Ledsham is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester

Cheshire West and Chester

Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority area with borough status, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire. It was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health...

 and the ceremonial county of Cheshire

Cheshire

Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...

, 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 is located on the Wirral Peninsula

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...

, to the north of Capenhurst

Capenhurst

Capenhurst is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England and located on the Wirral Peninsula to the south west of the town of Ellesmere Port...

 and to the west of Ellesmere Port

Ellesmere Port

Ellesmere Port is a large industrial town and port in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated on the south border of the Wirral Peninsula on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, which in turn gives access to the River...

. The village includes parts of the hamlets of Badger's Rake and Two Mills, and has a population of 88.

History

Formerly a township in Neston civil parish, Wirral Hundred.
The population was 56 in 1801, 94 in 1851, 82 in 1901 and 116 in 1951.
The village was served by Ledsham railway station

Ledsham railway station

Ledsham railway station was on the Chester and Birkenhead Railway close to the village of Ledsham on the Wirral Peninsula in Cheshire, England. The station opened on 23 September 1840 at the same time as the railway line, and was closed on 20 July 1959 due to a decline in passenger numbers. From ...

 on the former 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:...

. Originally, a local cottage was used as the station building, until the provision of more substantial facilities.
At its height, Ledsham station had four platforms and was situated at the southern end of the railway's quadrupled section. The station never achieved the commercial potential expected by its owners, primarily due to its remote rural location.
Ledsham station closed completely on 20 July 1959.
However, two tracks of the line are still extant as part of the Merseyrail

Merseyrail

Merseyrail is a train operating company and commuter rail network in the United Kingdom, centred on Liverpool, Merseyside. The network is predominantly electric with diesel trains running on the City Line. Two City Line branches are currently being electrified on the overhead wire AC system with...

 network, with stations at Hooton

Hooton, Cheshire

Hooton is a village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England in the south of the Wirral Peninsula near Ellesmere Port.- History :...

and Capenhurst.