Bury Bolton Street railway station
Encyclopedia
Bury Bolton Street railway station is a railway station in Bury
, Greater Manchester
.
, thence via Stubbins Junction either to Rawtenstall
and Bacup
or to Haslingden
and Accrington
; and south to Radcliffe Central
, Whitefield
, Prestwich
and Manchester Victoria or via to Clifton Junction and the Bolton line. There was also a local branch to Holcombe Brook, and a curve to connect with Bury Knowsley Street station.
The station was opened by the East Lancashire Railway (ELR), on 28 September 1846 as Bury station. The ELR was absorbed by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway on 13 May 1859. The station was renamed Bury Bolton Street in February 1866. The building is situated in a cutting with a low level yard on the east side, approached by an incline from Bolton Street and a flight of steps from Bank Street. To the north is the Bolton Street Tunnel.
In its original incarnation, it boasted the headquarters of the East Lancashire Railway, situated on the up platform adjacent to the yard. This fine neo-classical structure in the italianate style had the usual station accommodation on the ground floor and the company offices (including a boardroom) on the upper floors. The headquarters building supported an overall train shed roof in the Paxton
style, supported on the other side by a row of iron columns on an island platform. The west side had through lines and a rope-hauled incline giving access to the wagon works, now the site of Bury Leisure Centre.
The station was rebuilt in the 1880s, and the existing platform canopy dates from that time. Street frontage buildings were also provided.
The Manchester - Prestwich - Radcliffe Central - Bury line was electrified in 1916.
The station passed to the London Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. From 1 January 1948, the station was operated by British Rail
.
The street frontage burnt down after the war and was replaced with a new brick and concrete entrance and footbridge in 1954. The old headquarters building was demolished in January 1974.
BR closed the station on 17 March 1980, when it was replaced by a new Bury station, now the terminus of the light rail link from Manchester.
(the company absorbed the ELR in 1859) who gave it its present form. There are four platforms, viz:-
Platform One. A bay platform at the south east end.
Platform Two. The up platform on the east side.
Platform Three. The down platform, one side of the island platform.
Platform Four. A bidirectional platform, one side of the island platform, and adjacent to the Western retaining walls which had a unique bidirectional signal mounted on a wall bracket.
The platforms were equipped with normal canopies, and a new entrance was created on Bolton Street, with street frontage buildings across the tracks accessing a footbridge.
Since re-opening as part of the heritage railway operated by the East Lancashire Railway, a new platform building, incorporating a facade from the former Bury tram depot, has been erected on the up platform, and the station is undergoing a comprehensive refurbishment and redevelopment plan. It is once again signalled, and the old Bury South box is back in operation.
. Bolton Street Station, with its original features, was rescued from demolition and placed in the care of the East Lancashire Railway
, a preservation group. The line to Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall was re-opened as a heritage railway, under the name East Lancashire Railway
in 1987 and has since been extended to Heywood. The line and station have since become a leading tourist attraction in the area.
which is set in Manchester.
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
.
History
It was formerly the main station serving the town, with links north to RamsbottomRamsbottom
Ramsbottom is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated on the course of the River Irwell, in the West Pennine Moors. Historically within Lancashire, it is located north-northwest of Bury, and north-northwest of Manchester...
, thence via Stubbins Junction either to Rawtenstall
Rawtenstall
Rawtenstall is a town at the centre of the Rossendale Valley, in Lancashire, England. It is the seat for the Borough of Rossendale, in which it is located. The town lies 18 miles north of Manchester, 22 miles east of the county town of Preston and 45 miles south east of Lancaster...
and Bacup
Bacup
Bacup is a town within the Rossendale borough of Lancashire, England. It is located amongst the South Pennines, along Lancashire's eastern boundary with West Yorkshire. The town sits within a rural setting in the Forest of Rossendale, amongst the steep-sided upper-Irwell Valley, through which the...
or to Haslingden
Haslingden
Haslingden is a small town in Rossendale, Lancashire, England. It is north of Manchester. The name means 'valley of the hazels', though the town is in fact set on a high and windy hill. In the early 20th century Haslingden had the status of a municipal borough, but following local government...
and Accrington
Accrington
Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn...
; and south to Radcliffe Central
Radcliffe Metrolink station
Radcliffe Metrolink station is a Manchester Metrolink tram station in Radcliffe on the former Manchester Victoria to Bury railway line.The station lies within Ticketing Zone A. There is a walkway from the station towards the town centre and Radcliffe Bus Station. A blue neon sign adorns the front...
, Whitefield
Whitefield, Greater Manchester
Whitefield is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating ground in the Irwell Valley, along the south bank of the River Irwell, south-southeast of Bury, and to the north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, Prestwich
Prestwich
Prestwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies close to the River Irwell, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury....
and Manchester Victoria or via to Clifton Junction and the Bolton line. There was also a local branch to Holcombe Brook, and a curve to connect with Bury Knowsley Street station.
The station was opened by the East Lancashire Railway (ELR), on 28 September 1846 as Bury station. The ELR was absorbed by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway on 13 May 1859. The station was renamed Bury Bolton Street in February 1866. The building is situated in a cutting with a low level yard on the east side, approached by an incline from Bolton Street and a flight of steps from Bank Street. To the north is the Bolton Street Tunnel.
In its original incarnation, it boasted the headquarters of the East Lancashire Railway, situated on the up platform adjacent to the yard. This fine neo-classical structure in the italianate style had the usual station accommodation on the ground floor and the company offices (including a boardroom) on the upper floors. The headquarters building supported an overall train shed roof in the Paxton
Paxton
-United Kingdom:* Great Paxton, England* Little Paxton, England* Paxton, Scottish Borders, UK* Paxton House, Berwickshire, Scotland* Paxton's Tower, near the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Carmarthenshire, Wales-United States:* Paxton, California...
style, supported on the other side by a row of iron columns on an island platform. The west side had through lines and a rope-hauled incline giving access to the wagon works, now the site of Bury Leisure Centre.
The station was rebuilt in the 1880s, and the existing platform canopy dates from that time. Street frontage buildings were also provided.
The Manchester - Prestwich - Radcliffe Central - Bury line was electrified in 1916.
The station passed to the London Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. From 1 January 1948, the station was operated by British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
.
The street frontage burnt down after the war and was replaced with a new brick and concrete entrance and footbridge in 1954. The old headquarters building was demolished in January 1974.
BR closed the station on 17 March 1980, when it was replaced by a new Bury station, now the terminus of the light rail link from Manchester.
Station information
The station was extensively remodelled by the Lancashire and Yorkshire RailwayLancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...
(the company absorbed the ELR in 1859) who gave it its present form. There are four platforms, viz:-
Platform One. A bay platform at the south east end.
Platform Two. The up platform on the east side.
Platform Three. The down platform, one side of the island platform.
Platform Four. A bidirectional platform, one side of the island platform, and adjacent to the Western retaining walls which had a unique bidirectional signal mounted on a wall bracket.
The platforms were equipped with normal canopies, and a new entrance was created on Bolton Street, with street frontage buildings across the tracks accessing a footbridge.
Since re-opening as part of the heritage railway operated by the East Lancashire Railway, a new platform building, incorporating a facade from the former Bury tram depot, has been erected on the up platform, and the station is undergoing a comprehensive refurbishment and redevelopment plan. It is once again signalled, and the old Bury South box is back in operation.
Original services
Passenger trains on the Holcombe Brook branch ended in 1952. Those on the lines to Accrington, Bacup & Clifton Junction were withdrawn in 1966, with the Rawtenstall trains following suit in 1972. That left only the link to Manchester Victoria which in turn was severed in 1980 with the opening of Bury InterchangeBury Interchange
Bury Interchange is an interchange in Bury, Greater Manchester, England. The interchange was opened in 1980, incorporating a new bus station and the northern terminus of the Bury to Manchester railway line.-History:...
. Bolton Street Station, with its original features, was rescued from demolition and placed in the care of the East Lancashire Railway
East Lancashire Railway
The East Lancashire Railway is a heritage railway in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.-Overview:After formal closure by British Rail in 1982, the line was reopened on 25 July 1987. The initial service operated between Bury and Ramsbottom, via Summerseat. In 1991 the service was extended...
, a preservation group. The line to Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall was re-opened as a heritage railway, under the name East Lancashire Railway
East Lancashire Railway
The East Lancashire Railway is a heritage railway in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.-Overview:After formal closure by British Rail in 1982, the line was reopened on 25 July 1987. The initial service operated between Bury and Ramsbottom, via Summerseat. In 1991 the service was extended...
in 1987 and has since been extended to Heywood. The line and station have since become a leading tourist attraction in the area.
Present day services
In Contemporary Culture
Footage of Bury Bolton Street station can be seen towards the final scenes of the 2007 film, Boy ABoy A
Boy A is the title of a 2004 novel by British writer Jonathan Trigell.-Premise:The book is the story of a child criminal released into society as an adult, taking its title from the court practice of concealing the identity of child defendants....
which is set in Manchester.