The
Churnet Valley Line. Most of the photographs on this
page were taken by Bob Prigg on a walk along the scenic Churnet
Valley line in Staffordshire. This branch featured some very
notable architecture, and has been revived between Cheddleton
and Kingsley & Froghall by the Churnet Valley Railway. |
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Above: Our
final picture from the Caledonian Railway's Leith North branch
is of Lindsay Road Bridge, a gently curving girder structure
on
stone
piers
situated
between Granton Road and the Leith North terminus. Other photographs
of this branch appear in Group 25, q.v. July 2007. (Ralph Rawlinson)
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Above: This
is Alton station in Staffordshire, which was renamed Alton Towers
in 1954 – only
to close ten years later.
(Surely the line might still be busy
with
a modern theme park en route?) The station was designed
by Augustus Pugin (1812-1852), an English architect of the Gothic
revival who is better known for his church designs and his work
on the interior of
the Houses
of Parliament. However, Pugin did accept some more modest commissions,
including this one for the North Staffordshire
Railway, and the railway cottages at Windermere, Cumbria. Alton
station is now owned by The Landmark Trust and can be rented
for self-catering holidays.
The trackbed is used as a railway path linking Oakamoor to the
north and Denstone to the south. 10 November 2007. (Bob Prigg) |
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Above: A
view of the main station buildings from the trackbed. Note the
canopy and well enclosed waiting area, which would have provided
passengers with reasonably effective shelter in bad weather – contrast
this with the
bus shelters now installed on many rural stations throughout
the UK. 10 November 2007. (Bob Prigg) |
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Above: This three-storey
tower at Alton originally contained the Earl of Shrewsbury's
suite of private waiting rooms (source: Staffordshire
Past Track, a website run by Staffordshire CC). Note Pugin's
Gothic
architectural
flourishes, such as the chimney
stacks
and the
balcony – presumably where the earl could keep watch for
the train. 10 November 2007. (Bob Prigg) |
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Above:
One of the platforms at Alton station, showing some of
the precast concrete units which were used to extend the original
brick-faced platform in order to accommodate the long excursion
trains that visited Alton Towers in the 1950s and 1960s.
After the excursion trains had disgorged their passengers, the carriages
were stored at weekends on the sidings serving T. Bolton's works
at nearby Oakamoor. 10
November 2007. (Bob Prigg, with caption by David Swinson)
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Above: It
looks as if we've just slipped across to the Rhineland, but this
is Pugin's gothic mansion at Alton, seen from the Cheadle-Uttoxeter
road – and once visible from the platform of the village
station. Pugin began the building in 1847 for the 19th Earl of
Shrewsbury.
He used coloured tiles on the roof, as can be seen here;
the green tiling to the left of the picture belongs to the chapel.
Pugin and the earl were both Roman Catholics, and the earl's
patronage no doubt explains the presence of Pugin's work
in the area. 10
November
2007.
(Bob
Prigg) |
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Above: The
delightful crossing keeper's house at Oakamoor, just south of
Oakamoor Tunnel, which can be seen in the background. This building
looks as if it is another of Pugin's designs, but we have been
unable to confirm this. Oakamoor station was situated a short
distance behind the photographer and was the next stop north
of Alton. 10 November 2007. (Bob Prigg) |
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Above: After
Oakamoor, trains travelling north along the Churnet Valley line
arrived at Kingsley
& Froghall station, which is now back in business as the
southern terminus of the modern Churnet Valley Railway. It looks
as if the volunteers are erecting a new shelter on the up platform.
Froghall Canal Basin is nearby, as are attractive walks along
the River Churnet and the Cauldon branch of the Trent & Mersey
Canal. Froghall Tunnel – on the canal – has a very low
roof, which prevents all but the lowest vessels from reaching the
basin.
10 November
2007.
(Bob Prigg) |