Alton Towers railway station

Alton Station
Alton Station
	The remains of Alton Towers railway station
General information
Location	Alton, Staffordshire Moorlands, Staffordshire ; England
Coordinates	52°58′54″N1°53′48″W / 52.9816°N 1.8968°W Coordinates: 52°58′54″N1°53′48″W / 52.9816°N 1.8968°W
Grid reference	SK070427
Platforms	3
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	North Staffordshire Railway
Post-grouping	LMS ; British Railways
Key dates
13 July 1849	Opened as Alton
January 1954	Renamed Alton Towers
4 January 1965	Closed

Last updated January 25, 2023

Alton railway station is a former railway station in Staffordshire. Opened in 1849 by the North Staffordshire Railway and called Alton, the station was part of the Churnet Valley line and served the village of Alton and the country estate at Alton Towers. In 1954, the station was renamed Alton Towers. After being closed in 1965, the station site was purchased by Staffordshire County Council in 1969 to curtail persistent vandalism of the station building, and in 1979 was sold to the Landmark Trust, who renamed the site to Alton Station and converted the former station buildings into holiday accommodation.

History

At the height of the so-called "Railway Mania", when railways were being built across the whole country, the North Staffordshire Railway obtained Parliament's permission to build a number of lines, one of which was the Churnet Valley Line, on 26 June 1845.^[2] It ran from North Rode in Cheshire to Uttoxeter in East Staffordshire. A temporary station was erected in Alton which opened on 13 July 1849, and the permanent station buildings opened the following year. The station's design followed an Italianate villa style, unique in this respect among all NSR stations, which were a Tudor or Jacobean style. The architecture is variously attributed to A.W. Pugin and Henry Arthur Hunt, the latter of whom designed most of the NSR's stations.^[3]

Early passengers included many day visitors coming in large numbers from the Staffordshire Potteries to visit nearby Alton Towers, the country estate of the Earl of Shrewsbury. A luggage lift was installed to hoist the Earl's baggage up to Alton Towers.^[4] The station also comprised a three-storey tower which contained the Earl's suite of waiting rooms^[5] and its platform was made particularly long to satisfy the Earl's desire to have impressive surroundings in which to receive his guests.

Several additions were made during the 1880s:^[3]

1882 - goods yard and sidings enlarged, signal box built
1882 - waiting room extended with a new booking office
1884 - platforms lengthened, pathway directly to the Towers built

The station experienced a great increase in use from 1924, when Alton Towers was sold to become a tourist attraction, with its gardens and parts of the house open for public use, although it did not become a theme park for several decades afterwards.^[3] It became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923.^[6] The station then passed on to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948, and thereafter the line began to decline. In January 1954, the station was renamed Alton Towers in recognition of its previous service to the Alton Towers estate. Passenger service was greatly reduced from 1960, with eventual closure by the British Railways Board occurring in 1965. Vandalism of the waiting room became a problem soon thereafter, and the station buildings, platform and sections of line were purchased by Staffordshire County Council in 1969.^[3]

Design and layout

The former station buildings, attributed variously to Augustus Pugin and local architect Henry Arthur Hunt, are of an Italianate villa style unique to the former North Staffordshire Railway^[3] and was built at the request of Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 19th Earl of Shrewsbury, who owned the Alton Towers estate and wished for an impressive station where he might impress his guests. When in use as a railway station, Alton Towers also possessed a three-storey tower, unusually long platforms, and a luggage lift to the Alton Towers estate, all of which were built at the Earl's request.

The site today

The station buildings, which are grade II listed, were acquired by the Landmark Trust and the stationmaster's house converted into holiday accommodation, opening in 1972.^[7] In 2008 the Landmark Trust converted the waiting-room to provide additional accommodation space. The buildings are occasionally open to the public as part of an "Open Day" scheme run by the Trust.

Related Research Articles

Alton is a village in Staffordshire, England. It is noted for the theme park Alton Towers, built around the site of Alton Mansion, which was owned by the Earls of Shrewsbury, and designed by Augustus Pugin. In the 1914 map by Whiston, there were copper works in the village.

The North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) was a British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire.

The Churnet Valley Railway is a preserved standard gauge heritage railway in the Staffordshire Moorlands of Staffordshire, England. It operates on part of the former Churnet Valley Line.which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway. The railway is roughly 10+1⁄2 miles (16.9 km) long from Kingsley and Froghall to Ipstones. The land from Leek Brook Junction to Ipstones was opened by Moorland & City Railways (MCR) in 2010 after they took a lease out from Network Rail. This has subsequently been purchased by the Churmet Valley Railway. The main stations along the line are Kingsley and Froghall, Consall, Cheddleton and Leek Brook. Work has begun to extend the line to the town of Leek which will act as the northern terminus of the line. The line between Leek and Waterhouses has also been reopened as part of the heritage railway far as Ipstones.

Cheadle is a market town and civil parish in the Staffordshire Moorlands District of Staffordshire, England, with a population of 12,165 at the 2011 census. It is located between Uttoxeter, Leek, Ashbourne and Stoke-on-Trent.

Uttoxeter railway station serves the town of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England. It is on the Crewe-Derby Line, which is also a Community rail line known as the North Staffordshire line. The station is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway.

Kingsley and Froghall is a former railway station of the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) that is now preserved on the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire, England.

Consall railway station is a former passenger railway station of the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) and is now a preserved station on the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheddleton railway station</span> Heritage railway station in England

Cheddleton railway station is a former passenger railway station of the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) and is now a preserved station on the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire, England].

Leek Brook railway station is a passenger station in Staffordshire, Great Britain.

Alton Castle is a Gothic-revival castle, on a hill above the Churnet Valley, in the village of Alton, Staffordshire, England. The site has been fortified in wood since Saxon times, with a stone castle dating from the 12th century. The current castle was constructed in the mid-19th century by John Talbot, 16th Earl of Shrewsbury, of nearby Alton Towers. Since 1967 the castle has been designated a Grade I listed building. It is also a scheduled ancient monument.

The Cheadle branch line was a railway line of just under 4 miles (6.4 km) in length that served the town of Cheadle, Staffordshire. It was in operation as a passenger line from 1892 to 1963, and closed altogether in 1986. It took 46 years from conception to completion and was notable in that part of the line had to be practically rebuilt partway through its existence.

Ashbourne railway station formerly served the town of Ashbourne in Derbyshire. There have been two stations in the town. The first, opened in 1852, was operated by the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR); it was replaced in 1899 by a station at a new location, jointly operated by the NSR and the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). In 1923 the station passed into the ownership of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and in 1948 that of the London Midland Region of British Railways. It was finally closed to all traffic in 1963.

Oakamoor railway station is a closed railway station in the Churnet Valley, Staffordshire. The station was opened in 1849 as part of the Churnet Valley Line constructed by the North Staffordshire Railway. Serving the village of Oakamoor the station remained open until 1965 when all services were withdrawn, A little north of the station, freight traffic from Oakamoor Sand Sidings continued until 1988.

Denstone railway station is a former station of the North Staffordshire Railway's (NSR) Churnet Valley Line which served the village of Denstone in Staffordshire.

The Churnet Valley line was one of the three original routes planned and built by the North Staffordshire Railway. Authorised in 1846, the line opened in 1849 and ran from North Rode in Cheshire to Uttoxeter in East Staffordshire. The line was closed in several stages between 1964 and 1988 but part of the central section passed into the hands of a preservation society and today operates as the Churnet Valley Railway.

Rudyard railway station served Rudyard, Staffordshire and was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) in 1850 on the Churnet Valley line. In the village the NSR also owned the Rudyard Hotel as part of the company's efforts to develop Rudyard Lake and its environs as a tourist destination.

The St Edward's Hospital tramway was a tramway built for Staffordshire County Council for the construction of the St Edward's County Mental Asylum at Cheddleton, Staffordshire. Opened in 1899, the line ran until 1954 before being closed and scrapped.

Alton Towers is located near the village of Alton in Staffordshire, England. The former country estate was a former seat of the Earls of Shrewsbury. It is now a major theme park in the United Kingdom. In 2012, it attracted 2.4 million visitors, making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom and 9th most visited theme park in Europe. It employs in excess of 2,000 staff members during the summer months.

Ipstones railway station was a railway station that served the village of Ipstones, Staffordshire. It was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) in 1905 and closed to passenger use in 1935, but remained open to freight traffic until 1964.

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References

1 2 3 Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway & Canal Historical Society. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.
↑ Christiansen, Rex; Miller, Robert William (1971). The North Staffordshire Railway. Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. p. 299. ISBN 0-7153-5121-4.
1 2 3 4 5 "Alton Station, Alton, Staffordshire". Landmark Trust . Retrieved 17 November 2016.
↑ "Staffordshire Past-Track - Alton Railway Station 1910". 2003. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
↑ "Staffordshire Past-Track - Alton Railway Station and Churnet Valley 1910". 2003. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
↑ Railway Clerks' Association (1922). The Reorganisation of British Railways: The Railways Act, 1921 (3rd ed.). London: Gray's Inn Press. pp. 10–14, 67, 68.
↑ "Staffordshire Past-Track - Alton Railway Station 1910". 2003. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.

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[Quick-1] 1 2 3 Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway & Canal Historical Society. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.

[2] Christiansen, Rex; Miller, Robert William (1971). The North Staffordshire Railway. Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. p. 299. ISBN 0-7153-5121-4.

[landmarktrust-3] 1 2 3 4 5 "Alton Station, Alton, Staffordshire". Landmark Trust . Retrieved 17 November 2016.

[4] "Staffordshire Past-Track - Alton Railway Station 1910". 2003. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.

[5] "Staffordshire Past-Track - Alton Railway Station and Churnet Valley 1910". 2003. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.

[6] Railway Clerks' Association (1922). The Reorganisation of British Railways: The Railways Act, 1921 (3rd ed.). London: Gray's Inn Press. pp. 10–14, 67, 68.

[7] "Staffordshire Past-Track - Alton Railway Station 1910". 2003. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.

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