Battlefield Line, Leicestershire, 2011
28 photos of the Battlefield Line, named for its proximity to the 1485 Bosworth battlefield where Richard III was killed and the Tudor dynasty took the throne of England. The Ashby & Nuneaton Joint Railway was built by the London & North Western and Midland Railways, and opened in 1873. It ran from the West Coast Main Line at Nuneaton to Shackerstone Junction, whence lines diverged to the Midland's Leicester - Burton upon Trent line at Moira and at Coalville. The line closed to passengers as early as 1931, and to goods in 1963.
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Battle of Bosworth, 1485 1 This plaque near Shenton station gives one point of view. Many would argue that Richard had usurped the crown from his 12 year-old nephew Edward V who, with his younger brother, disappeared in the Tower of London shortly after Richard's coronation in 1483. But there is no doubt that the battle was a turning point in English history, leading to the replacement of the Plantagenet dynasty, which had reigned since 1154, by the Tudors.
