Liverpool Exchange railway station
Encyclopedia
Liverpool Exchange railway station was a railway station located in the town centre of Liverpool
, England
.
, Liverpool and Bury Railway
and Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway
, replacing an earlier station at Great Howard Street nearby.
The station was extensively rebuilt and enlarged between 1886 and 1888, being renamed Liverpool Exchange on 2 July 1888. Its site expanded from the original location to cover Clarke's Basin (the original end of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal). The station then became the Liverpool
terminus of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
and was also the terminus of the LYR's Liverpool to Manchester line. Under four extremely long roofs lay ten platforms, providing long distance services to destinations such as Manchester Victoria
, Blackpool North
the Lake District
, Whitehaven
and Glasgow Central
. Bradford Exchange and Leeds Central
. The journey time was significantly shorter than the route followed by the Cheshire Lines Committee
's Liverpool Central
to Southport Lord Street
service, as the LYR's route followed a more direct route parallel with the coast, serving growing intermediate communities. The LYR route therefore proved extremely popular with passengers. The line to Ormskirk
was also subsequently electrified, being completed in 1911.
Author and First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon
frequently lodged in the hotel adjoining Exchange station and there in 1917 wrote his A Soldier's Declaration which appeared in the press and was read to the House of Commons.
The station was badly damaged during World War II
and lost a large proportion of its roof, which was never rebuilt.
On August 3, 1968, the last British Rail scheduled passenger train to be hauled by a standard gauge steam locomotive, ended its journey at Liverpool Exchange, Stanier 'Black 5' no. 45318 having hauled from Preston the Liverpool portion of the evening Glasgow to Liverpool and Manchester train.
Exchange's long distance services switched to Liverpool Lime Street
in the 1960s, leaving the station with only medium distance journeys to Bolton
, Manchester
, and Wigan
, mainly operated by diesel multiple units, plus the urban electric services to Southport
and Ormskirk
.
In the early 1970s, four of the platforms were closed and demolished to enable tunnelling work to begin for the Merseyrail
underground. Part of this ambitious scheme involved diverting the Ormskirk and Southport electric services away from Exchange and into a new tunnel running North to South under Liverpool city centre. Trains formerly serving Exchange station call at a new underground station at Moorfields
before continuing to terminate in the former Mersey Railway
station at Liverpool Central railway station
. At both Moorfields and Central stations easy interchange was possible for the first time with Wirral Line
services, which until then had operated as a completely separate system.
Within a few years of closure the old station was demolished by Oldham Bros, a local demolition company. However, the frontage of the station building was preserved and incorporated into a new office building built behind, called Mercury Court
. The station site is still largely intact. The approaches to the station still exist on the old brick viaducts. The lines then descend and disappear just before Leeds Street and down under the old station into the Link Tunnel of the Merseyrail Northern Line. Parts of the original station wall can still be seen when walking down Pall Mall or Bixteth Street. The rest of the station site behind Mercury Court is currently being used as a car park.
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, 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...
.
Station construction and opening
The station originally opened as Tithebarn Street railway station on 13 May 1850, as the terminus of the Liverpool, Crosby and Southport RailwayLiverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway
The Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway received parliamentary authorization on 2 July 1847 and opened between Southport and Liverpool Waterloo on 24 July 1848.-LC&SR later operations:...
, Liverpool and Bury Railway
Liverpool and Bury Railway
The Liverpool and Bury Railway was formed in 1845 and opened on 28 November 1848. The line ran from Liverpool Exchange first using a joint line with Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway before branching of to proceed via Kirkby then Wigan and Bolton to Bury.In 1846 the line merged with the...
and Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway
Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway
The Liverpool, Ormskirk & Preston Railway was formed in 1846. It was purchased by the East Lancashire Railway. Today the line still operates, with the section between Liverpool and Ormskirk forming part of Merseyrail's Northern Line and the section between Ormskirk and Preston forming Northern...
, replacing an earlier station at Great Howard Street nearby.
The station was extensively rebuilt and enlarged between 1886 and 1888, being renamed Liverpool Exchange on 2 July 1888. Its site expanded from the original location to cover Clarke's Basin (the original end of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal). The station then became the Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
terminus of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...
and was also the terminus of the LYR's Liverpool to Manchester line. Under four extremely long roofs lay ten platforms, providing long distance services to destinations such as Manchester Victoria
Manchester Victoria station
Manchester Victoria station in Manchester, England is the city's second largest mainline railway station. It is also a Metrolink station, one of eight within the City Zone...
, Blackpool North
Blackpool North railway station
Blackpool North railway station is the main railway station serving the seaside resort of Blackpool in Lancashire, England. It is the terminus of the main Blackpool branch line from Preston....
the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
, Whitehaven
Whitehaven railway station
Whitehaven Railway Station serves the town of Whitehaven in Cumbria, England. The railway station is a stop on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line south west of Carlisle....
and Glasgow Central
Glasgow Central station
Glasgow Central is the larger of the two present main-line railway terminals in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. The station was opened by the Caledonian Railway on 31 July 1879 and is currently managed by Network Rail...
. Bradford Exchange and Leeds Central
Electrification
From March 1904, electric trains replaced steam hauled trains in the operation of suburban passenger services to Southport Chapel StreetSouthport railway station
Southport railway station serves the town of Southport, Merseyside, England. It is at the end of one of the branches of the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network, and at the end of the Manchester-Southport Line which runs via Wigan...
. The journey time was significantly shorter than the route followed by the Cheshire Lines Committee
Cheshire Lines Committee
The Cheshire Lines Committee was the second largest joint railway in Great Britain, with 143 route miles. Despite its name, approximately 55% of its system was in Lancashire. In its publicity material it was often styled as the Cheshire Lines Railway...
's Liverpool Central
Liverpool Central railway station
Liverpool Central railway station is a railway station in Liverpool, England, and forms the central hub of the Merseyrail network, being on both the Northern Line and the Wirral Line. In the years 2008/09, Liverpool Central station was shown to be the busiest station in Liverpool, despite being...
to Southport Lord Street
Southport Lord Street railway station
Southport Lord Street was a railway station located in Southport, Merseyside.Southport Lord Street railway station opened on 1 September, 1884, as the Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway's northern terminus, which ran from Aintree Central in the northern suburbs of Liverpool...
service, as the LYR's route followed a more direct route parallel with the coast, serving growing intermediate communities. The LYR route therefore proved extremely popular with passengers. The line to Ormskirk
Ormskirk railway station
Ormskirk railway station is situated in the town of Ormskirk, Lancashire, England. The station is an interchange between Merseyrail services from Liverpool Central and Northern Rail services from Preston...
was also subsequently electrified, being completed in 1911.
Author and First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Loraine Sassoon CBE MC was an English poet, author and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both described the horrors of the trenches, and satirised the patriotic pretensions of those who, in Sassoon's...
frequently lodged in the hotel adjoining Exchange station and there in 1917 wrote his A Soldier's Declaration which appeared in the press and was read to the House of Commons.
The station was badly damaged during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and lost a large proportion of its roof, which was never rebuilt.
Operations post World War II
Exchange's long distance services switched to Liverpool Lime Street
Liverpool Lime Street railway station
Liverpool Lime Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England. The station lies on a branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston, and on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network...
in the 1960s, leaving the station with only medium distance journeys to Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, and Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
, mainly operated by diesel multiple units, plus the urban electric services to Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
and Ormskirk
Ormskirk
Ormskirk is a market town in West Lancashire, England. It is situated north of Liverpool city centre, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston.-Geography and administration:...
.
In the early 1970s, four of the platforms were closed and demolished to enable tunnelling work to begin for the Merseyrail
Merseyrail
Merseyrail is a train operating company and commuter rail network in the United Kingdom, centred on Liverpool, Merseyside. The network is predominantly electric with diesel trains running on the City Line. Two City Line branches are currently being electrified on the overhead wire AC system with...
underground. Part of this ambitious scheme involved diverting the Ormskirk and Southport electric services away from Exchange and into a new tunnel running North to South under Liverpool city centre. Trains formerly serving Exchange station call at a new underground station at Moorfields
Moorfields railway station
Moorfields station is an underground railway station in Liverpool, England. It is situated on both the Northern and Wirral Lines of the Merseyrail network and is the only station on the network which has services to all other Merseyrail stations....
before continuing to terminate in the former Mersey Railway
Mersey Railway
The Mersey Railway connected Liverpool and Birkenhead, England, via the Mersey Railway Tunnel under the River Mersey. Opened in 1886, it was the second oldest urban underground railway network in the world. The railway contained the first tunnel built under the River Mersey. It was constructed by...
station at Liverpool Central railway station
Liverpool Central railway station
Liverpool Central railway station is a railway station in Liverpool, England, and forms the central hub of the Merseyrail network, being on both the Northern Line and the Wirral Line. In the years 2008/09, Liverpool Central station was shown to be the busiest station in Liverpool, despite being...
. At both Moorfields and Central stations easy interchange was possible for the first time with Wirral Line
Wirral Line
The Wirral Line is one of the two commuter railway lines operated by Merseyrail that are centred around Merseyside, England, the other being the Northern Line...
services, which until then had operated as a completely separate system.
Closure
Liverpool Exchange closed on 30 April 1977. The replacement Moorfields station opened the following Monday, 2nd May.Within a few years of closure the old station was demolished by Oldham Bros, a local demolition company. However, the frontage of the station building was preserved and incorporated into a new office building built behind, called Mercury Court
Mercury Court
Mercury Court is a large office building in the business district in Liverpool City Centre, Liverpool.The fascia of the building is formed from the frontage of the old Liverpool Exchange railway station,...
. The station site is still largely intact. The approaches to the station still exist on the old brick viaducts. The lines then descend and disappear just before Leeds Street and down under the old station into the Link Tunnel of the Merseyrail Northern Line. Parts of the original station wall can still be seen when walking down Pall Mall or Bixteth Street. The rest of the station site behind Mercury Court is currently being used as a car park.
