The Oaks railway station
| The Oaks | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Place | Bromley Cross |
| Area | Bolton |
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Grid reference | SD728121 |
| Operations | |
| Original company | Bolton, Blackburn, Clitheroe and West Yorkshire Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway |
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
| Platforms | 2 |
| History | |
| January 1850 | Opened |
| 6 November 1950 | Closed to passengers |
| 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 |
|
 UK Railways portal |
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The Oaks railway station was a railway station that served the community of The Oaks, Greater Manchester, England.
History
The station was opened by the Bolton, Blackburn, Clitheroe and West Yorkshire Railway (BBC&WYR) in January 1850,[1] and was Lua error in Module:Convert at line 452: attempt to index field 'titles' (a nil value). from Blackburn.,[2] or 2 miles, 438 yards distance from Bolton. The BBC&WYR was renamed the Blackburn Railway on 24 July 1851,[3] and it was amalgamated jointly into the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR) and the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) on 1 January 1858;[4] it duly became wholly owned by the LYR in 1859 when the latter amalgamated with the ELR.[5]
Henry Ashworth, deputy chairman of the line and cotton spinning overlord, claimed £6,492 for the sale to the new railway company of nine acres of land bordering The Oaks, close to his palatial Georgian abode. He was awarded just £4,100 at arbitration, resulting in this disappointed Quaker taking umbrage and next day resigned from office in a huff, causing a mild tremor amongst the railway proprietors, who had expected that so wealthy a member of the local hierarchy would be taking up as a large shareholder. He held 50 shares in the Blackburn, Darwen and Bolton company.
The original minutes of the railway company held at National Archives, Kew, reveal that the contract placed in 1859 to build more substantial stone station buildings along the branch line included a 'station and cottage attached' for The Oaks and the estimated cost was £270. This building survives to this day next to the level crossing and its design features are replicated with the station and nearby cottage seen at Bromley Cross. The Oaks was much expanded in 1886, with improved (raised) platforms, a new timber waiting room on the Blackburn departure side and a new stone Booking Hall situated in what is now the front garden of the former station and now private house at the level crossing. The main station 'cottage'/ building next to this new Booking Hall was divided into two parts, with the Station Master's House to the right, with the part closest to the railway sub-divided into a lamp and porters' room at the corner nearest the crossing, then a general waiting room and lastly ladies waiting room with attached WC. The final part was a men's WC's and urinals at the northern end of the building. The full design plans for the 1886 works are held at National Archives. Further works were carried out in the early 1900s, with the platforms reconstructed on two passing loops. The contract was awarded to J. C. & F. Woods for £2,696 on 20 November 1901. The two new platforms were reported to be 230 ft long, the old ones being demolished. Unusually for the branch line, there was no provision ever made for a goods yard at this station. The Oaks Station was closed on 6 November 1950.[1]
Signal Box
The first signal box recorded was a Yardley/Smith type 1 brick structure (as survives at nearby Bromley Cross), opened close to the level crossing in 1875 and equipped with a 20 lever Smith frame. It received a new L&Y frame to control the southern end of the loops installed in 1902. The original box was replaced in November 1942 by a new LMS ARP type 13 box fitted with a 20 lever REC rear-mounted frame, positioned on the Up side (Bolton bound), just to the north of the station. The replacement box closed in October 1966 when the loops were taken out of use. The gates of the small level crossing were never locked or controlled by the lever frame, unlike the case at Bromley Cross.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Butt 1995, p. 228
- ↑ Marshall 1969, p. 181
- ↑ Marshall 1969, p. 178
- ↑ Marshall 1969, p. 185
- ↑ Marshall 1969, p. 123
References
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- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Welch, S. Lancashire Steam Finale, ISBN 1-870754-61-1
External links
| Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bromley Cross | L&YR Ribble Valley Line |
Bolton | ||
