway was authorised in 1890 from Wellingborough to join the Kettering - Huntingdon line at Raunds, but a landowner at Raunds refused access to his land and the line never advanced beyond Higham Ferrers. Opened in 1893, it succumbed to bus competition in 1959, remaining open only for services to Blackpool and Yarmouth during the town's holiday fortnight. Finally closed in 1969.

{2} Archaeological evaluation identified remains of the disused railway line in the form of made-up ground consisting of mixed clay. The construction of the former railway embankment was directly onto the underlying geology and is likely to have impacted upon, or removed, any potential archaeological horizons.

{3} The Higham Ferrers Branch Railway was authorised in 1890 from Wellingborough to join the Kettering - Huntingdon line at Raunds, but a landowner at Raunds refused access to his land and the line never advanced beyond Higham Ferrers. Opened in 1893, it succumbed to bus competition in 1959, remaining open only for services to Blackpool and Yarmouth during the town's holiday fortnight. Finally closed in 1969.

<1> MLM Environmental, 2004, Wellingborough East Geo-Environmental Assessment: Southern Routes, (unchecked) (Report). SNN106516.

<2> Allen, M, 2017, Rushden Lakes, Ditchford Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Evaluation Report, 2017 (Report). SNN111018.

<3> Leleux, R, 1976, A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: The East Midlands, p. 75-7 (Book). SNN110373.

Record last edited

Feb 17 2025 7:19PM