Windsor & Eton Central railway station

Windsor & Eton Central station is one of two terminal stations serving the town of Windsor, Berkshire, England. Although a small part is still a railway station, most of the station building has been converted into a tourist-oriented shopping centre, called Windsor Royal Shopping. It is situated on the High Street, almost immediately opposite Castle Hill, the main public entrance to Windsor Castle.Originally named simply Windsor, the station was renamed twice: first to Windsor & Eton on 1 June 1904; and then, following nationalisation of the railways, to Windsor & Eton Central on 26 September 1949.The station is the terminus of the Slough to Windsor & Eton line and is served by a shuttle service of trains from operated by Great Western Railway. Windsor's other station, Windsor & Eton Riverside, is the terminus for the South West Trains service from.HistorySee also: the Windsor Branch lineConstructionWindsor Station opened on 8 October 1849 on the completion of the branch line from Slough, but only after considerable opposition from the powers at Eton College who were convinced that the proximity of a railway would lead the Eton boys astray.An extension of the branch was planned in 1871–72 to connect to the south via Dedworth and Ascot. It was planned to diverge west from the viaduct, just to the south of the river bridge. Despite reaching an advanced stage of design, and with some property purchased plus the construction of a possible station building, the plans were never completed and were abandoned completely by 1914.