GCR London Extension stations - Calvert
The most southerly of the stations on the London Extension during construction of the Southern Division. Opened in 1899, closed to passengers on 4th March 1963, and to parcels traffic 26th January 1964. An initial selection of pictures focussing on the station buildings, in chronological order.
A composite view of the 25" OS maps for 1899 and 1938. The first map shows how, contrary to some accounts, there was neither town, village nor hamlet near the new station, hence the search for a name which resulted in the old family name of Sir Edmund Verney being chosen.
As can be seen in the later survey, houses were soon built between the brickworks and the railway and the station name Calvert was adopted by the newly-formed hamlet. It was a rare case of a hamlet being named after a station rather than the other way round.
When the brickworks was opened, a curving connection was laid off the GCR Down laybye, which was lengthened at the north end and, at the other end, given a trailing connection with the Up line. Brick traffic could thus leave in either direction. The prosperity of the site can be gauged by the fact that on the 1938 survey, "old clay pit" is shown by the works with new excavations on the other side of the road. Yours truly can claim a personal attachment here, having scuba-dived one of them a few years ago (not recommended, being very muddy with visibility of about three feet)! Source: National Library of Scotland.
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A picture from the 1930s taken off the station overbridge, looking south towards Aylesbury and Marylebone. The station is as-built with the good-looking GCR awnings still in place. The goods yard is to the left and barely visible with the milk platform below, and also out of sight. In the distant right, the brickworks siding and many wagons can be seen. The connection to the brickworks, guarded by wooden fences, curves away to the right across the field behind the signal box. Real Photos.
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A rare picture at Calvert in LNER days with D11 No 5505 "Ypres" calling with an Ordinary Passenger train and a Gresley 61'6" BG behind the tender. Photo: Author's collection.
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Here are four old Edmondson-style tickets to and from Calvert station, in GCR and LNER days.
A GCR ticket issued in April 1902 between Aylesbury (shown as a Metropolitan station) and Calvert. The fare was 11d, that is, eleven pence (where 12 pence = 1 shilling). After decimalisation that would have become just under 5p and its value today based on a whole shilling and over a century's worth of inflation and rise in the Retail Price Index would be just over £5, rather more if using different comparators. Mick Green Collection.
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A similar ticket issued on 9th August 1904. Mick Green Collection.
This ticket was issued from Haddenham on the GWR&GCR Joint line. The cost was 1 shilling and the date of issue would have been on the back per GWR practice at the time. The letters "HL" on the lower left corner are the initials of the person who set the type when printing the ticket. This ticket wasn't actually used and would have been returned to the National Audit Office and then passed on to collectors. Mick Green Collection.
An LNER ticket from Calvert to Finmere, the next station down the line. Again, the date would have been printed on the back. The fare is shown as "1s, 2 1/2d", that is, one shilling and two and a half pence and the letter "Z" which follows is a sign of relatively late fares revision (around 1950). Mick Green Collection.
A post-WWII scene from the mid-1950s with A3 No 60106 Flying Fox in marvellous condition as it races through the station down the ruling gradient of 1:176 with the Up "South Yorkshireman". Photo: Author's collection.
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Sometime in the late 1950s and the original lights were still in use on the station. High on the skyline is the entrance to the steps descending from the road bridge, incorporating the chimney from the staff room underneath.
8F No 48423, whose shed plate is unrecognisable (but was an LMR loco at the time), is rolling through the station with a Class J intermediate freight lights, often used for mineral empties, here with some vans thrown in and a mobile loading crane behind the tender. Photo: George Denty.
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The signal box seen from across the neck of the goods yard. Part of the horse and cattle pen is in the left foreground. c1959. Photo: Author's collection.
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The years have passed in this view from around 1960 looking north. On the left the brickworks siding can be seen in its final guise, extended to the over-bridge. The station awning with wooden facia has been replaced by a more utilitarian one with an asbestos roof and, most recently, gas lights have finally been updated with electric lighting, even if the platform surface has not been made good very well and the further lamp is already leaning. Author's collection.
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Taken around the same time, this closer view shows the gent's lavatory and the smart new bicycle shed. Author's collection.
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It's 1963 and the last year of service as a DMU bound for Aylesbury waits while elderly passengers board the train. Author's collection.
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The site remained open for the brickworks for several more years but the abandoned station began to decay and where there had once been flower beds, pride of the station staff, weeds began to take over. Looking south with BR-built Palbrick wagons for the bricks to the right. Author's collection.
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The other side of the station on the same day with some goods wagons in the yard. A short ex-GCR signal remains in use, now fitted with an upper quadrant arm. Author's collection.
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A more dismal scene is hard to image with ex-LMS "Black Five" No 44872 by the platform. It seems to be carrying a hand-painted "2D" which was Banbury at the time. Author's collection.
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