Thurstaston railway station
Thurstaston | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The site of Thurstaston station as it appears today, now part of Wirral Country Park.[1] | |
| General information | |
| Location | Thurstaston, Wirral England |
| Grid reference | SJ238835 |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Pre-grouping | Birkenhead Railway |
| Post-grouping |
|
| Key dates | |
| 19 April 1886 | Opened |
| 1 February 1954 | Closed to passengers |
| 7 May 1962 | Closed to freight |
Thurstaston railway station was a stop on the single tracked Hooton to West Kirby branch of the Birkenhead Railway, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It served the village of Thurstaston, which lies to its north-east.[2]
History
[edit]The Birkenhead Railway, owned jointly by the Great Western Railway (GWR) and London and North Western Railway (LNWR), had initially opened a branch line from Hooton to Parkgate in 1866. An extension to West Kirby was completed twenty years later, including Thurstaston station which opened on 19 April 1886.[3] Station Road was constructed from land donated by local landowners Thomas Ismay and the Glegg family to provide access from the village to the station.[4]
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heswall | Birkenhead Railway Hooton to West Kirby branch |
Caldy |
World War II
[edit]During the Second World War, the line was used for the transportation of munitions. Heavy anti-aircraft gun emplacements were built on land to the west of the station, which have since been grassed over.[3]
Closure
[edit]Despite regular seasonal tourist use of the station, passenger numbers generally remained low. On 1 February 1954, the station was closed to passengers, although the line itself remained open to passenger trains for another two years.[5] The track continued to be used for freight transportation and driver training for another eight years, closing on 7 May 1962. The tracks were lifted two years later.[3][4]
Wirral Country Park
[edit]The route became the Wirral Way footpath and part of Wirral Country Park in 1973, which was the first such designated site in Britain.[6][7]
The site today
[edit]Unlike most of the stations on the line, the two platforms are still in situ, though the southbound platform is largely obscured by undergrowth; the Wirral Way continues to pass between them. The station buildings have been demolished.[3]
One of two visitor centres for the Wirral Country Park is located on the station site.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ Christiansen, Rex (Autumn 1977), Gill, C. (ed.), "On the track of a country park", The Countryman
- ^ Merseyside Railway History Group (1982), Scheele, R. (ed.), The Hooton to West Kirby branch line and the Wirral Way, Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, ISBN 0-904582-04-3
- ^ a b c d Wright, Paul (14 January 2018), "Disused Stations: Thurstaston", Disused Stations, retrieved 22 December 2024
- ^ a b Maund, T.B. (2000), The Birkenhead Railway, The Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, pp. 43–44, 69, ISBN 0-901115-87-8
- ^ "Time flies by". Heswall Magazine (2). October 2009. pp.8-9. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- ^ Wirral Country Park, Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, archived from the original on 30 October 2008, retrieved 21 November 2008
- ^ Wirral Country Park, Visit Liverpool, retrieved 8 December 2007
- ^ "Wirral Country Park". Wirral.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
Further reading
[edit]- Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2014). Birkenhead to West Kirby. Middleton Press. figs. 78-81. ISBN 9781908174611. OCLC 885451764.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Thurstaston railway station at Wikimedia Commons
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