Alton Towers railway station

Alton Towers
The remains of Alton Towers railway station
Location
Place	Alton
Area	Staffordshire Moorlands, Staffordshire
Coordinates	52°58′51″N 1°53′42″W / 52.98091°N 1.89505°WCoordinates: 52°58′51″N 1°53′42″W / 52.98091°N 1.89505°W
Operations
Pre-grouping	North Staffordshire Railway
Post-grouping	LMS London Midland Region
Platforms	3
History
13 July 1849	Opened as Alton[1]
January 1954	Renamed Alton Towers[1]
4 January 1965	Closed[1]
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z
UK Railways portal

Alton Towers railway station is a disused railway station in the village of Alton, Staffordshire, England.

The station was on the North Staffordshire Railway's Churnet Valley Line from Macclesfield to Uttoxeter.

History

Alton station opened on 13 July 1849 and was built in an Italianate villa style. It was used by the Earl of Shrewsbury who had a luggage lift installed to hoist his baggage up to Alton Towers, his gothic revival residence which is situated at the top of nearby Bunbury Hill.^[2] The station also comprised a three-storey tower which contained the Earl's suite of waiting rooms^[3] and its platform was particularly long to satisfy the Earl's desire to have impressive surroundings in which to receive his guests.

It became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923. The station then passed on to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948, The station was renamed Alton Towers in recognition of its previous service to the Alton Towers estate in 1954, only to be closed ten years later by the British Railways Board.

The site today

The station buildings, which are grade II listed, were acquired by the Landmark Trust, which converted the stationmaster's house into holiday accommodation, opening in 1972.^[4] In 2008 the Landmark Trust converted the waiting-room to provide additional accommodation space. The buildings are occasionally open to the public as part of an "Open Day" scheme run by the Trust.

Future

Moorland and City Railways, a new rail company, are set to enter talks with Staffordshire County Council with a view to reopening the railway to Alton Towers. This would allow trains to go directly from Stoke-on-Trent and Leek to Alton Towers.^[5]

Preceding station	Disused railways			Following station
Oakamoor		North Staffordshire Railway Churnet Valley Line		Denstone

References

1. Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.
2. "Staffordshire Past-Track - Alton Railway Station 1910". 2003. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
3. "Staffordshire Past-Track - Alton Railway Station and Churnet Valley 1910". 2003. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
4. "Staffordshire Past-Track - Alton Railway Station 1910". 2003. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
5. "New rail link 'best thing in years for Moorlands'". thisisstaffordshire.co.uk. Northcliffe Media. 15 October 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2012.

External links

• Landmark Trust official site
• Alton station on navigable 1946 O. S. map
• Alton station on navigable 1955 OS map