Western Sunset
Established Member
In the back of my mind, I've a feeling that before the "Parkway" suffix was coined, Bristol Parkway was originally to have been called Bristol North. Can anyone confirm this please?
Yes, that was the name BR used during the planning stages. I can't now remember whether the Parkway name - the result of a public competition that BR(WR) ran to suggest a name - was already used during construction or whether the Parkway name was first announced when the station opened.In the back of my mind, I've a feeling that before the "Parkway" suffix was coined, Bristol Parkway was originally to have been called Bristol North. Can anyone confirm this please?
Yes, that was the name BR used during the planning stages. I can't now remember whether the Parkway name - the result of a public competition that BR(WR) ran to suggest a name - was already used during construction or whether the Parkway name was first announced when the station opened.
Yes, that was the name BR used during the planning stages. I can't now remember whether the Parkway name - the result of a public competition that BR(WR) ran to suggest a name - was already used during construction or whether the Parkway name was first announced when the station opened.
Of course, it's a name that was subsequently used by BR though perhaps sometimes to make a virtue of 'a station nowhere near its town', e.g. Mansfield (& Alfreton).
I worked at Paddington RHQ at the time of the competition and I remember someone saying that the name was quite clever because, as well as relating to a station primarily for passengers arriving by car to park and travel on the railway, there was also a nearby road or area called 'Park Way'. Possibly someone with local knowledge could add more?
Of course, it's a name that was subsequently used by BR though perhaps sometimes to make a virtue of 'a station nowhere near its town', e.g. Mansfield (& Alfreton).
..........And, as Evening Star alludes to, ---- Road was a theme only used by the GWR,..............
There are other "Road" stations named after an actual road not because they are vaguely near to the place named, Oxford Road and London Road being examples, and many companies used this form of naming.And, as Evening Star alludes to, ---- Road was a theme only used by the GWR, although in fairness it was used in (when the line was opened, at least) sparsely populated areas. A trivia quiz question would be 'which ---- Road station is furthest from the town named?'
Wandering even further from the original topic, but how was it that while the Midland Railway's stations were often on Midland Road (probably quite easily done, they built it) the London North Western managed to get quite a few of theirs on London Road? (amongst others, it was the previous name for M/cr Piccadilly)There are other "Road" stations named after an actual road not because they are vaguely near to the place named, Oxford Road and London Road being examples, and many companies used this form of naming.
In any given town, 'London Road' is presumably the road to London (so in Slough, the A4 on the east (London) side of town is the London Road, while the A4 on the west (Reading, Bath) side of town is the Bath Road). And given the name of the company (i.e for trains from London to the North West) it seems likely that LNWR stations, or at least their terminals, would be on the side of town nearer to London - why build through the town if you can stop at its edge? Since that would be the side of the town nearest to London, then there'd be at least some chance of the station being on London Road.Wandering even further from the original topic, but how was it that while the Midland Railway's stations were often on Midland Road (probably quite easily done, they built it) the London North Western managed to get quite a few of theirs on London Road? (amongst others, it was the previous name for M/cr Piccadilly)
In my opinion, Steele Road had a good claim to be the most remote "Road" station. It was between Newcastleton and Riccarton Junction on the Carlisle - Galashiels - Edinburgh "Waverley Route".LSWR also had a number of remote Roads. Seems to have been a West of England thing.