Perranwell

Fentenberan
National Rail
Looking towards Falmouth
General information
LocationPerranarworthal, Cornwall
England
Coordinates50°13′01″N 5°06′43″W / 50.217°N 5.112°W / 50.217; -5.112
Grid referenceSW780398
Managed byGreat Western Railway
Platforms1
Other information
Station codePRW
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Original companyCornwall Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
Opened as 'Perran'24 August 1863
Renamed 'Perranwell'19 February 1864
Passengers
2018/19Increase 31,920
2019/20Increase 33,168
2020/21Decrease 10,718
2021/22Increase 29,566
2022/23Increase 31,926
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Perranwell station (Cornish: Fentenberan) is on the Maritime Line between Truro and Falmouth Docks in south-west England. The station is managed by, and the services are operated by, Great Western Railway.

History

The old goods shed

The station was opened as Perran on 24 August 1863 when the Cornwall Railway opened the line from Truro to Falmouth, it was renamed Perranwell on 19 February 1864 to avoid confusion with nearby Penryn.[1][2]

It originally had 2 platforms either side of a passing loop, a goods shed with several sidings to south, one of which was equipped with a 2-ton crane, the yard was able to accommodate live stock and most types of goods. The signal box here was very distinctive, being sited on girders above the track alongside the goods shed.[3][4]

The station was host to a GWR camp coach from 1936 to 1939.[5] A camping coach was also positioned here by the Western Region from 1952 to 1964.[6]

The Cornwall Railway was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway on 1 July 1889. The Great Western Railway was nationalised into British Railways from 1 January 1948 but was then privatised in the 1990s.

The goods shed still stands in the forecourt despite goods traffic ceasing on 4 January 1965. A dry drinking fountain can be seen on the platform, a reminder of more important days.

The original Carnon viaduct

A short distance on either side of the station, valleys had to be crossed on lofty timber viaducts. To the north, Carnon viaduct crossed 96 feet above the Carnon River valley and the Redruth and Chasewater Railway. In the other direction, trains crossed the smaller Perran Viaduct (56 feet high, 339 feet long).

In the 1980s the station had become run down with only a small aluminium shelter with polycarbonate panels offering protection for passengers. However, during the late 1990s a new brick waiting shelter was built as part of a refurbishment programme at all the "Maritime Line" stations.

Facilities

There is just one platform with level access from the car park. There are information boards on the platform, as well as a waiting shelter. There are no ticket buying facilities, so passengers have to buy a ticket in advance or from the guard on the train.

Services

The new loop at Penryn allowed services on the Maritime Line to be doubled in frequency from 17 May 2009 to give up to a half-hourly service, however when two trains are operating only alternate services call at Perranwell.[7]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Truro   Great Western Railway
Maritime Line		   Penryn

Community Rail

The railway from Truro to Falmouth is designated as a community rail line and is supported by marketing provided by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership. The line is promoted under the "Maritime Line" name.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Quick, Michael (2022) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.04. Railway & Canal Historical Society. p. 360. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2022.
  2. ↑ Grant, Donald J. (2017). Directory of the Railway Companies of Great Britain (1st ed.). Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire: Troubador Publishing Ltd. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-78803-768-6.
  3. ↑ "Perranwell station on OS 25 inch map Cornwall LXIV.10 (Gwennap; Mylor; Perranarworthal)". National Library of Scotland. 1907. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  4. ↑ The Railway Clearing House (1970) [1904]. The Railway Clearing House Handbook of Railway Stations 1904 (1970 D&C Reprint ed.). Newton Abbot: David & Charles Reprints. p. 431. ISBN 0-7153-5120-6.
  5. ↑ McRae, Andrew (1997). British Railway Camping Coach Holidays: The 1930s & British Railways (London Midland Region). Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part One). Foxline. p. 31. ISBN 1-870119-48-7.
  6. ↑ McRae, Andrew (1998). British Railways Camping Coach Holidays: A Tour of Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part Two). Foxline. pp. 80 & 95. ISBN 1-870119-53-3.
  7. ↑ "Truro to Falmouth: The Maritime Line (Timetable K4)" (PDF). Great Western Railway. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  8. ↑ Department for Transport, Rail Group (2006), Route prospectus for the … The Maritime Line

Further reading

  • The Great Western Railway in Mid Cornwall, Alan Bennett, Kingfisher Railway Publications, Southampton 1988. ISBN 0-946184-53-4
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