Alnwick railway station was the terminus of the Alnwick branch line, which diverged from the East Coast Main Line at Alnmouth. The branch opened on 1 October 1850 and closed in January 1968, leaving the former junction at Alnmouth as the nearest station to Alnwick. The station was also the terminus of the Cornhill branch line to Coldstream which closed in 1930.
The station was closed in 1968. The trainshed and the single storey grey stone entrance block remain intact and in commercial use. The principal occupant is the book seller, Barter Books, claimed to be one of the largest second hand bookshops in Europe and from whose website the following is extracted:
‘˜Starting off in what was the ticket and parcel office of the original Station, the bookshop has expanded down the platforms and through the waiting rooms, until it now covers over one-quarter of the whole Station site. This translates into an area containing over 350,000 books on more than three miles of shelving.
Other features include an open fire in the winter, coffee and cookies, a model railway running above the book columns, a mini-cybercafe, generous seating and browsing areas, a children's room, and dozens of glass cases containing many of the more interesting antiquarian books. The latest feature is the Station Buffet with hot and cold food and a fine selection of coffees and teas.
During the enlargement process the owners took (and are taking!) particular pleasure in restoring, as they can, various features of the Station. This so far includes the original North Eastern Railway cast iron fireplaces, two of the Station clocks, a drinking fountain, and various waiting rooms. Most dramatic of all, however, was the restoration of part of the glass roof. That was when we all stood about watching as the sun came streaming in for the first time in many years to bring the wonderful old Station visually back to life.'
By road: Off A1068 in the centre of Alnwick.
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