Southport Lord Street | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location | Southport, Sefton England |
Coordinates | 53°38′43″N3°00′43″W / 53.6452°N 3.0120°W |
Grid reference | SD331170 |
Platforms | 5 [1] [2] [3] |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Original company | Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway |
Pre-grouping | Cheshire Lines Committee |
Post-grouping | Cheshire Lines Committee |
Key dates | |
1 September 1884 | Station opened [4] |
1 January 1917 | Station closed |
1 April 1919 | Station reopened |
7 January 1952 | Station closed to passengers |
7 July 1952 | Station closed completely |
Southport Lord Street (later also known as the Ribble Building, after being used by the Ribble Bus Company as a bus terminus) was a railway station located on Lord Street, Southport, Merseyside, England. It was the terminus of the Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway from Liverpool.
The station closed in 1952, the building was subsequently used as a bus station and is now a hotel.
The station opened on 1 September 1884, as the Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway's (SCLER) northern terminus. The line ran from Aintree Central in the northern suburbs of Liverpool. The new line provided passengers with an alternative through route to Liverpool city centre, to that run by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (Southport Chapel Street - Liverpool Exchange). It also provided an alternative route from Southport to Manchester.
From the outset the SCLER line was no competition to that of the L&Y's more direct coastal route, as the route of the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) into Liverpool skirted around the eastern areas of Liverpool, travelling down to Hunts Cross in the south and then back up to Liverpool Central High Level. The line only proving to be relatively popular during the summer months and never really taking off as a commuter route. Its heaviest traffic by far was for a short period in 1941 when the competing L&Y line had been severed by German bombing in the May Liverpool Blitz. During late 1942 the timetable showed five CLC trains each weekday to Southport of which two started at Manchester (Central).
The building itself was a grand affair, fronting directly onto Lord Street. [5] The station had five platforms linked at their ends and by a footbridge. [6] It had been intended by the SCLER to link their tracks to that of that L&Y's, providing the CLC with access to the northern suburbs of Southport. This had never been agreed with the LYR, so the provision of the footbridge on this basis, was speculative.
The station had a two track engine shed [7] and turntable on the south side of the station yard. It closed on 7 July 1952 and was subsequently demolished. [8]
The station first closed in 1917, along with all other stations on the extension line, as a World War I economy measure. It reopened in 1919, until 7 January 1952, [9] when the SCLER was closed to passengers from Aintree Central northwards. The line remained open for public goods traffic until 7 July 1952 at Southport Lord Street, Birkdale Palace and Altcar & Hillhouse stations. Public goods facilities were ended at Woodvale, Lydiate and Sefton & Maghull stations on the same date as passenger services (7 January 1952) and there were never any goods facilities at Ainsdale Beach station to begin with. After 7 July 1952, a siding remained open at Altcar & Hillhouse for private goods facilities until May 1960. The last passenger train to run on part of the SCLER was a railway enthusiasts' 'special' between Aintree and Altcar & Hillhouse stations on 6 June 1959.
After closure Southport Lord Street railway station was taken over by Ribble Buses. The spaces in between the platforms were filled in, but apart from that the interior remained the same. The trainshed remained in use by the bus company until Ribble Buses ceased to operate from the building in the 1990s. The trainshed was later demolished. The frontage on Lord Street was retained and exists today. The clock tower still shows 'SCLER' below the clock itself, making reference to its former role. Morrisons supermarket occupies the space behind the facade.
Work began in early 2013 on renovating the building as a six-storey, 101-bedroom Travelodge hotel and restaurant. Having been empty for over 10 years this was the first time a business had taken use of the building since Ribble Buses used it as a bus station. The hotel opened in 2014. [10]
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Birkdale Palace Line and station closed | Cheshire Lines Committee SCLER | Terminus |
The Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) was formed in the 1860s and became the second-largest joint railway in Great Britain. The committee, which was often styled the Cheshire Lines Railway, operated 143 miles (230 km) of track in the then counties of Lancashire and Cheshire. The railway did not become part of the Big Four during the implementation of the 1923 grouping, surviving independently with its own management until the railways were nationalised at the beginning of 1948. The railway served Liverpool, Manchester, Stockport, Warrington, Widnes, Northwich, Winsford, Knutsford, Chester and Southport with connections to many other railways.
Great Altcar is a village and civil parish in West Lancashire, England, close to Formby on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain. The population as taken at the 2011 census was 213. The name Altcar is Norse meaning "marsh by the Alt". The church of St Michael and All Angels is a timber framed structure dating from 1879.
The Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway was formed in 1884, and totaled 7 miles. In 1897 it became part of Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, and on 1 May 1901, its northern terminus switched from Southport Central to Southport Chapel Street.
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The North Liverpool Extension Line was a railway line in Liverpool, England in operation between 1879 and 1972. It was at one stage intended to become the eastern section of the Merseyrail Outer Loop, an orbital line circling the city.
Birkdale Palace railway station was located in Birkdale, Lancashire, England. The station was opened by the Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway in 1884 and closed in 1952.
Ainsdale Beach was a railway station located in Ainsdale, Merseyside, England.
Woodvale railway station was a railway station located in Woodvale, Merseyside, England.
The Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway was an early British railway company operating in the then county of Lancashire. It was constructed to link the Cheshire Lines Committee railway at Aintree to Southport. It operated from 1884 to 1952.
Altcar and Hillhouse was a railway station located on the Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway near Great Altcar, Lancashire, England.
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Sefton and Maghull railway station was a station located on the Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway on Sefton Lane, Maghull, Merseyside, England.
Aintree Central railway station was a station located on the North Liverpool Extension Line on Park Lane, Aintree, Merseyside, across Park Lane from the current Aintree station.
Barton was a railway station in the village of Barton, Lancashire, on the Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway. Situated to the south of the roadbridge on Station Road, the station opened on 1 November 1887, and was renamed Downholland on 2 June 1924. Downholland largely served as the terminus for trains coming from Southport, though through trains to Altcar and Hillhouse operated until 1926. The Barton Branch was notable for the "Altcar Bob" service, introduced in July 1906.
Southport Central was a railway station in Southport, Lancashire, England.
Liverpool Central High Level was a terminus railway station in central Liverpool, England. It opened on 1 March 1874, at the western end of the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) line to Manchester Central. It replaced Brunswick as the CLC's Liverpool passenger terminus, becoming the headquarters of the committee.
The Southport Winter Gardens was a Victorian entertainment area located within the town of Southport, Merseyside. The original winter gardens comprised a theatre, opera house, aquarium, a small zoo, conservatory, promenades and halls situated under the grand glass domes.