Trivia: ”Single station” towns with station name suffixes

[BJames]

Nottingham Midland is still used from time to time though I don't think in any official context?

Not in any official context that I've heard - there's no signage at Nottingham station that says Nottingham Midland and I'm not sure I've actually heard anyone call it that! Before my time I think. But does Derby still have "Derby Midland" on the sign out the front of the station?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Not been Nottingham Midland since 1969 has it?

Nottingham Victoria station closed in 1967 as also did Nottingham London Road (the latter station in 1967 to passengers at least) so Nottingham Midland would have been left as the only principal passenger station in the city, presumably a factor in the station name simplification which occurred relatively soon afterwards.

 

[Jurg]

Yep, in Germany too - you'd without doubt have stuff like "Milton Keynes Wolverton" and "London Stratford", and (I certainly know people who wouldn't like this) "Manchester Stockport". Deutsche Bahn typically make it clear on signage that it isn't the Hbf by putting the prefix in a smaller font.

London Stratford might help to make things slightly less confusing for foreign tourists seeking Shakespeare

 

[Western Lord]

London Stratford might help to make things slightly less confusing for foreign tourists seeking Shakespeare

Why? If they don't know that the bard's Stratford is in Warwickshire adding London to the name is not likely to make any difference!

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Filton Abbey Wood?

Sounds like a firm of solicitors!

I'll go for Alnmouth For Alnwick, even though technically Alnmouth isn't a town.

 

[Calthrop]

post deleted

 

[SargeNpton]

Sounds like a firm of solicitors!

I'll go for Alnmouth For Alnwick, even though technically Alnmouth isn't a town.

 

[InOban]

And Alnmouth station isn't in Alnmouth! It's in Hipsburn.

 

[ian1944]

An odd one is Edinburgh Waverley. It's often called just Edinburgh or just Waverley, so what the "official" name is is unclear. Just "Edinburgh" invites some confusion with Edinburgh Park, though that's named in full after the trading estate rather than gor the (non-existent) Park district of the city.

I'm a bit of a dinosaur. In Carlisle, Leeds and Hull I refer to Citadel, City and Paragon stations, and in Edinburgh I refer to the North British Hotel rather than to the recent upstart. It's the same principle as walking on old footpaths to keep them open even if they don't go anywhere special, use a name ot it'll get forgotten. The arch example must be Newcastle station, experience suggests that to most inhabitants it's simple "the Central".

 

[RH Liner]

Not been Nottingham Midland since 1969 has it?

Nottingham Victoria station closed in 1967 as also did Nottingham London Road (the latter station in 1967 to passengers at least) so Nottingham Midland would have been left as the only principal passenger station in the city, presumably a factor in the station name simplification which occurred relatively soon afterwards.

Nobody refers to Nottingham Midland nowadays, but I have heard it referred to as ‘Midland station’.

 

[Cletus]

Dover Priory is now the only station serving Dover after the other three stations in the town closed years ago.

Well, Kearsney is in a suburb of Dover.

 

[mirodo]

Sounds like a firm of solicitors!

I'll go for Alnmouth For Alnwick, even though technically Alnmouth isn't a town.

Is "for Alnwick" not just a piece of advisory text? I don't think it's part of the official name, it certainly doesn't feature here: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/48541.aspx.

The only "for" stations on the NR list are:

Ashchurch for Tewkesbury
Newton for Hyde
Ravenglass for Eskdale
Sankey for Penketh

 

[swt_passenger]

And Alnmouth station isn't in Alnmouth! It's in Hipsburn.

This station was named after Bilton when it opened, the small place just west from the railway. Hipsburn was almost non existent at the time.

 

[SouthStand]

Technically hadn't been Leeds City since I think 1967, despite the sign out front now.

Interestingly, the Network Rail website calls it that.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Interestingly, the Network Rail website calls it that.

So does the front sign!

Leeds station frontage showing "Leeds City Station" signage, from leeds-live.co.uk

 

[bramling]

Carlisle is now just Carlisle - but only a few years ago I heard an elderly guard announce 'we are now on the approach to Citadel station'. Not even Carlisle Citadel - though it probably had been mentioned earlier on

I’ve heard same done at both Glasgow Central and Newcastle - guards announcing we are now arriving at “Central station”. In the case of Newcastle this would have been on a Northern local service, but I’ve heard it several times on Pendolinos when arriving at Glasgow.

So does the front sign!

Leeds station frontage showing "Leeds City Station" signage, from leeds-live.co.uk

In my view that is unhelpful. I’m all for a nod to history and all that, but official signage should be correct, especially at the main entrance. This sort of thing can and does confuse some people.

Derby had “Derby Midland Station”, and quite possibly still does.

also Leamington Spa, Cheltenham Spa and Droitwich Spa. Other spa towns such as Buxton, Harrogate and Tunbridge Wells have never had the suffix.

Was it not the case that Spa was a GWR thing?

Certainly in the case of Bath I’ve never heard anyone refer to the city as anything other than “Bath”.

Having said that, the GNR had a couple of Spa stations - Woodhall Spa for one, Hovingham Spa another.

 

[Nottingham59]

Derby had “Derby Midland Station”, and quite possibly still does.

Yes, it still does

 

[steamybrian]

Well, Kearsney is in a suburb of Dover.

Dover Priory could be renamed "Dover"

 

[unlevel42]

It's 2022 and Sheffield Midland still exists-officially.
That is if the posters displayed in connection with Sheffield Stockport/Piccadilly engineering closures can be counted as official

 

[oddiesjack]

Conversely, even when Buxton still had 2 seperate stations, albeit facing each other either side of a common concourse, neither had a suffix. both stations were just called "Buxton" without any suffixes . Is or was there anywhere else like this?

 

[Dai Corner]

Conversely, even when Buxton still had 2 seperate stations, albeit facing each other either side of a common concourse, neither had a suffix. both stations were just called "Buxton" without any suffixes . Is or was there anywhere else like this?

London Victoria?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Conversely, even when Buxton still had 2 seperate stations, albeit facing each other either side of a common concourse, neither had a suffix. both stations were just called "Buxton" without any suffixes . Is or was there anywhere else like this?

That might have been technically two stations, but practically one, so I don't see an issue there.

Birmingham New St was originally two stations with a road in the middle between them, a bit like Kings Cross and St Pancras now.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Conversely, even when Buxton still had 2 seperate stations, albeit facing each other either side of a common concourse, neither had a suffix. both stations were just called "Buxton" without any suffixes . Is or was there anywhere else like this?

Maybe London Bridge?

 

[davetheguard]

Was it not the case that Spa was a GWR thing?

Certainly in the case of Bath I’ve never heard anyone refer to the city as anything other than “Bath”.

I concur. "Spa" is the name of the station. With Bath Green Park closed in the 1960s, Bath Spa fits this thread admirably.

 

[plugwash]

Is or was there anywhere else like this?

You certainly see this sort of thing with tram and metro operators. In Eccles and Ashton-Under-Lyne the metrolink stop is a fair distance from the National rail station, but neither has any name prefix or suffix. "Hammersmith" on the Circle/Hammersmith and City is seperated by a road junction from "Hammersmith" on the District/Piccadilly lines.

 

[leytongabriel]

London Stratford might help to make things slightly less confusing for foreign tourists seeking Shakespeare

Theatre-wise known as Stratord East

Theatre-wise known as Stratord East

Edmonton. We had a Lower Edmonton on the GE suburban lines but there was never an Upper Edmonton which is also a place. Now called Edmonton Green after a rather run-down shopping centre but there's not other Edmonton station.

North Sheen near Richmond in SW London? No other Sheen station

 

[61653 HTAFC]

North Sheen near Richmond in SW London? No other Sheen station

It's closed now, but Clayton West could confuse those unfamiliar with the area. The station wasn't to the west of a village called Clayton, it was in the middle of a village called "Clayton West". There are no other Claytons in the area, East or otherwise.

 

[MadMac]

It's closed now, but Clayton West could confuse those unfamiliar with the area. The station wasn't to the west of a village called Clayton, it was in the middle of a village called "Clayton West". There are no other Claytons in the area, East or otherwise.

Not wishing to digress too far, but it's similar to Mosspark West (now just Mosspark), which (arguably) isn't even in Mosspark: there was never another Mosspark station, with or without a suffix of any kind.

 

[vic-rijrode]

The way Germany sees it, "London Watford Junction" would not be entirely improbable, even though the City of London is just one square mile.

Regardless of its location within the M25, Watford has never considered itself as a part of London, but is the largest town in Hertfordshire (give or take). If Germany sees "London Watford Junction", then it is surely suffering from myopia.

Although isn’t Royal Leamington Spa the name of the town?

Royal Leamington Spa is the full name of the town - there is (not so far away) the village of Leamington Hastings...

 

[THC]

North Sheen near Richmond in SW London? No other Sheen station

But there is also an East Sheen suburb so the North prefix is required. As an aside, Sheen was the original name for what is now Richmond, the latter name bestowed by Henry VII in 1501 after his castle in Yorkshire.

THC