Winchester (Chesil) railway station
Winchester (Chesil) railway station served the city of Winchester in Hampshire, England, from 1885 to 1961. It began as the terminus of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway (DNSR) because the line south to Southampton wasn’t finished yet. In 1891 the line was extended to connect with the London and South Western Railway, so Winchester Chesil became a through station.
The station buildings were on the northbound platform and were larger than those at other DNSR stations, built to Great Western Railway designs. The line headed north into the Chesil Tunnel. A loading bay and a siding lay at the southern end.
Originally named Winchester Cheesehill, the station opened on 4 May 1885. A short branch, the Avington line, served World War I military camps nearby from 1918 to 1920, but it was removed afterwards.
The station closed temporarily on 4 August 1942 during World War II and reopened on 8 March 1943. It was renamed Winchester Chesil on 26 September 1949.
Like other southern DNSR stations, Winchester Chesil closed on 7 March 1960, but it then reopened for two summers: 18 June 1960 to 10 September 1960 and 17 June 1961 to 9 September 1961, on Saturdays only.
South of the station lay Bar End Yard, with four sidings, two passing loops, a large goods shed and a ten-ton crane. The goods facilities were withdrawn on 4 April 1966. An engine shed near the goods shed opened around 1885 and, in 1947, housed two locomotives. It closed in July 1953.
The Chesil signal box featured an early all-electric route-setting system built by Siemens in 1922–23, but this was replaced by a traditional lever frame around 1933 due to damp conditions.
After closure, the station was demolished. The site is now a car park, and the goods shed has been converted for business use.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:06 (CET).