Jesmond railway station

Former railway station in Newcastle upon Tyne

Key dates27 June 1864Opened23 January 1979Closed

Location
Jesmond Location in City of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear Show map of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Jesmond Location in Tyne and Wear, England Show map of Tyne and Wear

Jesmond was a railway station, serving the suburb of Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England. It was opened on 27 June 1864 as part of the Blyth and Tyne Railway's line to Newcastle New Bridge Street, and closed on 23 January 1978 when the line was shut for conversion into part of the Tyne and Wear Metro. With the opening of the Metro, it was replaced by the Jesmond Metro station, situated underground some 120 metres (390 ft) to the north-west.

The old station buildings still exist, and the main building is a grade II listed building. It is used as a public house known as The Carriage. The track through the station is still used by Metro trains as part of a link between the line to the north of Jesmond and the line to the west of Manors. However this link is not used by trains carrying passengers, and no trains now stop at the old station.

History

In the 1860s the Blyth and Tyne Railway, which until then had linked Blyth with Percy Main and Tynemouth, built an extension to a terminus at Newcastle New Bridge Street that included, as its penultimate stop, Jesmond station. The station opened, along with the line, on 27 June 1864.^[1]^[2]

The station was built between 1861 and 1864, possibly to a design by John Dobson. The station had two side platforms, with the principal station building on the western of the two, and a simple waiting shelter on the other. The three bay principal building was built of brick, with stone quoins and a Welsh slate roof. A station master's house was provided to the south of the station building.^[2]^[3]

The station closed on 23 January 1978, to allow for the construction of the Tyne and Wear Metro network. This used the former Blyth and Tyne routing to the north, but diverged into a new tunnel alignment just to the north, thus bypassing the original station. The new Jesmond Metro station was built some 120 metres (390 ft) to the north west of the former station, opening in August 1980.^[2]

Remains

The main station building is still present, and is now The Carriage public house. The building is grade II listed and is the last remaining station built by the Blyth and Tyne Railway. A mockup of a signal box was built in the early 1990s, on the site of the former station master's house (demolished in the late 1970s), forming part of a restaurant, along with an old railway carriage.^[2]^[3]^[4]

A line still runs through the former station, linking the Tyne and Wear Metro line to the north of Jesmond with the line to the west of Manors. However this link is only used by empty Metro trains to and from their depot at South Gosforth, and no trains now stop at the old station.^[2]

References

^ Kelly, Mike (29 March 2015). "The North East's lost railway stations tell the story of our region's history". Newcastle Chronicle.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Jesmond Station". Disused Stations. Archived from the original on 10 September 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
^ ^a ^b "The Carriage Public House". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Archived from the original on 12 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
^ "The Carriage". Newcastle Uncovered. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.