The station was built by the Midland Railway at the summit of the circuitous to line known as the Clowne Branch.
History
The station was opened without ceremony on 1 November 1888 as "Clown". All passenger trains called at all stations between and. The line was single track between Seymour Junction and Elmton and Creswell. Accordingly, the station had a single, curving platform and typical Midland Railway country station building very similar to those at and. Remarkably, the station survived into the 21st Century, being demolished in 2000. On 4 July 1938 the station was renamed "Clown and Barlborough", then renamed again by British Railways on 18 June 1951, this time by adding a "e" to become "Clowne and Barlborough." BR went to this trouble to seek to distinguish the station from its neighbour, a mere 30 yards to the south, the ex-LD&ECR station which it renamed.
Passenger services commenced on 1 November 1888. Initially the service of three trains each way, with a market day extra on Wednesdays and a Saturday evening extra, eastbound only. No service was ever provided on Sundays. All these trains plied between Mansfield and Chesterfield, calling at all stations to Elmton and Creswell, then Clown, Netherthorpe, Staveley and. A common thread between these stations is that every one of them was subsequently renamed at least once or, in the case of Whittington, relocated. The time taken for this sinuous journey was about an hour. By 1922 five trains a day, Monday to Saturday, plied the route, but this was the high-water mark. By 1952 only one train each way, Monday to Friday, served Clowne and Barlborough, timed to suit schools. It ran eastwards from Chesterfield in the morning as far as Elmton and Creswell, but was extended, unadvertised, to Shirebrook West during term time. This was reversed in the afternoons, starting unadvertised from Shirebrook West during term time, and from Elmton and Creswell on the public timetable. That service was withdrawn on 5 July 1954; the last train was operated, remarkably, by a brand new DMU. The station's goods facilities closed in July 1960, leaving its sole purpose excursions, such as for football matches, and Summer Saturday holiday traffic, notably from to. That called for the last time northbound on 11 August 1962, returning southbound the following Saturday. The last steam train to use the line was a non-stop enthusiasts' special on 16 October 1965. This train also traversed the Doe Lea Branch.
Freight
Light engine movements and intermittent freight trains continued over the Clowne Branch until the early 1990s when an underground fire threatened to undermine the line, compounded by the expensive need to replace the points connecting the branch to what is now known as the Robin Hood Line at Elmton and Creswell. These points were replaced by plain line, as were those at Oxcroft Colliery Junction. Superb images of the area are available on line but note that, as the aerial view on the site shows, "Oxcroft Colliery No 3" signalbox was near Barlborough Colliery, not Oxcroft Colliery.
Modern times
A visit to several points along the branch on 20 July 2013 showed that the single track between Oxcroft Colliery through the station to Creswell Junction has been lifted and piles of concrete sleepers have been placed under road overbridges at Woodthorpe Road and immediately west of Clowne and Barlborough station site, to deter wheeled access to the trackbed. Overbridges remain Network Rail's responsibility and there is evidence of them undertaking maintenance. The trackbed and bridges remain intact and protected. Clowne and Barlborough station site was a riot of wild flowers. The western end of the lone platform can be identified, along with a fencing remnant. The platform as a whole can be identified by a clear difference in height from the trackbed. The station house is in private ownership and bears a former LD&ECR clock on an outside wall, which could confuse the unwary. Yards west of the station site is the North Road overbridge. Immediately next to that bridge stands Clowne Methodist Church. The church's property is separated from railway property by a long fence in classic Midland Railway style.
Possible Future
The trackbed from Foxlow Junction to Seymour Junction and Oxcroft Disposal Point is protected as there remains the possibility of opencasting in the area. For example, in 2005 UK Coal, expressed an interest in extracting c530,000 tons near Mastin Moor. The Doe Lea line South from Seymour Junction to the former Markham Colliery has been mothballed as it runs to the new Markham Vale Enterprise Zone at M1 Junction 29A. It is hoped that someone will invest in this infrastructure to create road-rail interchange facilities. The line through Clowne has not been removed or breached as it, too, might provide access to Markham Vale from a different direction.
