-
Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
Oldest railway stations
- Thread starter Nick180
- Start date
- Status
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
DynamicSpirit
Established Member
I would think you'd need to define your question more carefully, as the answer is going to depend heavily on how you define 'oldest station'. Does it matter if the station has been completely rebuilt? Do you want to know the oldest surviving physical buildings or platforms, or is it sufficient that there is today a station of the same name in roughly the same location as there once was? What about renaming a station? What about if an old station closed, and subsequently reopened (with/without being rebuilt?). And how many stations do you want in the list?
As an example, a quick Google reveals Edge Hill as a strong contender for the oldest station in the UK, since it was originally opened in 1830 as part of the Liverpool and Manchester railway. But it was rebuilt and moved to a new site in 1836. Either way, it's still a very old station, but would you count it as dating from 1830 or 1836?
As an example, a quick Google reveals Edge Hill as a strong contender for the oldest station in the UK, since it was originally opened in 1830 as part of the Liverpool and Manchester railway. But it was rebuilt and moved to a new site in 1836. Either way, it's still a very old station, but would you count it as dating from 1830 or 1836?
The oldest in London are London Bridge, Deptford and Greenwich (London and Greenwich Railway) opened in 1836 shortly before Euston in mid 1837
Malcolmffc
Member
- Joined
- 19 Mar 2017
- Messages
- 300
You also need to define what you mean by a “railway” - does Euston count as a railway station in 1836 given that trains had to be cabled hauled up the hill for the first 5 years?
I seem to remember that Broad Green in Liverpool must be the oldest as I am sure it dates back to the early 1830's when the original line was built, but I dont know if you mean oldest original station buildings and structures as I dont know if it has been rebuilt. I think Manchester Liverpool Road is the oldest surviving railway station building dating to 1830 but it is now part of Manchester museum of science and industry, near the ordsall chord
ChiefPlanner
Established Member
Rainhill / Edge Hill / Huyton / Eccles - 1830 Liverpool to Manchester railway.
DarloRich
Veteran Member
Manchester London Road claims to be the oldest. It cant be as Heightington came first.
DynamicSpirit
Established Member
Railforums rule 67:
67: Whenever anyone asks a question, the community shall always make the answer much more complicated than the person asking the question intended.
67: Whenever anyone asks a question, the community shall always make the answer much more complicated than the person asking the question intended.
CaptainHaddock
Established Member
- Joined
- 10 Feb 2011
- Messages
- 2,213
Perhaps before making that statement you could define what constitutes a community and also how to differentiate between a question and a statement?
edwin_m
Veteran Member
Do you mean Liverpool Road?
If Heighington has a building surviving from the original S&D era then it ought to qualify as older.
theageofthetra
On Moderation
- Joined
- 27 May 2012
- Messages
- 3,504
Do any of the Swansea & Mumbles stations survive?
Last edited:
The 'oldest passenger railway' is often claimed by both the 'Stockton and Darlington Railway' and the 'Liverpool and Manchester Railway'. I believe the distinction is that on the Stockton-Darlington Railway from 1825, passengers travelled on a carriage attached to freight workings, with some locomotives still horse drawn, and no regular timetable. Whereas Liverpool - Manchester opened in 1830 as a passsenger only service with a full timetable and as a steam-only line. So S&D is older, but L&M was the first to be what we'd recognize as a full railway today.
The very first service to take passengers on the Stockton-Darlington started in September 1825 at the location of modern day Heighington station, though there was nothing that we'd meaningfully call a station today; passengers were dropped off at level crossings. That legacy can be seen at Heighington, which is still either side of a level crossing.
So we could call Heighington the oldest - there have been trains calling on the site since 1825.
Other claimants might include:
* The oldest surviving building is Manchester Liverpool Road, the terminus of the Liverpool-Manchester line in 1830 - but it hasn't had passenger services since 1844!
* Broad Green also opened in 1830 as a fully functioning station and still is today, but the buildings are from the 1970s
* Brighton station still has elements of its facade which date from 1840. From what I can tell, this is the oldest bit of building that still remains part of a railway station, though much of it is now hidden. I believe that the external stone clock is part of the original building
* Darlington North Road still has full station buildings from 1842, but these are part of a museum attached to the modern day station. Still, it's effectively the same site though you can't move directly between the two
* I'm going to cross out North Road and add Greenwich instead; its building dates from 1840 and is still in full use. It's the oldest in use station building that I can identify and beats North Road by 2 years.
That's not comprehensive - I'm sure there must be other claimants??
The very first service to take passengers on the Stockton-Darlington started in September 1825 at the location of modern day Heighington station, though there was nothing that we'd meaningfully call a station today; passengers were dropped off at level crossings. That legacy can be seen at Heighington, which is still either side of a level crossing.
So we could call Heighington the oldest - there have been trains calling on the site since 1825.
Other claimants might include:
* The oldest surviving building is Manchester Liverpool Road, the terminus of the Liverpool-Manchester line in 1830 - but it hasn't had passenger services since 1844!
* Broad Green also opened in 1830 as a fully functioning station and still is today, but the buildings are from the 1970s
* Brighton station still has elements of its facade which date from 1840. From what I can tell, this is the oldest bit of building that still remains part of a railway station, though much of it is now hidden. I believe that the external stone clock is part of the original building
* I'm going to cross out North Road and add Greenwich instead; its building dates from 1840 and is still in full use. It's the oldest in use station building that I can identify and beats North Road by 2 years.
That's not comprehensive - I'm sure there must be other claimants??
Last edited:
swt_passenger
Veteran Member
- Joined
- 7 Apr 2010
- Messages
- 31,372
Is the first date "1835" in your comprehensive reply above a typo?
Yes sorry, 1825 - now edited thanks!
pdeaves
Established Member
Did the Swansea & Mumbles even have stations, or just 'stopping points'? (genuine question)
Yorkshire's first passenger railway station was at Selby, opened at the terminus of the Leeds and Selby Railway in 1834. The current station was built in 1840 next to it as the terminus of the Selby to Hull line, with passengers and good transferring between the two. Today the 1834 station and train shed are no longer connected with the railway (warehouse and a private house). Bits of the 1840 station remain within the current station, but it's been modified quite a bit since (mainly losing platforms and lines)
DelW
Established Member
- Joined
- 15 Jan 2015
- Messages
- 3,859
It might lose that status to Curzon St (Birmingham) depending on if/how the surviving 1838 portico is incorporated into the HS2 station. However it will have suffered a long hiatus if passenger use is the criterion (or rather shorter for goods / parcels usage).
DarloRich
Veteran Member
The Stockton and Darlington railway was first, not the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. That is the end of the discussion.
I think what cuccir means here is that passenger trains were passenger-only. There were also freight trains, indeed I think freight was the main reason the line was built.
Flying Snail
Established Member
- Joined
- 12 Dec 2006
- Messages
- 1,634
Dublin Pearse, previously Westland Row opened in 1834. The front of the building was rebuilt in the 1890s when it was altered from a terminus to a through station and all but the 2 through platforms have been filled in more recently but the majority of it is still standing and in use today. Other stations on the original Dublin and Kingstown Railway date from the same period, Blackrock is probably the best preserved example but that was built in 1841.
theageofthetra
On Moderation
- Joined
- 27 May 2012
- Messages
- 3,504
The Swansea & Mumbles was the first fare paying passengers railway and opened in 1807. Scarely gets a mention in the NRM too.
Must be the only line to have used horse, sail steam, electric (including battery) and diesel during its bizarre lifetime.
Signalmans Eye
Member
- Joined
- 30 Sep 2012
- Messages
- 85
Eccles? oh do you mean the bus shelters first northwestern and northern installed c1980/2015
DynamicSpirit
Established Member
You sure you don't mean the Darlington and (somewhere else - doesn't really matter) railway?
Bwlch y Groes
Member
- Joined
- 22 Jul 2017
- Messages
- 210
Earlestown's old waiting room is the oldest-surviving building still in main line use, isn't it? Although "use" is stretching it a bit
gordonthemoron
Established Member
Forth Banks was more important than (Shildon)-Darlington-Stockton-(Newport)
I can currently see remains of Blackpill station, perhaps 30ft long and 10 wide, now used as a cafe next to the lido. "The Slip" is sort of still there too..
It had a sad demise too. I recommend the interesting but also tiny and somewhat depressing museum of it in Swansea Marina.
As mentioned above, Edge Hill was moved to new buildings in 1836. These are in current use.
pdeaves
Established Member
Interesting. The follow up question is, did the stations (in the sense that we would recognise today) arrive at the same time as the railway, or were they 'invented' and added later?
randyrippley
Established Member
- Joined
- 21 Feb 2016
- Messages
- 5,132
really? would have been an interesting sight
Cricketer8for9
Member
- Joined
- 11 Jan 2015
- Messages
- 683
The Surrey Iron Railway “station” at Mitcham is still there, though not used by the London Tramlink which runs over much of the route of the old line. I seem to recall somewhere that this building is from 1801.
- Status