Trivia: Stations located uphill from city and town centres

[urbophile]

Both Bradford stations.

It's years since I visited it and even longer since I knew it well, but I could swear that Forster Square station is on the same level as the eponymous square which, like the city centre itself, is in a hollow. Am I misremembering or has it been moved vertically as well as horizontally?

Lime Street station is at the highest point of Liverpool city centre, if by that you exclude the University and Cathedrals area.

 

[Ken H]

It's years since I visited it and even longer since I knew it well, but I could swear that Forster Square station is on the same level as the eponymous square which, like the city centre itself, is in a hollow. Am I misremembering or has it been moved vertically as well as horizontally?

Always seems a drag up Cheapside past the Midland Hotel. If yhou look on Street view the gradient shows up against the horizontal courses of the stonework.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Windermere is a strange one as originally the railway was designed to serve the town of Bowness-on-Windermere but the gradient into Bowness was too steep to run into Bowness. In the end we ended up with Windermere station and later Windermere town around the station.

And ironically, Windermere is still significantly uphill even from Windermere town centre. The 'normal route' from the town centre involves going up a couple of short but steepish hills to Booths and then to the station from there. The direct route (which probably only locals know and only the very fittest would tend to use) actually involves saving a couple of minutes by climbing/scrambling up an unpaved bank through the trees that line the Booths car park. (Bet there aren't many stations that you can legitimately climb up to from the town centre)

 

[randyrippley]

Arnside
Maybe Lancaster.
Glossop
Dinting
Both Bradford stations.

Arnside is on top of the sea wall......hardly a hill

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Basingstoke station used to be at the top of Station Hill before the late 60's town centre was built that elevated the approach to the station.

I recall when I lived there (1980s so definitely after they built that town centre, though I think they've rebuilt parts of it since then), it felt like going uphill from the shopping centre to get to the station. And very much so if you were coming from the bus station.

And also around Hampshire:
Alton - not such an obvious one because the hill is as you come out of the town centre and the area around the station iitself s relatively flat.
Overton
Whitchurch

And over in Kent, Dartford station is a bit higher than the town centre, although I'm not totally sure to what extent that represents a natural hill vs. embankments for the railway having been built.

 

[Ken H]

Arnside is on top of the sea wall......hardly a hill

Its a hill from the pier to the chippy....

 

[43066]

Dartford is another one, come to think of it.

 

[randyrippley]

Shrewsbury
Newton-le-willows
Darlington
Ulverston
Penrith
Appleby
Liverpool Lime street

Ulverston seems unlikely

Its a hill from the pier to the chippy....

more like a speed bump.......

 

[Pinus contorta]

Ulverston seems unlikely


more like a speed bump.......

Definitely break into a sweat

 

[PeterC]

If we're allowed closed railways, I can add Ilfracombe & Tavistock North, both former Southern Railway stations in Devon.

For closed lines Blaenavon High Level

 

[30907]

Always seems a drag up Cheapside past the Midland Hotel. If yhou look on Street view the gradient shows up against the horizontal courses of the stonework.

View attachment 133689View attachment 133689

It is, but there's a level route round the other side of the Midland Hotel. Longer unless you are heading towards the Cathedral though.

 

[Ken H]

It is, but there's a level route round the other side of the Midland Hotel. Longer unless you are heading towards the Cathedral though.

I think we need to hire a Vickers level and staff to settle this one!!!

 

[Tazilly]

Kilmarnock, on Hill Street ?

 

[Lewisham2221]

Congleton is uphill and quite a distance from the town centre.

Stoke-on-Trent is uphill from the town centre of Stoke-upon-Trent, but is downhill from Hanley, which is officially the City Centre of Stoke-on-Trent.

 

[JRT]

Definitely break into a sweat

Struggling on the last bit up to Ulverston station last Saturday, mind you I had just cycled from Windermere station (you didn't think I was going to do it the other way did you?)

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Struggling on the last bit up to Ulverston station last Saturday, mind you I had just cycled from Windermere station (you didn't think I was going to do it the other way did you?)

Less than 20 miles? Could probably cycle back as quick as it takes to get the train (considering the at least one, and very likely 2 changes required)

 

[satisnek]

The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway, after climbing over the Cotswolds, was mostly built on higher ground along the edge of river valleys. Evesham and Droitwich Spa stations are fairly level with the upper parts of the town but in both cases the town centres slope down towards their respective rivers. Otherwise, Pershore, Worcester (Shrub Hill), Kidderminster and Stourbridge (Junction) stations are all at varying distances above (and from!) the settlements they serve. Only when Dudley - a hilltop town - is reached do things change, with a tunnel underneath the town centre and a long slope down to the station.

 

[Jonny]

Do stations on viaducts etc. that are above the ground level on all sides count as uphill? If so, you get Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road, along with Deansgate. Also London Bridge and Blackfriars, with Waterloo East and Charing Cross, maybe even Fenchurch Street as well as the non-Thameslink platforms at St. Pancras International.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Do stations on viaducts etc. that are above the ground level on all sides count as uphill? If so, you get Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road, along with Deansgate.

Good question. See also post #42 upthread.

 

[Mordac]

Sutton Coldfield.

 

[Requeststop]

If the viaduct idea fits then:

Falmouth
Falmouth Docks
Penmere is slightly uphill but it's more a suburb of Falmouth rather than a city or town centre.
I seem to recall that Portsmouth Harbour is held up in the air as well.

 

[brewer85]

Broadstairs

 

[A0wen]

Not on the national network any longer - but Bridgnorth on the Severn Valley.

 

[John Luxton]

Gunnislake spring to mind.

On the same line Calstock as it is at viaduct level.

 

[Pokelet]

The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway, after climbing over the Cotswolds, was mostly built on higher ground along the edge of river valleys. Evesham and Droitwich Spa stations are fairly level with the upper parts of the town but in both cases the town centres slope down towards their respective rivers. Otherwise, Pershore, Worcester (Shrub Hill), Kidderminster and Stourbridge (Junction) stations are all at varying distances above (and from!) the settlements they serve. Only when Dudley - a hilltop town - is reached do things change, with a tunnel underneath the town centre and a long slope down to the station.

Shrub Hill is certainly up hill from the town. Malvern Link is up hill from the Link but down hill from Great Malvern. Great Malvern station is very much down hill from the town.

 

[Pinus contorta]

Struggling on the last bit up to Ulverston station last Saturday, mind you I had just cycled from Windermere station (you didn't think I was going to do it the other way did you?)

Oh yea I cycled Staveley to Ulverston once. I cheated and used the ferry across Windermere though.

 

[gingertom]

Tyndrum Upper, Arrochar & Tarbert on the West Highland?

 

[75A]

If the viaduct idea fits then:

Falmouth
Falmouth Docks
Penmere is slightly uphill but it's more a suburb of Falmouth rather than a city or town centre.
I seem to recall that Portsmouth Harbour is held up in the air as well.

As is Portsmouth & Southsea (or the town station as us locals call it).
The High Level anyway.

 

[alf]

Weybridge

 

[John Webb]

St Albans City station is a bit of an oddity in that while lower than the city centre nevertheless one has to go uphill when walking from the centre to the station. The city centre is at about 116m and the station is at 102m - but Victoria Street which links the two dips down to about 97m between the two!