Bridgehouses railway station
Encyclopedia
Bridgehouses railway station was the terminal station of the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway
from its opening in 1845 until the opening of the Wicker Arches
, a 660 yards (603.5 m) long viaduct across the Don Valley, which supported the new Sheffield Victoria opened on 15 September 1851. By this time the railway operating company had become the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
, which in 1899 became the Great Central Railway
. From 1851 Bridgehouse became the company's terminal for goods and cattle traffic. It remained open for freight until 1965.
The station was approached by a ramp from Nursery Street and on the opposite corner a public house
was built. Originally named "The Manchester Railway Hotel" its frontage was damaged in the Sheffield Flood of 1864 and was rebuilt (look at the alignment to the main building). It was renamed "The Manchester Hotel" and in Spring 2006, after a short period of closure, became "The Harlequin", taking the name from a recently demolished pub which stood a short distance away in Johnson Street.
Part of the station site is now used as a car park and part of the retaining wall along Nursery Street has been demolished to make way for the northern section of Sheffield's Inner Ring Road
. It has been suggested that this retaining wall may have contained stones from Sheffield Castle
.
Before the building of the "Borough Bridge", which carries Corporation Street across the River Don to reach Nursery Street, passenger access to the station from the city area was by a footbridge. On the night of 11 March 1864, when the waters of the Great Sheffield flood
poured over the bridge a vast quantity of timber and debris came down with the force of a battering ram, and carried the footbridge away. A successor to this bridge is still standing adjacent to the new bridge which carries the Inner Ring Road over the River Don, although it is in need of restoration.
The terminal was the subject of a BBC
local television documentary "Engines must not enter the potato siding" which contained vintage film and memories from former railway workers and which was made at the time of the rationalisation of goods traffic in the Sheffield
area and the opening of the new Sheffield Freight Terminal in Brightside Lane, adjacent to the site of the former Midland Railway
locomotive sheds and yard. The potato siding was situated high above the road and had a wooden floor, fine for wagons and vans but as the title says, not locomotives.
Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester Railway
The Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway was an early British railway company which opened in stages between 1841 and 1845 between Sheffield and Manchester via Ashton-under-Lyne...
from its opening in 1845 until the opening of the Wicker Arches
Wicker Arches
The Wicker Arches form a long railway viaduct across the Don Valley in the City of Sheffield, England. They take their name from the thoroughfare The Wicker, which passes through the main arch of the viaduct and was, until the completion of the Sheffield Parkway, the main route eastwards from the...
, a 660 yards (603.5 m) long viaduct across the Don Valley, which supported the new Sheffield Victoria opened on 15 September 1851. By this time the railway operating company had become the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
, which in 1899 became the Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
. From 1851 Bridgehouse became the company's terminal for goods and cattle traffic. It remained open for freight until 1965.
The station was approached by a ramp from Nursery Street and on the opposite corner a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
was built. Originally named "The Manchester Railway Hotel" its frontage was damaged in the Sheffield Flood of 1864 and was rebuilt (look at the alignment to the main building). It was renamed "The Manchester Hotel" and in Spring 2006, after a short period of closure, became "The Harlequin", taking the name from a recently demolished pub which stood a short distance away in Johnson Street.
Part of the station site is now used as a car park and part of the retaining wall along Nursery Street has been demolished to make way for the northern section of Sheffield's Inner Ring Road
Sheffield Inner Ring Road
Sheffield Inner Ring Road is a dual-carriageway circling central Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Built from the 1960s onwards the Ring Road connects to the Sheffield Parkway, which itself connects with the M1 motorway...
. It has been suggested that this retaining wall may have contained stones from Sheffield Castle
Sheffield Castle
Sheffield Castle was a castle in Sheffield, England, constructed at the confluence of the River Sheaf and the River Don, possibly on the site of a former Anglo-Saxon long house, and dominating the early town. A motte and bailey castle had been constructed on the site at some time in the century...
.
Before the building of the "Borough Bridge", which carries Corporation Street across the River Don to reach Nursery Street, passenger access to the station from the city area was by a footbridge. On the night of 11 March 1864, when the waters of the Great Sheffield flood
Great Sheffield Flood
Not to be confused with the floods in Sheffield in 2007.The Great Sheffield Flood was a flood that devastated parts of Sheffield, England, on 11 March 1864, when the Dale Dyke Dam broke.- Collapse of Dale Dyke Dam :...
poured over the bridge a vast quantity of timber and debris came down with the force of a battering ram, and carried the footbridge away. A successor to this bridge is still standing adjacent to the new bridge which carries the Inner Ring Road over the River Don, although it is in need of restoration.
The terminal was the subject of a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
local television documentary "Engines must not enter the potato siding" which contained vintage film and memories from former railway workers and which was made at the time of the rationalisation of goods traffic in the Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
area and the opening of the new Sheffield Freight Terminal in Brightside Lane, adjacent to the site of the former Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
locomotive sheds and yard. The potato siding was situated high above the road and had a wooden floor, fine for wagons and vans but as the title says, not locomotives.