Withington and West Didsbury railway station

Withington and West Didsbury railway station (previously named Withington railway station and Withington & Albert Park railway station) is a former station in West Didsbury, in the southern suburbs of Manchester, England, United Kingdom. The station was located on Lapwing Lane, close to the junction with Palatine Road and opposite Withington Town Hall. Nothing now remains of the old station buildings, which have been demolished. West Didsbury is now served by West Didsbury tram stop which is approximately 85 metres (279 ft) further down the line from the original railway station.

This article is about the former Midland Railway station. For other uses, see Withington railway station and Didsbury railway station (disambiguation).

Withington and West Didsbury
1908 map of West Didsbury showing the railway station on Lapwing Lane
General information
LocationWest Didsbury, City of Manchester
England
Coordinates53.42702°N 2.23790°W / 53.42702; -2.23790
Grid referenceSJ847913
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companySouth District Railway
Pre-groupingMidland Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
London Midland Region of British Railways
Key dates
1 January 1880 (1880-01-01)Station opened as Withington
1884Station renamed
Withington & Albert Park
1 April 1915 (1915-04-01)Station renamed
Withington & West Didsbury
2 July 1961 (1961-07-02)Station closed
17 August 1967 (1967-08-17)Line fully closed

History
Midland Railway lines into Manchester showing the Manchester South District Line

In 1873, the Manchester South District Railway obtained permission to construct a new railway line from Manchester to Alderley. The company fell into financial difficulty and was eventually bought out by the Midland Railway in 1877, who went on to build the line. Construction began in 1878 and the line opened to passenger service on 1 January 1880, running from the new Manchester Central Station through south Manchester suburbs to Stockport Tiviot Dale.[1][2][3][4]

The station at West Didsbury opened on 1 January 1880 and was originally named Withington, even though it was located around 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Withington village. There was uncertainty concerning the station name; four years later in 1884, the Midland Railway decided to rename the station Withington and Albert Park, possibly in an effort to associate it with the fashionable Albert Park housing development and to attract more passengers. In 1915 the station was renamed once again, to Withington & West Didsbury, reflecting its geographical location.[5][1][6][4]

The line ran south through West Didsbury via a cutting, passing underneath Palatine Road. Withington & West Didsbury Station was situated on the north side of Lapwing Lane, set back from the road with a small forecourt area. The station building was a red brick Gothic Revival house, almost identical in style to other nearby stations of the period such as Didsbury. The building incorporated a booking hall, a parcels office, and ladies' and gentlemen's waiting rooms as well as a two-storey station master's house.[4] There were two platforms in the cutting with glass canopies and a footbridge.[2][3] Withington Town Hall, which stood opposite the station, was built for Withington Local Board around 1880–90.[7]

From 1923, the MR was absorbed into the LMS, and after 1948 the line became part of British Rail.

Closure
Brankgate Court flats on Lapwing Lane, built on the former station site in the early 1970s

After the station's initial popularity, passenger use from Withington & West Didsbury declined after 1900, possibly brought about by competition from Manchester Corporation Tramways, which opened a tram line along Palatine Road to West Didsbury in 1900. When the former London & North Western Railway line from Manchester Piccadilly became the principal route for London express trains, the South District Line lost its importance.[4]

In the postwar period, the South District Service declined in frequency, and in 1961 British Rail decided to close the station due to low footfall. The last passenger train departed Withington & West Didsbury station on 2 July 1961. Passenger express and freight trains continued to run through West Didsbury until the line was fully closed in 1969.[2][3][4]

The station building was demolished around 1969. Nothing remains today of the old Midland Railway station building, and the site today is occupied by a block of flats.[1][2][3]

Line re-opening

The former South District Line lay derelict for several decades. In 1984, Greater Manchester Council and the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive announced the Project Light Rail scheme to develop a new light rail/tram system by re-opening use of disused railway lines in the region, including the route through West Didsbury.[2] The first phase of the Manchester Metrolink system opened in 1992, but it was not until 2013 that the network was expanded to reach West Didsbury. Tram tracks were laid along the former trackbed, but as West Didsbury station had been demolished over 40 years earlier, it was decided to locate the new West Didsbury tram stop approximately 85 metres (279 ft) further down the line from the original railway station, on the other side of Palatine Road.[8][2][3]

  • The derelict site of the station photographed in 2008
    The derelict site of the station photographed in 2008
  • The site of the station on the new Metrolink line
    The site of the station on the new Metrolink line
  • West Didsbury Metrolink stop, on the opposite side of Palatine Road
    West Didsbury Metrolink stop, on the opposite side of Palatine Road
  • Map of railways past and present in Didsbury
    Map of railways past and present in Didsbury

See also

References

Citations
  1. Sussex, Gay; Helm, Peter (1988). Looking Back at Withington and Didsbury. Timperley: Willow Publishing. pp. inside front cover. ISBN 0-946361-25-8.
  2. "Disused Stations: Withington & West Didsbury Station". Disused Stations. Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  3. Suggitt 2004.
  4. Johnson 1993, pp. 51–55.
  5. "History | Albert Park Conservation Area | Manchester City Council". secure.manchester.gov.uk. Manchester City Council. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  6. "Withington and West Didsbury". Disused Stations: Closed Railway Stations in the UK. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  7. Historic England. "Former Withington Town Hall (1291512)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  8. Kirby, Dean (23 May 2013). "First passengers travel on tram extension to East Didsbury". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 18 June 2020.

Sources
  • Suggitt, Gordon (2004). Lost Railways of Merseyside and Greater Manchester. Countryside Books. ISBN 978-1-85306-869-0.
  • Johnson, E. M. (1993). The Midland route from Manchester. Stockport: Foxline Publishing. ISBN 978-1870119207.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Withington and West Didsbury railway station.
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Station closed		   Midland Railway
South District Railway		   Didsbury
Station closed
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