Leigh (Greater Manchester) railway station
Encyclopedia
Leigh railway station, originally named Bedford Leigh and later Leigh and Bedford, is a closed railway station located in Bedford
, Leigh
, Greater Manchester
. It was situated within the historic county of Lancashire
.
, was opened by the London and North Western Railway
in the Bedford
township on 1 September 1864.
At a junction to the west of Tyldesley station
, the line from Eccles
to Wigan
headed north west and the branch to Bedford Leigh, Bradshaw Leach (which was later renamed Pennington
) and Kenyon Junction
headed south west.
On 1 August 1876 Bedford Leigh was renamed Leigh & Bedford and on 1 July 1914 was named Leigh.
The station joined the London Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping
in 1923. It passed to the London Midland Region of British Railways
on nationalisation in 1948. The station closed on 5 May 1969 leaving the town without a passenger railway.
Coal
deposits were the chief motivation for building a railway in the area and the railway's supporters included many local colliery owners and industrialists. In 1874 John Speakman sank Bedford Colliery
to the south of the railway. The colliery railway was linked to the main line at Speakman's Sidings between Bedford Leigh and Tyldesley stations in 1882.
Bedford, Greater Manchester
Bedford, a suburb of Leigh, Greater Manchester is one of three ancient townships, Bedford, Pennington and Westleigh, that merged in 1875 to form the town of Leigh.-Toponymy:...
, Leigh
Leigh, Greater Manchester
Leigh is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Wigan, and west of Manchester. Leigh is situated on low lying land to the north west of Chat Moss....
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
. It was situated within the historic county of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
.
History
Leigh station, in common with other stations on the Tyldesley LooplineTyldesley Loopline
The Tyldesley Loopline was the London and North Western Railway's Manchester and Wigan Railway line from Eccles to the junction west of Tyldesley station and its continuance south west via Bedford Leigh to Kenyon Junction on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The line opened on September 1st 1864...
, was opened by the 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...
in the Bedford
Bedford, Greater Manchester
Bedford, a suburb of Leigh, Greater Manchester is one of three ancient townships, Bedford, Pennington and Westleigh, that merged in 1875 to form the town of Leigh.-Toponymy:...
township on 1 September 1864.
At a junction to the west of Tyldesley station
Tyldesley railway station
Tyldesley railway station is a closed railway station in Greater Manchester. It was situated within the historic county of Lancashire.-History:...
, the line from Eccles
Eccles railway station
Eccles railway station serves the town of Eccles in the City of Salford district of Greater Manchester.The station is next to the M602 motorway and is 400 metres away from the Eccles Metrolink station...
to Wigan
Wigan North Western railway station
Wigan North Western railway station is one of two railway stations serving the town centre of Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK.It is a moderately-sized station on the West Coast Main Line. It is operated by Virgin Trains, and is also served by Northern Rail...
headed north west and the branch to Bedford Leigh, Bradshaw Leach (which was later renamed Pennington
Pennington railway station
Pennington Station was a railway station at Pennington, Leigh, Greater Manchester, England on the Bolton and Leigh Railway. It was situated within the historic county of Lancashire....
) and Kenyon Junction
Kenyon Junction railway station
Kenyon Junction was a junction railway station at Kenyon on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the Bolton and Leigh Railway near Culcheth in Warrington, England. It was situated within the historic county of Lancashire. The station opened in 1831 and closed to passengers on 2 January 1961...
headed south west.
On 1 August 1876 Bedford Leigh was renamed Leigh & Bedford and on 1 July 1914 was named Leigh.
The station joined the London Midland and Scottish Railway 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...
in 1923. It passed 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. The station closed on 5 May 1969 leaving the town without a passenger railway.
Coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
deposits were the chief motivation for building a railway in the area and the railway's supporters included many local colliery owners and industrialists. In 1874 John Speakman sank Bedford Colliery
Bedford Colliery
Bedford Colliery, also known as Wood End Pit, was a coal mine on the Manchester Coalfield in Bedford, Leigh, Greater Manchester, England. The colliery was owned by John Speakman, who started sinking two shafts in about 1874 on land at Wood End Farm in the northeast part of Bedford, south of the...
to the south of the railway. The colliery railway was linked to the main line at Speakman's Sidings between Bedford Leigh and Tyldesley stations in 1882.
External links
- Panoramio The Site of Leigh Station
- Panoramio Tracklifting on the Leigh railway around 1970