Bolton Abbey railway station geograph-2146164

Bolton Abbey railway station is on the

Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway The Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway (E&BASR) is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England, formed in 1979 and opened in 1981. The preserved railway was part of the former Midland Railway route from Skipton to Ilkley which was clo ...

. It serves

Bolton Abbey Bolton Abbey in Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England, takes its name from the ruins of the 12th-century Augustinian monastery now known as Bolton Priory. The priory, closed in the 1539 Dissolution of the Monasteries ordered by King He ...

, although it is closer to Bolton Bridge, in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, England and several countryside walking routes. The station is the current terminus of the steam railway.

History

The station was opened in 1888 by the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...

and was taken over by the London, Midland and Scottish railway. Bolton Abbey station has had a long Royal connection, being the nearest station to the Duke of Devonshire's Bolton Hall. The hall was very popular with British monarchs such as: *

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

(visited in 1902) *

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

(visited in 1922) During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, an air-raid shelter was constructed for the Royal family in an air-raid. The last time the

royal train A royal train is a set of railway carriages dedicated for the use of the monarch or other members of a royal family. Most monarchies with a railway system employ a set of royal carriages. Australia The various government railway operators of ...

came to Bolton Abbey was in 1947. It closed along with the line in March 1965 and the buildings soon became derelict. Following the purchase of the site and associated trackbed by the railway trust in 1995, the station was lovingly restored to its 1888 condition. It was officially re-opened on 1 May 1998 by Sir William McAlpine.

Project plans

The station originally had two platforms and a footbridge throughout its heyday, but one of the platforms became disused and the footbridge has been dismantled since closure. However, the E&BASR plans to reconstruct and restore the disused platform, possibly as an island platform which would include a platform 3, and also to rebuild the old station footbridge in order to link both platforms together again. This would return Bolton Abbey station to its former state in the days of the LMS (and BR London Midland Region), especially to how it was right up until the line's closure many years before. This is all part of the E&BASR's expansion plan(s) to extend the line back down to as far as Addingham (where a replica LMS style, temporary replacement station, will be built, as part of the proposed project).

Information

The Holywell Halt site is 1.5 miles away from

. The station includes: *A ticket office *A gift shop *A coffee shop *A car park *Walking routes

References

External links

A history of the Embsay RailwayVideo footage of Bolton Abbey railway station
{{Railway stations in Craven Heritage railway stations in North Yorkshire Craven District Former Midland Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1888 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1965 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1998 Beeching closures in England

History

Project plans

Information

See also

References

External links