Denby railway station
Encyclopedia
Denby railway station was a railway station which served the village of Denby
in Derbyshire
, England
. It was opened in 1856 as Smithy Houses by the Midland Railway
to on its Ripley branch
from Little Eaton Junction (approximately 3 miles north of Derby) to Ripley
.
Denby itself is a fairly scattered community, but the main part was about a mile away. From November the timetables began to refer to "Denbey", with the correct Post Office spelling being adopted in February 1878.
Initially there was a low platform on the up side, but a new higher platform to match those of the other stations was added at some time later on the down side.
An important cargo was coal all from the many mines and opencast workings. An amount of ironstone was also worked but was of low quality. This meant that the local Denby Iron and Coal Company with their four furnaces 45 feet high - later increased to 60 feet - had to import their ironstone from outside the area. They also imported their coal since the local output was of domestic quality rather than being suitable for smelting.
The railway provided a siding for this company and also built a facility for processing the slag from the iron production. It so happened in 1901, the Nottingham county surveyor, Edgar Purnell Hooley was visiting the site and noticed some tar that had been spilled and covered with iron foundry slag. A major trouble with highways at that time was the dust raised by increasingly speedy vehicles and various ways had been tried unsuccessfully for binding the road surface. He noticed that it had withstood the passage of traffic and obtained a British patent for producing what he called Tarmac
. In 1903 he formed the TarMacadam (Purnell Hooley's Patents) Syndicate Limited.
Another customer for the line at this point was the Denby Pottery
which had opened in 1809 and had benefitted by the arrival of the railway. It had a siding at Denby Wharf (the terminus of the Little Eaton Gangway
) about a third of a mile further north. Each week around three or four vans would be despatched to Chaddesden
sidings (near Derby station) where they would be connected to an express to St Pancras and the company's warehouse at the Granary.
Added to all this were consignments of milk and agricultural produce from all the farms in the area
In the Grouping
of all lines (into four main companies) in 1923 the station became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
.
Passenger services finished in 1930, though the line remained open - primarily for the coal traffic Among the numerous coal workings in the area, the Butterley Company
's Denby Hall colliery a mile north of the station was perhaps the most prolific. Investment continued during and after the war, with a washing plant for the colliery which was planned to handle the output of three other collieries, along with the deep Kilburn seam. The facility continued in use until after the station was finally closed in in 1965. The track north of the station was lifted completely in 1968 leaving a short length of line in the remains of the station as a head shunt. The station house still survives with both platforms greatly overgrown.
Denby
Denby is a village in the English county of Derbyshire that is notable as the birthplace of John Flamsteed, England's first Royal Astronomer, and the location of the Denby Pottery Company....
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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was opened in 1856 as Smithy Houses by the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
to on its Ripley branch
Midland Railway Ripley Branch
The Midland Railway Ripley Branch connected Derby to Ripley in Derbyshire, England running from Little Eaton Junction on the Midland Railway line to Leeds.-Origin:...
from Little Eaton Junction (approximately 3 miles north of Derby) to Ripley
Ripley railway station
Ripley railway station was a railway station which served the town of Ripley in Derbyshire, England. It was opened in 1856 by the Midland Railway on its Ripley branch from Little Eaton Junction, approximately 3 miles north of Derby...
.
Denby itself is a fairly scattered community, but the main part was about a mile away. From November the timetables began to refer to "Denbey", with the correct Post Office spelling being adopted in February 1878.
Initially there was a low platform on the up side, but a new higher platform to match those of the other stations was added at some time later on the down side.
An important cargo was coal all from the many mines and opencast workings. An amount of ironstone was also worked but was of low quality. This meant that the local Denby Iron and Coal Company with their four furnaces 45 feet high - later increased to 60 feet - had to import their ironstone from outside the area. They also imported their coal since the local output was of domestic quality rather than being suitable for smelting.
The railway provided a siding for this company and also built a facility for processing the slag from the iron production. It so happened in 1901, the Nottingham county surveyor, Edgar Purnell Hooley was visiting the site and noticed some tar that had been spilled and covered with iron foundry slag. A major trouble with highways at that time was the dust raised by increasingly speedy vehicles and various ways had been tried unsuccessfully for binding the road surface. He noticed that it had withstood the passage of traffic and obtained a British patent for producing what he called Tarmac
Tarmac
Tarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901...
. In 1903 he formed the TarMacadam (Purnell Hooley's Patents) Syndicate Limited.
Another customer for the line at this point was the Denby Pottery
Denby Pottery Company
Denby Pottery Company Ltd is a British manufacturer of pottery, and is named after the village of Denby in Derbyshire.-History:The pottery at Denby was founded on the estate of William Drury-Lowe in 1809 as a manufacturer of stoneware bottles. It was run by Joseph Jager in partnership with Robert...
which had opened in 1809 and had benefitted by the arrival of the railway. It had a siding at Denby Wharf (the terminus of the Little Eaton Gangway
Little Eaton Gangway
The Little Eaton Gangway, or, to give it its official title, the Derby Canal Railway, was a narrow gauge industrial wagonway serving the Derby Canal, in England, at Little Eaton in Derbyshire.- The Derby Canal :...
) about a third of a mile further north. Each week around three or four vans would be despatched to Chaddesden
Chaddesden
Chaddesden, also known locally as Chad, is a large suburb of Derby, United Kingdom, formerly known as Cedesdene.-Cedesene village:The old village of Cedesene is situated two and a half miles east of the city...
sidings (near Derby station) where they would be connected to an express to St Pancras and the company's warehouse at the Granary.
Added to all this were consignments of milk and agricultural produce from all the farms in the area
In 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 all lines (into four main companies) in 1923 the station 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...
.
Passenger services finished in 1930, though the line remained open - primarily for the coal traffic Among the numerous coal workings in the area, the Butterley Company
Butterley Company
Butterley Engineering was an engineering company based in Ripley, Derbyshire. The company was formed from the Butterley Company which began as Benjamin Outram and Company in 1790 and existed until 2009.-Origins:...
's Denby Hall colliery a mile north of the station was perhaps the most prolific. Investment continued during and after the war, with a washing plant for the colliery which was planned to handle the output of three other collieries, along with the deep Kilburn seam. The facility continued in use until after the station was finally closed in in 1965. The track north of the station was lifted completely in 1968 leaving a short length of line in the remains of the station as a head shunt. The station house still survives with both platforms greatly overgrown.