Higher Poynton railway station
Higher Poynton railway station was a railway station serving the eastern side of the town of Poynton in Cheshire, England. It was opened in 1869 by the Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway (MB&M) - a joint line constructed and operated by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&L) and North Staffordshire Railways (NSR).
| Higher Poynton | |
|---|---|
 The station platforms in 2010, now in use as a picnic site | |
| Location | |
| Place | Poynton |
| Area | Cheshire East |
| Coordinates | 53.3468°N 2.854°W |
| Grid reference | SJ944833 |
| Operations | |
| Original company | Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Macclesfield Committee of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway and North Staffordshire Railways |
| Post-grouping | Group Committee No. 1 of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and London and North Eastern Railways |
| Platforms | 2 |
| History | |
| 2 August 1869 | Opened as Poynton[1] |
| 13 April 1930 | Renamed Higher Poynton[1] |
| 5 January 1970 | Closed[1] |
| Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom | |
| Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z | |
Initially the station was known simply as Poynton, although in some MS&L timetables it was described as Poynton for Lyme Park.[1]
The station buildings were built to NSR designs, as were most other structures on the MB&M,[2] while train services were operated by the MS&L (later the GCR).[3]
Much of the goods revenue for the station came from the coal mines and, when these closed in the 1920s, the spur leading off the line to the collieries was lifted.[4]
To avoid confusion with Poynton railway station, on the main line between Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent, the station was renamed Higher Poynton in 1930.[5] During the Second World War, the signal box at Higher Poynton was only operational as required for shunting - most of the time it remained shut saving the need to employ three signalmen; the station also employed two female porters for the duration of the war and a short period after.[6]
The station closed in January 1970, when the line between Macclesfield and Marple closed; the buildings were demolished and the track lifted by the end of spring 1971.[7] The trackbed now forms part of the Middlewood Way, a recreational path between Macclesfield and Marple, and the station site forms a car park and picnic site.[8]
References
- Notes
- Quick (2009), p. 213.
- Christiansen & Miller (1971), p. 87.
- Christiansen & Miller (1971), p. 200.
- Jeuda (1983), p. 35.
- Jeuda (1999), p. 44.
- Jeuda (1983), p. 39.
- Jeuda (1983), p. 54.
- "Middlewood Way" (PDF). Cheshire East Council.
- Sources
- Christiansen, Rex & Miller, Robert William (1971). The North Staffordshire Railway. Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5121- 4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Jeuda, Basil (1983). The Macclesfield, Bollington & Marple Railway: The Great Central and North Staffordshire Joint Railway. Eaton Press. ISBN 0904532 04 6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Jeuda, Basil (1999). The Knotty, an illustrated survey of the North Staffordshire Railway. Lydney, Gloucestershire: Lightmoor Press. ISBN 978-1899889-01-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway and Canal Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlewood Higher | Great Central Railway & North Staffordshire Railway Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway |
Bollington |