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Description

This station was located in Newtown St Boswells, thus its original name, but was renamed for the larger nearby town. In addition to serving the town it was a junction station, described by its large station boards featuring 'St Boswells Change for Jedburgh, Kelso and Berwick' (southbound platform) and 'St Boswells Change for Kelso, Berwick also Jedburgh' (northbound platform) to which the words 'bus service' were added after 1948. The station also served the route to Duns and Reston.

This was a four platform station - two through platforms and a bay at either end for branch use. To the north of the station was a large goods yard on the east side, approached from the north.

The middle part of the station was on a road bridge and the main station building, larger than many Waverley Route buildings and of three storeys at the roadside and two storeys at platform level, was on the east side, on the north side of the road bridge.

The goods yard was extended several times and the approach to this crossed a minor road, the bridge over which required extension east. There was a very large three storey grain store in the yard, similar to that which survives at Duns. Originally approach was by reversing from the southbound line onto a reversing spur, but this was later converted into a loop. The yard had the original locomotive shed before it was relocated to the south end of the station (St Boswells Shed [2nd]). A large market, Southern Central Mart, developed alongside the goods yard which remains today. On the west side was the Newtown Mart, which no longer exists.

The station hotel, near the main building, there are some architectural features in common with the station building.

Another station building, of North British Railway design, existed on the northbound platform, south of the road bridge. There was a footbridge between the platforms as well as access from via the platform buildings. A signal box was located on the northbound platform at the south end of the bay. A projected extension of this was added.

There was a signal box at the north end of the station and goods yard, closed in 1966, the other as above, closed 1969, and another to the south at Kelso Junction, also closed in 1966. (The configuration changed and at one stage the station may have had three boxes with an additional box controlling the south end.)

With the demolition of the bridge over the road and the station building alongside, conversion of the goods yard into several car parks and units little remains of the north end of the station other than the long bridge crossing the minor road. At the south end St Boswells Shed [2nd] still stands, the bay platform is intact and much of the southbound platform remains.

Prior to 1865 the station enjoyed many different names depending on the timetable used. Examples include Newtown St Boswells, St Boswells New Town, Newtown Junction and New Town St Boswells.

Local

St Cuthbert's Way passes under the former line just south of the station.

To the east is Dryburgh Abbey but, as it is on the east bank of the River Tweed, a large diversion via Mertoun Bridge is needed to reach the abbey from the former station.

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