Mason Moore | Hinckley Reporter | 16 May 2020
HINCKLEY and Nuneaton railway stations may sound familiar to you, however the local village of Higham on the Hill, which sits in between the two towns, used to be home to their very own railway station.
Higham on the Hill railway station was located at the very end of the road on Station Road in the village.
It sported a goods entrance, a bridge, platforms, and a station master’s house next to the station.
The station first opened in the 1870s by the Midlands-based railway company, Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway.
Back then, the trains would have come from Stoke Golding station to Higham on the Hill station, then they would have passed through Nuneaton’s Abbey Street station after.
It is also worth mentioning that Stoke Golding station and Abbey Street station are both closed.
In 1931, the decision was made to close Higham on the Hill station to passengers for good and they would still operate.
In 1962, the station finally closed for all traffic that would have passed through, making it closed for good and disused.
Whilst it is unknown what year the disused station was demolished, a warehouse on an industrial estate now occupies the former goods entrance to the left of the station master’s house.
The station master’s house is still present to this day, however the land is private property and is now a private residence.
The house was built back in the year of 1875, by the railway company who were responsible for creating the railway station, Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway.
The current house owner, who has lived at the house for 13 to 14 years, exclusively revealed to the Hinckley Free Press that she had found some badges that the railway station workers worn during the time that the station operated.
One of the badges belonged to a porter at the station who worked at the station. The badge reads “Porter”.
The job of a Porter was that they would have shown passengers by giving them a hand with their luggage and parcels.
The badge was found in the house owner’s back garden near the fence, where passengers could wait at.
The second badge pictured reads “ANJR”, the abbreviation of the Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway.
The final badge that was discovered is sadly broken in half, however the remaining piece is still easy to read and reads “& North Western”.
This matches up to the London and North Western Railway company which was founded in 1846.
Where the trains used to run through has since been fenced off as the land is owned by technology institute, MIRA, however the bridge is still visible through the fence.
Even though the station is no longer standing in the present day, it is still a widely discussed talking point of interest. It is appreciated by local historians and train spotters a like.
Great article I am always so interested in local history and wish I had been alive when this railway was running.
A really nice piece of investigative work fir a nicely worded and presented article
My grandparents lived in Higham so my brother and were regular visitors to the village in the 1960’s. A walk down Station Rd was always a lovely outing, although we never went onto the platform.
I can recall that before the tracks were taken up in the early 1970’s, there was a long line of empty coal wagons on the stretch through Higham that seemed to stretch for miles.
Hi
Bob, the track was shut down in the late 1960’s, but the track was used for wagon storage till approx 1972 (so you are right).
When the passenger services were withdrawn on this line, there was a big outcry (and from what people have told me, a very well used service) as it provided a direct service from Loughborough London road, to Hinckley and Nuneaton, and Birmingham beyond.
I was very surprised though to find that Highham closed to passenger traffic so early, and I believe that this line was used as a relief line, and, also used during WW2, to transport essential war materials on
Yours truly
Adrian Butters.