Earlestown Railway Station

[mike59]

Also meant to add; I go along with Cole's train of thought, that it was built in 1850. Makes much more sense.

Mike

[Steven Dowd]

Is it on the 1849 OS map, or the 1839 tithe map?

Steven Dowd

[radman]

It's not on the 1839 tithe map

tithe.jpg

but it is on the OS map which was surveyed in 1846/7

os.JPG

Not sure how much I trust tithe maps to show all buildings though, that's not really their primary purpose. However they do show the Haydock Junction house, so it would be logical that they would show the waiting room too.

Interesting to note that on the OS map the name had already changed from Warrington Junction to Newton Junction.

[mike59]

As Earlestown hadn't been developed or even named at that early period, there were very few buildings in the area.
Maybe Fairclough's Mill, parts of Vitrol Square and the early beginings of the Viaduct Works, but the majority of the area was just fields.

Mike

[Steven Dowd]

The tithe map thats been shown above by andrew is not quite correct, if its the one from the maps page here on the website, its actually a scan of a tracing of the tithe map done for a book about merseyside towns by Rober Phillpot. It was the only version of the tithe map that I had for a long time, untill recently I got hold of one of the original tithe maps.

This is a snippit from an original coloured tithe map from 1839, and it does seem to show more detail, there is some sort of building shown as a grey square where the older waiting room / meeting room / church type building is. I wondered what the red building is thats intruding into the railway line, is it the ticket office?

1839-tithe-map.png

Steven Dowd

[mike59]

Steven,

The ticket office (If that is the one you refer to, which is there now in Queen St) wasn't built until 1903, so I don't think that is the red shaded building on the tithe map.

Mike

[Steven Dowd]

I wonder if its the original timber Rams Head building that was the older pub, predating the current Stone one

Steven Dowd

[mike59]

I would of though that more likely Steven, I think Cole mentions that it was in the triangle area just outside the entrance to the station.

Mike

[Podstar66]

I had also spotted the small grey building on the tithe map, and if you notice it still appears to be there on the 1840s map too.
So there was some structure there before 1840, but as to its purpose... ?

Looking on the net, in the early days before signal boxes, there was a hut or cabin for the man who operated the points to stay sheltered etc, and he would then go out and operate the point levers. So maybe, it could be a signal cabin for the junction. And that is why it is grey on the tithe map.


Pod

[ironside]

On the subject of Platform 5 or the curve,as can be seen on the 1972 pic at the start of the post removal work had already started,the canopy is gone and the buildings followed over the following year or so.All was done to enable the electrification work to be carried out as this was done at the same time as the west coast main line,as it acts as a diversion route,(we will have waited another 40 odd years for the rest of the Liverpool to manchester to be done)!

The canopy interfered with the overhead cables and associated girders etc,the buildings were in a terrible state due to vandalisim,not helped by the curve being unmanned at all times except when a train was stopping when a ticket collector would hoof it over from the main station.
Thge original buildings were of a simalar style to the booking office on platform 1 so may be about the same date,1903 has been mentioned,they were replaced with what was supposed to be vandal proof bus shelters,which have been replaced numerous times since!

The electrification was launched on 6th May 1974 so all work was completed well before then,there seem to be very few photos of the original Platform 5 & 6 buildings,likewise the original platform 1 building,all the attention seems to be on the original platform 2 building and as we know this is a story in itself..

Regards

Dave

[radman]

To me it looks too far away from the points, but i'm no railway expert.

I have an off the wall theory about this building...I reckon that the building was there from 1831 when the W &N line opened, then about 1840 the platforms were put in, rather than demolish the building and start again the platform was built around the building, and the floor inside built up to the new platform level, this would account for the rather short entrance door.

With regard to Thomas Stone, have these possibilities been considered.

In 1831 Thomas stone would have been about 15 years old, the perfect age for an apprentice. Do we know his fathers name?, could it have been Thomas also, maybe it was a family business, "Stone & Son", in which case it wouldn't be such a surprise for the company to have won the contract.

Cole says "the building" at Earlestown station, which is odd because at the time he was writing his history there were at least two buildings at the station. Could Thomas Stone have been involved with the building of the ticket office? Maybe there were other buildings there in 1914 (ish) that aren't there today that Cole was talking about.

Feel free to shoot these ideas down, I'm just trying to stir the pot to get people thinking laterally

[mike59]

Thanks Dave, some very interesting input towards this thread, anything else would be most welcome, especially from someone like yourself who has "hands on knowledge" about this subject.

Regards,
Mike

[mike59]

Well Andrew, as you offered the option I wil try to shoot your idea's down, laterally speaking of course.

I do have a good comprehensive dossier on Thomas Stone, his history and his family.
A great amount of it was privately commissioned and therefore in that respect I won't divulge certain issues/ matters.

Cole, in his writings concerning Earlestown, was referring to a town in the past tense, and not the one in 1914.

Mike

[mike59]

In 1831 there were no such things as platforms. How does one suppose the waiting room got there in it's original form?
Did they lift it up whilst they built the platform?

The Stationmasters office was built on the original level, about 3' 6" below the waiting room, which to me means that the building was developed over the years from when the line was opened in 1831.

Mike

[radman]

Well Andrew, as you offered the option I wil try to shoot your idea's down, laterally speaking of course.

I do have a good comprehensive dossier on Thomas Stone, his history and his family.
A great amount of it was privately commissioned and therefore in that respect I won't divulge certain issues/ matters.

Cole, in his writings concerning Earlestown, was referring to a town in the past tense, and not the one in 1914.

Mike

I have to disagree on Cole, he is talking in the present at the point he mentions the station building

The present house at Newton Park,which is occupied by Mr. Robert Stone, J.P., presents to the lover of the antique a rare feast, for, with its old oak furniture and fire-places, it is reminiscent of the days when Charles was King. Here one sees trophies of the sport (for Mr. Robert Stone is a true devotee,) and on the walls of the rooms are observed portraits of George and Robert Stephenson, and prints of the early railways, reminding us of the late Mr. Stone's connection with railway work in this district, a good example of which may be seen in the building at the Earlestown Railway Station.

On the question of the waiting room/platforms I don't think you have said anything that disagrees with me. I accept there were no platforms, hence my theory that 3 feet or so of the building is below the level of the platform, having been built around with the small door a consequence. Because they couldn't jack it up.

It's also entirely possible that they dismantled it stone by stone, added 3 feet to the foundations and then reassembled it on top.

On the Stone question, i'll leave it to the expert