The Harborne Walkway

Starting Point - Northbrook Street. Finishing Point - Forest Drive, Harborne. Distance 2.1 Miles

The Harborne branch was a short branch line from the Birmingham suburb. It opened in 1874 but closed to passengers quite early in 1934 as a result of bus competition, the buses taking a more direct route in to Birmingham. It closed completely in 1963. Today the route is almost entirely a footpath and cycle route with just the Harborne station site having been redeveloped. More about the history of the line can be read on the Wikipedia article.

Google Map 

1890 Map (top left of page) 

I combined my walk of the former railway route with a walk around the canals around the centre of Birmingham, the railway route having crossed over the Birminham Canal Navigations Main Line close to the junction where it connected to the main line in to New Street. The line was carried over the canal on a girder bridge, this was removed when the railway closed but the abutments and the pillar in the middle of the canal are still in place.

Below - Bridge that carried the railway over the canal

After crossing over the canal it passed under Northbrook Street. The cutting beyond Northbrook Street is filled in now with the footpath following the course of the railway along the levelled of ground above the former cutting. This gives the impression that the filled in bridge under Northbrook Street was a tunnel but it was a bridge. 

Below - Northbrook Street bridge.

Between Barford Road and Icknied Port Road the line continued in a cutting which has all been filled in and space alongside the footpath is now occupied by the sports facilities of the adjacent school. This was the site of the first Icknied Port Road station, more details about the station can be found on the Disused Stations website.

Though the cutting is filled in at this point the top of the bridge under Icknied Port Road can still be seen.

Below - Icknied Port Road bridge

The station moved to the other side of the road in 1897, this was to allow the platforms to be lengthened which wasn't possible on the original station site bound by the two roads. More information about the second station can be found on the Disused Stations website. With the cutting filled the adjacent Summerfield Park has expanded over the course of the railway. At the far end of the park the path descends to the former track level to pass under Selwyn Road at the original railway bridge.

Below - Selwyn Road bridge.

1918 Map

Between Selwyn Road and Rotton Park Road was the next station, Rotton Park Road. This was expanded in 1903 to add a passing loop with the station becoming an island platform. Though the buildings and platform edges have were demolished after the station closed the bump of the old platform can be seen in the vegetation at the side of the path. More information about the former station can be found on the Disused Stations website.

Below - Site of Rotton Park Road Station. The path up to the road is on the site of the original access to the station when it was a single track and platform prior to 1903. The later access to the station was via a wooden bridge on the left. Some remnants of the concrete footing of this survive in the vegetation.

The 1903 alterations also included the construction of a branch line to Mitchells and Butler's Cape Hill Brewery. There was a triangular junction connection to the brewery branch. Though the site of the junction can still be seen the cutting of the branch has been filled and the whole area redeveloped.

Below - Site of Mitchells and Butler brewery connection with the fences shown on the old map that marked the boundary between the main line and the brewery sidings.

Below - Postcard of the brewery site. the railway system can be seen on the left. (Picture from Wikipedia)

Below - Portland Road Bridge

The next station was Hagley Road, again nothing survives of the station, though the former access ramp from the road has been reinstated as an access to the footpath. More information about the former station is on the Disused Stations website.

Below - Site of Hagley Road Station

1904 Map

Below - Woodbourne Road bridge.

The trackbed curves on a high embankment through the small area of woodland on what is now the Harborne Nature Reserve.

Below - Bridge over Park Hill Road

 The path emerges on Forest Drive, the former Harborne station site is now occupied by modern housing and the police station and is no longer accessible from the path along the railway. A visit to the station site on the Disused Stations website will have to suffice.

From here I continued on foot to Somerset Road bridge on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal to continue my walk of canals around Birmingham.