Thurstaston railway station
Former railway station in Merseyside, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thurstaston railway station was a stop on the single tracked Hooton to West Kirby branch of the Birkenhead Railway, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It served the village of Thurstaston, which lies to its north-east.[2]
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Thurstaston | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The site of Thurstaston station as it appears today, now part of Wirral Country Park.[1] | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Thurstaston, Wirral England | ||||
| Grid reference | SJ238835 | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Status | Disused | ||||
| History | |||||
| Pre-grouping | Birkenhead Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping |
| ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 19 April 1886 | Opened | ||||
| 1 February 1954 | Closed to passengers | ||||
| 7 May 1962 | Closed to freight | ||||
| |||||
History
The Birkenhead Railway, owned jointly by the Great Western Railway (GWR) and London and North Western Railway (LNWR), had initially opened a branch line from Hooton to Parkgate in 1866. An extension to West Kirby was completed twenty years later, including Thurstaston station which opened on 19 April 1886.[3] Station Road was constructed from land donated by local landowners Thomas Ismay and the Glegg family to provide access from the village to the station.[4]
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heswall | Birkenhead Railway Hooton to West Kirby branch |
Caldy | ||
World War II
During the Second World War, the line was used for the transportation of munitions. Heavy anti-aircraft gun emplacements were built on land to the west of the station, which have since been grassed over.[3]
Closure
Despite regular seasonal tourist use of the station, passenger numbers generally remained low. On 1 February 1954, the station was closed to passengers, although the line itself remained open to passenger trains for another two years.[5] The track continued to be used for freight transportation and driver training for another eight years, closing on 7 May 1962. The tracks were lifted two years later.[3][4]
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.[6][7]
The site today
Unlike most of the stations on the line, the two platforms are still in situ, though the southbound platform is largely obscured by undergrowth; the Wirral Way continues to pass between them. The station buildings have been demolished.[3]
One of two visitor centres for the Wirral Country Park is located on the station site.[8]
