Birkenhead Monks Ferry railway station
Encyclopedia
Birkenhead Monks Ferry railway station was a railway station in Birkenhead
, Wirral
, England
. It was situated very close to the River Mersey
.
For most of its life, the station was part of the Chester and Birkenhead Railway
, a joint railway
.
The station was originally opened without authority in April 1838. However, due to the objections and legal proceedings of the operators of the Woodside Ferry the station closed until it was purchased and reopened on 23 October 1844 via an extension of the line from Birkenhead Grange Lane. Subsequently Grange Lane closed and Monks Ferry remained the main Birkenhead rail terminus for both passenger and goods traffic until the opening of Birkenhead Woodside
on 1 April 1878. After this date, all passenger services were transferred to Woodside and Monks Ferry concentrated on goods and coal supply.
Provision was made at Monks Ferry for a connection to the internal rail system of shipbuilders Cammell Laird
, which lay to the south of the station. This was via a set of sidings
, with the connecting track at a right angle
to station approaches.
Birkenhead Monks Ferry railway station had largely closed by August 1961, although the station and tracks survived until 1967.
The site has since been cleared, with little evidence left of its former use. A residential development now occupies the area.
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
, Wirral
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was situated very close to the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
.
For most of its life, the station was part of the Chester and Birkenhead Railway
Chester and Birkenhead Railway
The Chester and Birkenhead Railway ran from Birkenhead to Chester. It opened on 23 September 1838. On the 22 July 1847 it merged with the Birkenhead, Lancaster and Cheshire Junction Railway to become the Birkenhead Railway.-Currently Working:...
, a joint railway
Joint railway
A joint railway is a railway operating under the control of more than one railway company: those companies very often supplying the traction over the railway.-United Kingdom:There are many examples of joint railway working in the United Kingdom...
.
The station was originally opened without authority in April 1838. However, due to the objections and legal proceedings of the operators of the Woodside Ferry the station closed until it was purchased and reopened on 23 October 1844 via an extension of the line from Birkenhead Grange Lane. Subsequently Grange Lane closed and Monks Ferry remained the main Birkenhead rail terminus for both passenger and goods traffic until the opening of Birkenhead Woodside
Birkenhead Woodside railway station
Birkenhead Woodside was a railway station at Woodside, in Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, England.-Background:Birkenhead Woodside railway station was opened on 31 March 1878 to replace the increasingly inadequate passenger facilities provided at Birkenhead Monks Ferry station.It was built...
on 1 April 1878. After this date, all passenger services were transferred to Woodside and Monks Ferry concentrated on goods and coal supply.
Provision was made at Monks Ferry for a connection to the internal rail system of shipbuilders Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, came about following the merger of Laird, Son & Co. of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co. of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century.- Founding of the business :The Company...
, which lay to the south of the station. This was via a set of sidings
Rail siding
A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end...
, with the connecting track at a right angle
Right angle
In geometry and trigonometry, a right angle is an angle that bisects the angle formed by two halves of a straight line. More precisely, if a ray is placed so that its endpoint is on a line and the adjacent angles are equal, then they are right angles...
to station approaches.
Birkenhead Monks Ferry railway station had largely closed by August 1961, although the station and tracks survived until 1967.
The site has since been cleared, with little evidence left of its former use. A residential development now occupies the area.