Beeston Castle and Tarporley railway station

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Beeston Castle and Tarporley railway station
Beeston Castle & Tarporley Station 1781802 99809193.jpg
The station in 1961
LocationTiverton, Cheshire West and Chester
England
Coordinates53°07′59″N 2°40′05″W / 53.1331°N 2.6680°W / 53.1331; -2.6680Coordinates: 53°07′59″N 2°40′05″W / 53.1331°N 2.6680°W / 53.1331; -2.6680
Grid referenceSJ554597
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyGrand Junction Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and North Western Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1840Opened as Beeston[1]
1868Renamed Beeston Castle[1]
1873Renamed Beeston Castle and Tarporley[1]
1966Closed[1]

Beeston Castle and Tarporley railway station was a railway station serving the villages of Tarporley, Tiverton, and Beeston in Cheshire, England. The station was originally part of the Crewe to Chester line of the Grand Junction Railway.

History[]

The station opened on 1 October 1840 when it was simply known as Beeston but was renamed Beeston Castle on 1 October 1868, and again Beeston Castle and Tarporley in January 1873.[2]

In 1880 the station was the site of an accident where the Dublin train reversed into the Birmingham train to Rhyl, and while several people were injured this was a very narrow escape from what could have been a major railway tragedy. Heavy rain had caused a stream running down from the direction of Beeston Castle to pool up on one side of the embankment further down the line toward Chester. A local coal merchant spotted that this had caused a sudden collapse of the embankment leaving a 20-foot chasm where the embankment had been washed away leaving the rails and attached sleepers suspended over the gap. He succeeded in stopping the Dublin and London expresses "both within a few yards of the spot".[3] After a temporary footbridge was made of sleepers the trains exchanged passengers and they were taken on to Crewe and Chester. The accident at the station was when the Irish Express backed into the Birmingham Express which had been held at the station.[4]

The original goods siding was at the station, but at the end of the 19th century a new goods yard was opened on the west side of the A49 close to the livestock auction site. During 1940-1941 a Ministry of Defence hidden fuel depot was built to the south and west of this goods yard, connected by pipeline to Stanlow Oil Refinery and Avonmouth as part of the Government Pipelines and Storage System (GPSS). At Beeston there were provisions for loading rail tankers and road tankers if required.

The goods facilities were closed on 4th January 1966, the station was closed on 18 April 1966.[2] Only parts of the platforms and the signal box still remain.

Services[]

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Calveley
Line open, station closed 		  London and North Western Railway
North Wales Coast line 		  Tattenhall Road
Line open, station closed

Reopening[]

In early 2020 Michael Flynn[5][6] a businessman who lived locally and was involved in the construction and operation of railways in the UK and around the world, frustrated at what he saw as the amateur and unserious nature of previous campaigns, formed the Beeston and Tarporley Station Reopening Group,[7][8] with the object of preparing a professional proposal to reopen the station that stood a chance of actually being funded.

On 18 June 2020, the Beeston and Tarporley Station Reopening Group working closely with the local Member of Parliament Edward Timpson MP submitted a 55-page proposal to the Department for Transport seeking funding to develop a comprehensive business case for the project.[9][7][10] On 25 November 2020, the DfT announced that the proposal had been successful and granted the group £50,000 towards developing a formal business case, along with DfT professional support to ensure that the next phase submission for funding to construct and commission the station would be robust and capable of approval.[11]

On 27 October 2021 it was announced that the station would re-open as part of a successful bid to the Department for Transport's "Restoring Your Railway" fund.[12]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Paul Shannon & John Hillmer (2003). British Railways Past and Present no 40 Cheshire. Kettering: Past & Present Publishing Ltd. p. 113. ISBN 1-85895-232-8.
  2. ^ a b Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 31. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  3. ^ Alarming Railway Accident, Shields Daily News, 10 August 1880, p4
  4. ^ The Railway Accident Near Chester, Manchester Evening News, 9 August 1880, p3
  5. ^ "Major boost for plans to reopen railway station that shut over 50 years ago". Chester and District Standard. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  6. ^ says, Frank Richards (16 July 2020). "Beeston Castle and Tarporley station could reopen by 2022". Nantwich News. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Plans on track to reopen railway station which shut more than 50 years ago". Northwich Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  8. ^ says, Frank Richards (16 July 2020). "Beeston Castle and Tarporley station could reopen by 2022". Nantwich News. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  9. ^ says, Frank Richards (16 July 2020). "Beeston Castle and Tarporley station could reopen by 2022". Nantwich News. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Tattenhall Online". Archived from the original on 24 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Restoring your railway: successful bids - GOV.UK". assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  12. ^ "Restoring your railway: successful bids - GOV.UK". assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. 27 October 2021. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.

Further reading[]

  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2012). Stafford to Chester. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 88-93. ISBN 9781908174345. OCLC 830024480.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""