Beeston Castle and Tarporley railway station

Beeston Castle and Tarporley railway station was a railway station serving the villages of Tarporley, Tiverton, and Beeston in Cheshire, England. The station was originally part of the Crewe to Chester line of the Grand Junction Railway.

Beeston Castle and Tarporley railway station
The station in 1961
LocationTiverton, Cheshire West and Chester
England
Coordinates53.1331°N 2.6680°W / 53.1331; -2.6680
Grid referenceSJ554597
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyGrand Junction Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and North Western Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 October 1840 (1840-10-01)Opened as Beeston
1 October 1868Renamed Beeston Castle
January 1873Renamed Beeston Castle and Tarporley
18 April 1966 (1966-04-18)Closed

History

The station opened on 1 October 1840 when it was simply known as Beeston but was renamed Beeston Castle on 1 October 1868, and again Beeston Castle and Tarporley in January 1873.[1] The station was closed on 18 April 1966.[1] Only parts of the platforms and the signal box still remain.

Services
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Tattenhall Road
Line open, station closed		   London and North Western Railway
North Wales Coast line		   Calveley
Line open, station closed

Possible reopening

Since the closure of the station in 1966, there has been a pronounced feeling amongst local residents that the closure was an error and that the station should be reinstated. This feeling has resulted in consideration being given to the feasibility of doing so in several reports. These have included

  • The Beeston area Transport Needs Assessment March 2001[2]
  • The Transport Needs Assessment Steering Group report 2004[3]
  • The Beeston Station Feasibility Study 2006

The first two of these reports found that reopening the station was potentially feasible. However the 2006 study which was conducted by consultants Scott Wilson on behalf of Cheshire County Council was more sceptical.

Despite the scepticism of the 2006 study local opinion that the station should be reopened remained strong and was from time to time the subject of election pledges from candidates seeking votes notably by Ian Priestner of the Liberal Democrats.[4]

In early 2020 Michael Flynn[5][6] a businessman who lived locally and was involved in the construction and operation of railways in the UK and around the world, frustrated at what he saw as the amateur and unserious nature of previous campaigns, formed the Beeston and Tarporley Station Reopening Group,[7][8] with the object of preparing a professional proposal to reopen the station that stood a chance of actually being funded.

On 18 June 2020, the Beeston and Tarporley Station Reopening Group working closely with the local Member of Parliament Edward Timpson MP submitted a 55 page proposal to the Department for Transport seeking funding to develop a comprehensive business case for the project.[9][7][10] On 25 November, the DfT announced that the proposal had been successful and granted the group £50,000 towards developing a formal business case, along with DfT professional support to ensure that the next phase submission for funding to construct and commission the station would be robust and capable of approval.[11]

References
  1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 31. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. "Beeston Station | Tiverton and Tilstone Fearnall Parish Council". Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  3. Live, Cheshire (22 October 2004). "Bid to reopen village station". CheshireLive. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  4. Barrett, Frances (23 April 2015). "Campaign launched to reopen Beeston Castle and Tarporley station". CheshireLive. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  5. "Major boost for plans to reopen railway station that shut over 50 years ago". Chester and District Standard. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  6. says, Frank Richards (16 July 2020). "Beeston Castle and Tarporley station could reopen by 2022". Nantwich News. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  7. "Plans on track to reopen railway station which shut more than 50 years ago". Northwich Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  8. says, Frank Richards (16 July 2020). "Beeston Castle and Tarporley station could reopen by 2022". Nantwich News. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  9. says, Frank Richards (16 July 2020). "Beeston Castle and Tarporley station could reopen by 2022". Nantwich News. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  10. "Tattenhall Online".
  11. "Restoring your railway: successful bids - GOV.UK". assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2020.

Further reading
  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2012). Stafford to Chester. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 88-93. ISBN 9781908174345. OCLC 830024480.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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