Biddulph Valley Line

[Xenophon PCDGS]

In the "John Spillars web pages" article on this line, mention is made of stations at Childerplay and at Bradley Green.

Can anyone give information on either of these two stations, such as opening and closing dates or if they were only goods stations.

 

[mailbyrail]

Michael Quick doesn't mention either of them in his Chronology, suggesting they must have only been for goods

 

[The_Train]

I've called into the library on my way home to see if they have anything detailing about these stations. I've found 'The North Staffordshire Railway' by Rex Christiansen and R.W. Miller and it mentions the Biddulph Valley a lot but no mention of either of these 2 stations. Same can be said for 'Lost Railways of Staffordshire' by Leslie Oppitz and 'British Railways Past and Present - No.50 North Staffordshire'

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Thanks to both of you. I have sent an e-mail to John Spellar asking him why he included both those stations in his article.

 

[The_Train]

One thing that is for certain is that the line was primarily for freight movements, mainly coal I believe. Passenger services were definitely an afterthought but what purpose would these 2 stations serve to the movement of goods if that's all they were for?

The books I mentioned included maps of the line and neither station featured so will be interesting to see what Johns response is

 

[The_Train]

And also, glancing through some of these books has shown me just how many railway lines North Staffordshire has lost in the last 150 years. Very sad to see, although very interesting to see what has become of the land where old stations once stood

 

[mailbyrail]

Checking maps on the Scottish national library site doesn't indicate the stations either, but Biddulph station itself was closer to Bradley Green than the centre of Biddulph.
Childerplay seems to be no more than a farm not far from Black Bull station but there doesn't seem to be any place with the name Black Bull. There is a Public House marked close to the station called 'Railway Hotel', perhaps it was previously called the 'Black Bull'.
Checking Quick again, he says Black Bull was in Bradshaw as Black Bull Childerplay from 1873 to 1886. He also says according to the Railway earing House the station was renamed from Black Bull for Biddulph & Chell to simply Black Bull from 1 May 1897.
His entry for Biddulph says the station opened as Gillow Heath and was renamed 1 May 1897.
Seems like neither Childerplay or Bradley Green were additional stations in their own right.

 

[Dr Hoo]

The Airey’s ‘Official’ Railway Clearing House Map of 1894 “certified by the companies” shows Black Bull as a station name on its own. There is no mention of Childerplay. Bradley Green was a siding only. Gillow Heath is shown as a station.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The books I mentioned included maps of the line and neither station featured so will be interesting to see what Johns response is

I still await a reply to the email that I sent to John Spillar.

 

[The_Train]

I still await a reply to the email that I sent to John Spillar.

Appreciate the update. Hopefully he will respond to you at some point

 

[Owl Racing]

A bit late, but regarding Victoria (aka Black Bull) colliery & station, does this help?
https://www.search.staffspasttrack....&DateFrom=0&DateTo=2020&SortOrder=0&ThemeID=0

Childerplay Lane is just up the road. The area, is the old industrial centre of Biddulph. On both sides of the road were spoil heaps of the Whiston Slag Company, that disposed of iron ore slag from Robert Heath's iron works and later on the south side, there was an opencast coal mine. One or the other (both?) may have had a halt &/or siding at one time, but I don't know for sure.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Thank you for your reply and for the link to that website, which I have now added to my "favourites" list.

 

[Owl Racing]

You are welcome. Apparently Robert Heath also owned Childerplay Colliery & like Birchenwood (my interest in all this), there was a branch to the colliery from the Biddulph Valley line. I don't know if Roland Machin is still alive and well but another link for you with his sources that may help your research.
https://www.bdghs.org.uk/2007meetings.php#01
I suspect that there never was a formal station, for the general public. I may reach out to the Secretary at BDGHS to see if any of the 100 "new" photographs could confirm one way or the other.

 

[Owl Racing]

Thanks to Biddulph and District Genealogy and Historical Society
https://www.bdghs.org.uk/maps/railcanaltram.jpg

Advance apologies to The_Train, mailbyrail and Dr Hoo, if their maps go into the same level of detail. I have not seen this one before, including tramroads & lines never built & all the colliery sidings. Stations highlighted in yellow

• Bradley Green has signal box, sidings and level crossings, but no station (unless the Wharf is what John Spillar had in mind).
• ChilderplayRoad, runs 200m SE from the junction of Tunstall Road (grey), alongside the line to the "Victoria Colliery Spoil Tips", ending at the junction of Bemersley Road, due E of Black Bull signal box. The small spur/siding S of that line, ending almost due E of Black Bull goods shed is roughly the site of Childerplay colliery, owned by John Bateman (that cut the first sod for the BV line?) & then Robert Heath who owned Victoria (Black Bull) colliery on the opposite side of Tunstall Road.
  
• 99% certain mailbyrail calls it right when he says "Black Bull was in Bradshaw as Black Bull Childerplay from 1873 to 1886" No sign here that Childerplay ever had a station separate from Black Bull on the BV line, nor needed one so close by.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

If you go back to the very first posting on this thread, it does make you wonder which organisations were consulted prior to the publication of information relating to this line in "John Spillar's web pages"