I grew up in Hooe, in fact, mum still lives there. My old bedroom looks over Hooe Lake, which is stunning in the mornings. I didn’t know it at the time, but I used to play on the old station as a kid, back in the days when kids played outside.
Turnchapel was on the branch line that ran out to Cattewater, then Plymstock. From there, it went out to Yealmpton, and out to Oreston and Turnchapel.
Just over Hooe Lake was the Turnchapel station, and then on to the wharf that looked over to Plymouth Barbican.
Over the Bridge
Turnchapel was just the other side of Hooe Lake. The swing bridge was an impressive piece of engineering.
This incredible image is from the 1st of October 1896. The ‘nearly new’ bridge opens for the ‘John Nathaniel Rowse’. Image by L. Summers.
A Class 02, No. 233 and train crosses the the swing bridge on the the 14th of June 1926.
Three up-close images of the swing bridge, taken during the summer of 1959. The top image is in close up, looking towards Turnchapel station. The second is just in the process of opening, and then the last, fully open with a ‘modern’ yacht heading through. Images by W. E. Stevens.
This is a more general view of Hooe Lake Bridge during the 1950s, looking out to the river Plym from Hooe Lake. The C.E.G.B. power stations can be seen on the far side of the river in the background. Image by W. E. Stevens.
Engines on the Bridge
Before we get to the station, here are some images of the bridge over Hooe Lake, with some different engines on it.
This photo epitomises the Turnchapel Branch. LSWR No. 218 crosses the swing bridge with its four-coach train on the 8th of July 1924. Image by H. C. Casserley.
A Class 02. No 233, with an Adams chimney, crosses over to Turnchapel, with its two-coach train on the 14th of June 1926. – Image by H. C. Casserley.
The Devon Rambler, the only diesel unit to traverse the branch, was an R.E.C. special, that ran on the 11th April 1959. Image by R. E. Taylor
On the 30th of September 1961, the Plymouth Railway Circle had a ‘last run’ over the Turnchapel branch. – Image by I. Hosking.
Turnchapel Station
An early picture of a Class 02 and train at Turnchapel station before auto working, year unknown. Image by Lens of Sutton.
Harry Caniford has an eye for the camera as Class 02, No. 218 and train reverses out of Turnchapel station on the 8th July 1924. Image by H. C. Casserley.
A rare photograph of a Class D1, No. 259 at the station, working the branch during the early 1930s. Image by L. G. R. P.
Class 02, No. S 182, still carrying its SR number, on the 12:48pm ex-Friary train entering Turnchapel on the 23rd June 1949. Image by S. C. Nash.
Turnchapel station, empty, but still looking impressive, taken in the 1950s. Image by W. E. Stevens.
The R. C. T. S. special at Turnchapel on the 2nd May 1959, as part of the Royal Albert Bridge celebrations. Image by L. Crozier.
Turnchapel Today
The remains of the swing bridge, into Turnchapel (on the right), over Hooe Lake. In the background is Hooe and the aerials at Bovisand.
This shot is from over the lake and shows how there is nothing left of the where the station was. Plymouth and Dartmoor are in the very background.
Taken from the Turnchapel side, the struts of the bridge still remain, which shows the incredible engineering skills of the builders.
Taken with my drone, two images of the bridge into Turnchapel, the top photograph looks towards the wharf, the bottom one looking back towards Oreston.
This is where the station stood, the pathway is close to where the tracks where, and you can just see the remains of the bridge at the end.
This time looking towards Turnchapel wharf, where the platform would have been on the right on the image, again, nothing now remains.
These images are over 100 years apart, a Class 02, No. 233 and train crosses the bridge. I wonder how popular the line would be if it was still here?
A quick image of me, in control of my drone, with the old bridge in the background.
As always, I would like to thank Anthony Kingdom for permission to use the images from his book, The Turnchapel Branch, which goes into a lot more detail about the branch line. To finish off this post, here is some archive movie footage of one of the last rides from Friary to Turnchapel.
