The following information has been extracted from a book entitled, "A Worcestershire History - North and South Littleton" by Robert Tomes (1823-1904). Robert Fisher Tomes was born at Weston-on-Avon and farmed at Welford, Gloucestershire. He moved to South Littleton in about 1880, being described in the census return of 1881 as a landowner and shareholder. He remained there until his death on 10th July 1904.
Robert Tomes had, through the collection of material for an intended book on market gardening, in 1880, identified the urgent need for the availability of a railway station in the locality, to ensure that perishable fruit and vegetables reached the markets in prime condition. He, and other like-minded people from the area, decided to gather material, and to write to the directors of The Great Western Railway, fully realising that they would not easily be moved. Contact was made, and advice was sought as to the best way to proceed.
As a result of the advice given, a memorial was prepared, signed by 146 people from the villages around the proposed station as follows:
We, the undersigned, being inhabitants of the villages of Cleeve Prior, North Littleton , Middle Littleton, South Littleton, Bretforton and Badsey hearing that it is in contemplation to supply a Passenger Station in this neighbourhood, on the West Midland section of your railway, beg respectfully to call your attention to the great advantage which would arise if a station were provided at Blackminster crossing and we advance the following reasons for your careful consideration of this proposal: -
- That it is the nearest available point for the above villages, from all of which can be approached without encountering the inconvenience of rising ground.
- That it is nearly midway between the existing stations of Evesham and Honeybourne.
- That on account of the greater population and existing cultivation, it would accommodate a greater amount of both goods and passengers than could be secured if it were placed either nearer to Evesham or Honeybourne.
- That the villages of North, South and Middle Littleton already yield large quantities of garden produce, which under the advantage of a convenient railway station, would undergo rapid development. The adjacent village of Cleeve Prior, the goods traffic of which, consisting of foreign corn for grinding purposes, now accommodated by the Salford Station on the Midland Railway, would be secured by a station at Blackminster, on account of the diminished distance and the uniformly level road.
It was thought unlikely that the memorial would have carried a great weight upon any decision on its own. As a mark of the good faith of the promoters, it was decided to start up a subscription, and the necessary land purchased, and handed to the company for their use. An acre of land was purchased from Christ Church College Oxford for that purpose.
This resulted in the following letter from the General Manager of the Great Western Railway, dated September 29th 1881:
Dear Sir,
With reference to the memorial from the residents of (the seven villages, including Offenham) which you forwarded to me asking the Directors of this Company to erect a station at Blackminster, in the parish of Offenham, midway between the Evesham and Honeybourne stations, I have to inform you that the memorial with reports which have been made by the Company's officers, was submitted to the Directors at their meeting yesterday.
After giving the representations contained in the memorial their full consideration, the Directors with the view of meeting the wishes of the memorialists, decided upon erecting a station on the site which has been suggested.
Instructions have accordingly been given for the necessary plans to be made and tenders to be obtained, and the Directors trust that the result will be satisfactory to the memorialists from the accommodation which the station will afford, and that the Company will derive advantage from the opening up of the districts referred to in your letter.
Yours faithfully
J GriersonD
The station was opened in April 1884.
The obvious question to be asked is what effect did the memorial have?
The choice of location for the station would seem to be obvious due to the fact that there was nowhere else along that stretch of line with suitable road access. It must be assumed that sooner or later that the GWR would have reached the same conclusions of a) of the need and b) of the best location.
The apparent gift of the land would have made it difficult for the Company to reject the proposal out of hand. The main effect was to encourage the GWR to give the matter a greater priority than perhaps they would have done otherwise. Less public-spirited organisations might have acquired the land, and held the railway company to ransom!
Brian Smith, October 2025