Danzey Railway Station
The station exists to serve the picturesque village of Tanworth and the surrounding area. Minimal station facilities. A request stop.
Opened in 1908 and until 1968 named ‘Danzey for Tanworth’, the station serves the hamlet of Danzey Green and the nearby village of Tanworth in Arden.
Although the railway station is now unstaffed and the original platform buildings have been removed there are still a few features worth noting. The site of the former goods yard at the northern end of the station is obvious when viewed from the footbridge and the four cottages now hidden by trees were built by the Great Western Railway to house the station master and other railway employees.
There is an almost imperceptible feeling that the scattered farms and houses in Danzey Green lie in a hidden valley well away from civilisation, though in reality, this is largely an illusion as the M42 is only 1½ miles (2½km) away. Along Pig Trot Lane to the east of the station is Hill Farm where there once stood a windmill, which ceased to operate in 1874 after the sails blew off in a storm. In 1969 the mill was dismantled and moved to Avoncroft Museum of Buildings in Bromsgrove where it was rebuilt and restored to working order.
Approximately 1 mile (1½km) northwest of the station on high ground is the picturesque village of Tanworth-in-Arden. Here the 14th-century church of St. Mary Magdalene is well worth a visit and in the churchyard are the graves of Mike Hailwood MBE GM, Grand Prix motorcycle world champion and Nick Drake, the highly regarded pop singer-songwriter and musician.
Around The Green are attractive timber-framed houses with others of Georgian brick plus The Bell, an acclaimed gastropub with B&B accommodation. Some outside shots for the ITV soap ‘Crossroads’ were filmed in the village.
The other major attraction nearby is Umberslade Farm Park, part of the Umberslade Estate owned by the Muntz family. The Farm Park lies on the eastern side of the railway and can easily be reached from Tanworth-in-Arden via the Mile Walk, a straight drive lined by poplar trees that ultimately leads to Umberslade Hall.
When the railway was constructed, Major Frederick Ernest Muntz insisted that where it crossed the Mile Walk a bridge with stone matching the exterior of Umberslade Hall must be provided. Situated ⅓ mile (½km) along the drive and completed in 1906, the beautiful structure of three elliptical arches is a notable civil engineering feature.
Attractions:
Attractions include highly-rated fine food at the Bell Inn. Tanworth was used for filming outside scenes in the first series of the TV serial 'Crossroads'.
Address:
Danzey Railway Station, Danzey Green Lane, Tanworth-in-Arden, Solihull B94 5BE