20th October 2025: Northampton Castle Station in Camera, presented by Richard Deacon

The station lost its “Castle” suffix in the 1960s, as a result of the loss of the only other station (Bridge Street) in 1964, and a rebranding as part of the modern image when electrification came to the WCML. However, to many older Northamptonians the station is still referred to as Castle, such is the name embedded in the local vocabulary.

To place Castle Station in context, Chairman Richard took the story back to 1830 when the London and Birmingham Railway Company first submitted plans for a railway. He showed the Deposited Plans and Books of Reference required when submitting a proposal by a Private Act of Parliament ( the norm before Government many years later, took over infrastructure plans). Despite a couple of false starts, with local opposition from land owners up and down the route, and Northampton omitted from the plan despite the expression of a firm intention in 1830,  the proposals received Royal Assent . A branch line from Blisworth to Peterborough brought the railway close to Northampton, and Bridge Street station, built in 1845, served the town but required a change of train at Blisworth.

In 1852 the new LNWR put in a branch down from Mkt Harborough, building a terminus called Castle station on the site of the current station. It was fine for travelling north but there was still no direct  service to the south.

Finally, as part of the quadrupling of the line from Bletchley to Rugby, the so called loop into Northampton was constructed with a larger station opening in 1882 on the site, which, together with extensive goods yard and sheds, swept away the last remains of the castle of Northampton.

Richard went on to show photographs of locos and the station over the years from the 1930s into the 1960s , the vast majority emanating from an appeal to enthusiasts for photographs over the years. Not being an expert on the LMS before Stanier, he was grateful for responses from the audience to identify the various classes that the LMS inherited and built prior to Stanier joining the LMS.

The talk deliberately ended on electrification in the mid 1960s with the potential for a part 2 “Northampton under the Wires “?

Richard Deacon

Chairman/Secretary