Gresford railway station

Gresford (for Llay) Halt was a small railway station located on the Great Western Railway's Paddington to Birkenhead line a few miles north of Wrexham in Wales and halfway up the Gresford bank.

Gresford (for Llay) Halt
The station buildings in 1995
LocationGresford & Llay, Wrexham
Wales
Coordinates53.0897°N 2.9772°W / 53.0897; -2.9772
Grid referenceSJ345552
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyShrewsbury and Chester Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
1846Station opens
10 Sep 1962Closed
2 May 1955Unstaffed [1]

Opening

The station was opened on 4 November 1846.[2]

Station structures

The station house was stone-built, consisted of two storeys, and designed in the cottage orné style. There was a simple waiting shelter on the platform. The architect was Thomas Penson of Chester.[2] The downward (Chester bound) platform was lengthened in 1884.[3] In about 1904–1905, the downward platform, built on wooden pillars, was replaced with a brick structure.[4] A footbridge was constructed over the railway line near to the station in 1908.[5]

Station staff

In 1884, Henry Rickers was the Gresford signalman.[3]

In September 1902, John Roberts, the Gresford stationmaster retired due to ill-health. He had been the stationmaster for 37 years.[6]

In December 1906, Mr W. Wright the Gresford signalman retired.[7]

In 1909, Mr G. Meeson, the Gresford stationmaster won £5 for the best kept station in the Northern Division.[8]

Closure

The station was closed on 10 September 1962.[2] The route is still open today as part of the Shrewsbury to Chester Line but nothing now remains on the site of the halt. The double track on the Wrexham to Chester section was singled in 1983 and re-doubled in part, with work completed in April 2017.

Fatal accident

On Saturday 9 August 1884, William Panter, a 17-year-old was employed as a contractor working on the modifications to the down (Chester bound) platform. He was doing his work by standing on the railway line when he was hit by a train travelling towards Wrexham. He was carried along the railway line and died. A coroner's inquest conducted at the Griffin Inn came to the verdict of accidental death.[3]

Neighbouring stations
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Rhosrobin Halt   Great Western Railway
Shrewsbury to Chester Line		   Rossett

References
  1. Clinker, C.R., (1978) Clinker’s Register of Closed Stations, Avon Anglia ISBN 0-905466-19-5
  2. "Disused Stations: Gresford Station". disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  3. "Shocking Fatality at Gresford". The Wrexham Advertiser. 16 August 1884. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  4. "Gresford: Railway Station". The Chester Courant and Advertiser for North Wales. 21 December 1904. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  5. "Gresford: New Footbridge". The Chester Courant and Advertiser for North Wales. 25 March 1908. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  6. "Stationmaster's Retirement". Cheshire Observer. 6 September 1902. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  7. "Railway Officials Retirement". Cheshire Observer. 29 December 1906. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  8. Illustrated Wrexham Argus and North Wales Athlete (308). March 1910 https://journals.library.wales/view/2685078/2795901/0. Retrieved 30 March 2020 – via Welsh Journals - The National Library of Wales. Missing or empty |title= (help)

Further reading
  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2010). Shrewsbury to Chester. Middleton Press. figs. 96-99. ISBN 9781906008703. OCLC 495274299.


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