Ripon railway station

Ripon railway station was a railway station that served Ripon, North Yorkshire, England on the Leeds-Northallerton Line that ran between Harrogate and Northallerton.

Ripon
The remains of the station buildings
General information
LocationRipon
England
Coordinates54.145483°N 1.514418°W / 54.145483; -1.514418
Grid referenceSE318723
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyLeeds and Thirsk Railway
Pre-groupingNorth Eastern Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1 June 1848 [1]Opened
6 March 1967Closed to passengers
5 September 1969Closed completely

History

Opened by the Leeds and Thirsk Railway on 1 June 1848. The foundation stone for the station buildings was laid on 18 September 1854[2] by Mrs. A. B. Patience, wife of the station master.

On 11 August 1866 Prince Edward and Princess Alexandra arrived at the station for a short visit to Studley Royal. They returned the day afterwards to catch the Royal Train to Barnard Castle.[3]

It was taken over by the North Eastern Railway, which became part of the London and North Eastern Railway during the Grouping of 1923. The line then passed on to the Eastern Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. It was closed by the British Railways Board to passenger trains in 1967, and freight trains in 1969, as part of the Beeching Axe.

Station Masters

  • Mr. Patience ca. 1854 – 1859
  • Matthew Peacock 1860 – 1872
  • Peter Donaldson 1872 – 1887[4]
  • James Kitson 1888 – 1902[5]
  • Henry Routledge 1902 - 1905 (formerly station master at Market Weighton)
  • Thomas Aitchison 1905 – 1925
  • John Proudfoot 1925 – 1933[6] (formerly station master at Haverton Hill and Port Clarence, afterwards station master at Malton)
  • H.J. Horsley 1933[7] – 1948
  • R.B. King ???? – 1961 (afterwards station master at Harrogate)
  • W.E. Wood 1961 – ????

Proposals for re-opening

Today much of the route of the line through the city is now a relief road and although the former station is still standing, it is now surrounded by a new housing development. The issue remains a significant one in local politics and there are movements wanting to restore the line.[8] Reports suggest the reopening of a line between Ripon and Harrogate railway station would be economically viable, costing £40 million and could initially attract 1,200 passengers a day, rising to 2,700.[8][9][10] Campaigners call on MPs to restore Ripon railway link.[11]

In October 2015, North Yorkshire County Council included the reopening in its Strategic Transport Prospectus which was submitted to Transport for the North.[12] In February 2016 the County Council included it in its Local Transport Plan, but it is accepted that it is unlikely to happen until after 2030.[13]

References

  1. "Opening of the Leeds and Thirsk Railway". Leeds Times. Leeds. 3 June 1848. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  2. "New Railway Station". Leeds Mercury. England. 23 September 1854. Retrieved 9 September 2017 via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. "The Prince and Princess of Wales's Visit into Yorkshire". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. British Newspaper Archive. 14 August 1866. Retrieved 20 August 2016 via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. "Death of the Ripon Stationmaster". Knaresborough Post. England. 22 October 1887. Retrieved 9 September 2017 via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. "At the end of the present month". Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette. England. 24 June 1902. Retrieved 9 September 2017 via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. "Malton's New Stationmaster". Leeds Mercury. England. 11 February 1933. Retrieved 9 September 2017 via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. "Ripon's New Stationmaster". Leeds Mercury. England. 6 April 1933. Retrieved 9 September 2017 via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. "Reopening line makes economic sense, says study". The Northern Echo. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
  9. "Backing for restoring rail link". BBC News Online. BBC. 11 May 2004. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  10. "Railway plan may be back on track". The Northern Echo. 7 April 2003. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  11. "Campaigners call on MPs to restore Ripon railway link". Yorkshire Post. 18 January 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  12. "County Council include reopening of Ripon railway in transport plans". Ripon Gazette. Ripon. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  13. "Reopened Ripon rail link back on the agenda". Harrogate Advertiser. Harrogate. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Wormald Green   North Eastern Railway
Leeds-Northallerton Railway
  Melmerby
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