Harrogate (Brunswick) railway station

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Harrogate (Brunswick)
Brunswick station plaque (2).JPG
Plaque marking the site of Harrogate Brunswick Railway Station
General information
Location Harrogate, North Yorkshire
England
Coordinates 53°59′11″N1°32′24″W / 53.9865°N 1.5401°W / 53.9865; -1.5401
Grid reference SE302545
Platforms1
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company York and North Midland Railway
Pre-grouping York and North Midland Railway
Key dates
20 July 1848 (1848-07-20)Opened
1 August 1862 (1862-08-01)Closed

Harrogate (Brunswick) railway station served the town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England from 1848 to 1862 on the Leeds and Thirsk Railway.

Contents

History

York and North Midland Railway (Harrogate Station) Act 1847
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837).svg
Long title An Act for enabling the York and North Midland Railway Company to extend the Line of their Harrogate Branch Railway, and make a Station at Harrogate.
Citation 10 & 11 Vict. c. cxl
Dates
Royal assent 9 July 1847
Text of statute as originally enacted

The station, named after the nearby Brunswick Hotel, opened on 20 July 1848 [1] by the Leeds and Thirsk Railway. The station was situated on the north side of Trinity Road, where Trinity Methodist Church now stands. There were two sidings to the west, one serving a small engine shed. When the North Eastern Railway opened the current Harrogate station, this station was considered obsolete and closed on 1 August 1862; it was going to be retained for goods traffic but this idea was short-lived. [2]

The tunnel which formerly served the station still exists, running from a branch just north of Hornbeam Park railway station up toward St Mark's Church, Harrogate. The tunnel was used as an air raid shelter during World War II, and steps leading up to the surface were constructed at the now closed north end of the tunnel, near St Mark's Road. [3]

Plaque

Site of the plaque, set in stone Brunswick station plaque (4).JPG
Site of the plaque, set in stone

During a snowstorm exacerbated by strong winds in December 1949, mayor Mary Fisher unveiled a plaque on The Stray near the original site of Brunswick station. The plaque commemorates the centenary of the station, and the inscription says: "Site of Brunswick station of the York N. Midland Railway. Opened 20th July 1848, closed 1st August 1861". [4]

References

  1. "York and North Midland Railway" . Yorkshire Gazette. England. 22 July 1848. Retrieved 28 June 2017 via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. "Disused Stations: Harrogate Brunswick". Disused Stations. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  3. "The Hidden Tunnel Under Harrogate". yorkshiretimes.co.uk. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  4. "Harrogate's first station memorial" . Bradford Observer. 19 December 1949. p. 5 col.5. Retrieved 13 July 2025 via British Newspaper Archive.
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Harrogate   Leeds and Thirsk Railway  Terminus