Bolton Great Moor Street railway station

Bolton, Great Moor Street
Great Moor Street Station
General information
LocationBolton, Bolton
England
Coordinates53°34′31″N 2°25′52″W / 53.5754°N 2.4310°W / 53.5754; -2.4310
Grid referenceSD716088
Platforms4[1][2]
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyBolton and Leigh Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and North Western Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
11 June 1831Opened as Bolton
October 1849Renamed Bolton Great Moor Street
1 August 1871Closed for rebuilding[3]
1 April 1875Reopened
29 March 1954Closed to regular passenger traffic
9 July 1958Last holiday excursion departed

Bolton Great Moor Street railway station was the first station in Bolton. It was opened on 11 June 1831 by the Bolton and Leigh Railway.

Originally named Bolton, it was renamed Bolton Great Moor Street in October 1849.[4][5] The original street level station was replaced by a temporary station at Bolton Crook Street Goods Yard on 1 August 1871 while the new station was built in a classic Italian style. It opened either on 1 April 1875[4] or on 28 September 1874 on the same site as the original station but at a higher level. The rebuilt station had four platforms covered by a roof.[6] Its reconstruction coincided with the building of the direct line to Manchester Exchange via Walkden Low Level by the London and North Western Railway which opened on 1 April 1875.

Local trains to and from Kenyon Junction via Chequerbent used the station's western platforms 1 & 2 whilst trains to and from Manchester Exchange via Walkden used Platforms 3 & 4.[7]

The station closed for regular passenger use by British Railways on 29 March 1954,[4] although holiday[8] and football specials ran until 1958[9] and an unadvertised workmen's service to Monton Green continued for some months.[10] An enthusiasts' special visited on 21 September 1963 and on 9 May 1964 another visited the adjacent Crook St goods yard, this was the last passenger train on LNWR lines in the Bolton area.[11]

Tracks in the station were lifted in April 1964.[12] The station was demolished in October 1966 and the area redeveloped.[5]

  1. ^ Holland 2001, p. 14
  2. ^ James 2004, p. 9.
  3. ^ Holland 2001, p. 19
  4. ^ a b c Butt 1995, p. 38
  5. ^ a b Bolton Great Moor Street, subbrit.org.uk, retrieved 17 May 2010
  6. ^ Sweeney 1996, p. 8
  7. ^ Holland 2001, p. 32
  8. ^ Holland 2001, pp. 78–9
  9. ^ Holland 2001, pp. 112 & 152
  10. ^ Holland 2001, p. 54
  11. ^ Holland 2001, pp. 84–5 & 113
  12. ^ Holland 2001, p. 152