Aston Rowant Station (Watlington line)

[whole diary]

[Marlburian]

There's a brief glimpse of the station at 27.40 in the 1948 film " My Brother Jonathan". Happily the appropriate clip is here.

The station also featured in two other films of that period, "The Captive Heart" and "My Brother's Keeper". Again, clips can be found by searching YouTube for "Aston Rowant", which will also lead to a short video of 2016 showing its "sad remains".

Over the years I must have obliviously passed the site more than 40 times, either cycling on the road, or more recently, walking along the Icknield Way. Odd, because I've checked out other remnants of the trackbed, as well as the preserved line from Chinnor to Prince's Risborough.

EDIT: OS^▸ (Ordnance Survey) map here

Lewknor, apparently with a larger population, was served only by a halt.

[Marlburian]

More photographs etc here.

There's talk of extending the preserved railway from Chinnor to Aston Rowant - and of building a new station (not on the original site?) for a shuttle service to Princes Risborough. one factor being the proximity to J6 of the M40.

Pre-Covid there were always up to a dozen cars parked on the B4009 early on Sunday mornings; I've always assumed that their drivers had caught the coach service to London, rather than being ramblers like myself. I was out there last month, when there were far fewer cars than before Covid.

Various websites give details and discussions.

[Marlburian]

I've just watched the excellent video on YouTube (Chuffed's thread, "The New Gold Standard") about the Fairford branch, which segued into this one about the Watlington line.