The situation was described in the Railway Magazine:  On the London and South-Western Railway's line, between Ringwood and Christchurch, there is a private station worth notice. It is about a mile and a half from Ringwood, and is on the estate of Avon Castle, which place is now a private residence, tenanted and owned by Colonel Ralph Peacock. When the line in question was constructed the property here was owned by the late Turner Turner, Esq., and by arrangement with him certain private rights and privileges were allowed to exist by the railway company, which have obtained until to-day, and still continue. The proprietor of Avon Lodge Station has the sole right of using it either for passenger traffic or goods. The "general staff" consists of one man all told—and this man is station-master, signalman, booking-clerk, porter, etc., combined. This station is absolutely a "private" one... There is one small room on the platform which does duty as booking-hall, waiting-room, and station master's office, besides serving for a luggage bureau, etc. If any passenger, not being a guest or visitor to Avon Castle, however, wishes to alight at this interesting station, Col. Peacock does not usually raise any objection, and such passenger can generally have his wish gratified by informing the guard, who will specially stop the train at the platform. On 1 January 1874, the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway was purchased by the LSWR. As Bournemouth grew in importance the frustration of the route deviating by way of Ringwood, and the slow progress on the route, became objectionable. Doubling the line was considered, but a new direct line from Brockenhurst to Christchurch, and doubling the line from there to Bournemouth, were obviously a better option. The Bournemouth station would be reconstructed west of Hardendale Road (actually the present location of Bournemouth station) and a new, spacious central station off Branksome Wood Road would be built. A Poole branch from Broadstone, entering from the west, had opened in 1872, and the new line was to connect with it. In fact the new construction was limited to the new line from Lymington Junction, a little west of Brockenhurst, to the Bournemouth station at Hardendale Road, which for the time being was a terminus. The new Bournemouth station opened on 20 July 1885, and on 30 May 1886 the Christchurch to Bournemouth section was doubled, and a new station at Christchurch was opened, in preparation for the new route: the original station there was immediately east of Bargate and inconveniently aligned for the new route.