Ardsley station Up Local train from Leeds approaching geograph-2317093-by-Ben-Brooksbank

Ardsley railway station was situated on the Great Northern Railway between

Tingley Tingley is a suburban village in the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, Northern England, forming part of the parish of West Ardsley. Tingley forms part of the Heavy Woollen District. It is situated between the cities of Leeds and Wakefield. ...

and Lofthouse and Outwood on the main line and west of

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

on the LNER & LMS Methley Joint Railway. It was built to serve the village of

East Ardsley East Ardsley is a village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. East Ardsley forms part of the Heavy Woollen District. Etymology The name ''Ardsley'' is first attested in the Domesday Book as ''Erdeslau'' and ...

near

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

History

The station was opened by the

Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway The Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway was an independent railway company that built a line between Wakefield and a junction close to Leeds, in Yorkshire, England. It opened its main line in 1857, and was worked by the Great Northern Railway. T ...

on 5 October 1857 as part of their

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

main line. Five days later, it became a junction with the completion of a branch line to Bradford via

Morley Morley may refer to: Places England * Morley, Norfolk, a civil parish * Morley, Derbyshire, a civil parish * Morley, Cheshire, a village * Morley, County Durham, a village * Morley, West Yorkshire, a suburban town of Leeds and civil parish * M ...

by the

Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway The Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway (LB&HJR) was an English railway company. It built a line between Bradford and Leeds, and had running powers over the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway to Halifax. It opened its main line in 1854 ...

. Both lines soon became part of the rapidly expanding Great Northern Railway network in the area and by 1866 the opening of the jointly-owned

West Riding and Grimsby Railway The West Riding and Grimsby Railway was a railway company that promoted a line between Wakefield and Doncaster, in Yorkshire, England. There was also a branch line connection from Adwick le Street to Stainforth, which gave access towards Grimsb ...

from Wakefield to

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

put the station on the main line between Leeds and London King's Cross. The GNR subsequently became part of the London and North Eastern Railway during the

Grouping Grouping may refer to: * Muenchian grouping * Principles of grouping * Railways Act 1921, also known as Grouping Act, a reorganisation of the British railway system * Grouping (firearms), the pattern of multiple shots from a sidearm See also ...

of 1923. The line then passed on to the Eastern Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. The station was eventually closed by the

British Railways Board British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

on 2 November 1964 as part of the Beeching cutbacks, with the line to Bradford following suit on 4 July 1966.Body, p. 46 To the south of the station, to the east of the main line was situated the

engine shed The motive power depot (MPD) or locomotive depot, or traction maintenance depot (TMD), is the place where locomotives are usually housed, repaired and maintained when not being used. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine shed ...

which provided the passenger locomotives for the Wakefield services and freight locomotives for the colliery traffic generated in the area.

Station site today

Trains still pass the site of the station between Leeds and Wakefield Westgate stations on the Wakefield Line, although little remains of the actual station. Land adjacent to The Site of Ardsley Station is now developed for 88 residential houses and apartments by Miller Homes.

Notes

References

*Body, G. (1988), ''PSL Field Guides - Railways of the Eastern Region Volume 2'', Patrick Stephens Ltd, Wellingborough, * *Haigh, A. (1978 reprint) ''The Railways of Yorkshire - A New Edition'' Dalesman Publishing, Clapham, North Yorkshire. * {{Jowett-Nationalised

External links

Stations on navigable 1947 O.S. map.
Disused railway stations in Leeds Former Great Northern Railway stations Beeching closures in England Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1857 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1964 1857 establishments in England