Parkgate railway station
Former railway station on the Birkenhead Railway in Cheshire, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Parkgate railway station was a station on the single track Hooton to West Kirby branch of the Birkenhead Railway, on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, England. The station served the village of Parkgate.
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Parkgate | |||||
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Wirral Way passing through the site of the former station (2013) | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Parkgate, Cheshire, Cheshire West and Chester England | ||||
| Grid reference | SJ283781 | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Status | Disused | ||||
| History | |||||
| Pre-grouping | Birkenhead Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping |
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| Key dates | |||||
| 1 October 1866 | First station opened | ||||
| 19 April 1886 | Second station opened | ||||
| 17 September 1956 | Closed to passengers | ||||
| 7 May 1962 | Closed to freight | ||||
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History
The Birkenhead Railway, owned jointly by the Great Western Railway (GWR) and London and North Western Railway (LNWR), opened a branch line from Hooton to Parkgate on 1 October 1866. An extension to West Kirby was completed twenty years later.[1][2] The original station at Parkgate was a temporary wooden structure as a possible future extension to West Kirby had been taken into consideration.[2] For this purpose, a second station was built, which opened on 19 April 1886. The old station buildings were retained as a goods yard.[1][2]
Closure
Once motor transport reached the area passenger numbers dwindled and on 17 September 1956 the station was closed to passengers. The track continued to be used for freight transportation and driver training for another six years, closing on 7 May 1962. The tracks were lifted two years later.[1][2][3] The station buildings have been demolished, although the stationmaster's house remains as a private residence.[1]
Wirral Country Park
The route became the Wirral Way footpath and part of Wirral Country Park in 1973, which was the first such designated site in Britain.[4][5]
