Ashbourne railway station
Encyclopedia
Ashbourne, Derbyshire
Ashbourne is a small market town in the Derbyshire Dales, England. It has a population of 10,302.The town advertises itself as 'The Gateway to Dovedale'.- Local customs :...
in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
The original station was opened in 1852 by the North Staffordshire Railway
North Staffordshire Railway
The North Staffordshire Railway 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....
on its branch from Rocester
Rocester railway station
Rocester railway station was located at Rocester in Staffordshire.It was opened in 1849 by the North Staffordshire Railway on its Churnet Valley Line between and .-History:In 1852 the NSR built a branch to via...
on its Churnet Valley Line
Churnet Valley Railway
The Churnet Valley Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway to the east of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. The CVR has two main operational headquarters - Cheddleton station, where the motive power department is based and where the first trains ran, and Kingsley and Froghall station, where...
.
History
The London and North Western RailwayLondon and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
built the Ashbourne Line
Ashbourne Line
The Ashbourne Line was a railway from Buxton via Ashbourne to Uttoxeter. It was built by the London and North Western Railway using a section of the Cromford and High Peak Railway and it joined the North Staffordshire Railway at Ashbourne, proceeding to Uttoxeter with a junction onto the main...
from Buxton
Buxton railway station
Buxton railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Buxton in Derbyshire. It is managed and served by Northern Rail. The station is 25¾ miles south east of Manchester Piccadilly and is the terminus of the Buxton Line.-History:...
. This utilised part of the Cromford and High Peak Railway
Cromford and High Peak Railway
The Cromford and High Peak Railway in Derbyshire, England, was completed in 1831, to carry minerals and goods between the Cromford Canal wharf at High Peak Junction and the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge -Origins:...
to Parsley Hay
Parsley Hay railway station
Parsley Hay railway station served Parsley Hay, a hamlet about 15 km south east of Buxton, Derbyshire, on the LNWR line to Ashbourne. The nearest large settlement is the village of Hartington.-History:...
.
The NSR extended its line to meet it in a new joint station built in 1899 and the earlier station became a goods depot. Unlike the earlier station, which had been of brick and stone, the new one was timber construction throughout, with platforms that would be decidedly slippery when wet. The station was built on a curve and shelter was provided by awnings which extended over the entrance.
From Ashbourne towards Thorpe Cloud
Thorpe Cloud railway station
Thorpe Cloud railway station was opened in 1899 between the villages of Thorpe and Fenny Bentley in Derbyshire, south east of Buxton.-History:...
the line climbed steeply through Ashbourne Tunnel, at 1 in 60. Southwards towards Clifton Mayfield
Clifton Mayfield railway station
Clifton railway station was opened on 3 May 1852 by the North Staffordshire Railway at Clifton on the southern fringes of Ashbourne, Derbyshire...
the terrain was more gentle, following the valley of the River Dove.
After the move to a joint North Staffordshire Railway
North Staffordshire Railway
The North Staffordshire Railway 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....
and London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
station, the line became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
during the Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of 1923. The station then passed on to the London Midland Region of British Railways
London Midland Region of British Railways
The London Midland Region was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway lines in England and Wales. The region was managed first from buildings adjacent to Euston Station and later from Stanier...
on nationalisation in 1948. It was closed to regular traffic by the British Transport Commission
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
and finally for excursions by the British Railways Board
British Railways Board
The British Railways Board was a nationalised industry in the United Kingdom that existed from 1962 to 2001. From its foundation until 1997, it was responsible for most railway services in Great Britain, trading under the brand names British Railways and, from 1965, British Rail...
.
Contrary to popular belief, regular passenger services ended in 1954, though excursions continued until 1963. Freight continued until October of that year, the track finally being lifted in 1964.
The site today
The track bed from Ashbourne to Parsley Hay was acquired by Derbyshire County Council and the Peak National Park in 1968 for a cycle and walking route. This, the Tissington TrailTissington Trail
right|thumb|200px|The Trail at the site of the former Tissington station, now a picnic site.The Tissington Trail is a bridleway and walk/cycle path in Derbyshire, England...
, was one of the first of such ventures in the country. Later, Ashbourne Tunnel was acquired by Sustrans
Sustrans
Sustrans is a British charity to promote sustainable transport. The charity is currently working on a number of practical projects to encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport, to give people the choice of "travelling in ways that benefit their health and the environment"...
.
The former railway station is now a car park for Ashbourne's Leisure Centre; and line as it heads southwards towards Uttoxeter has been built over by a new hospital; Doctor's surgery and retail outlet for Ashbourne.
External links
- Tissington & High Peak Trails - access and facilities
- The Pennine Bridleway
- Pennine Cycleway - the Ashbourne Tunnel
- Ashbourne railway station on navigable 1947 Ordnance Survey map