Goathland railway station is a station on the

North Yorkshire Moors Railway The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England, that runs through the North York Moors National Park. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by Georg ...

and serves the village of

Goathland Goathland is a village and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is in the North York Moors national park due north of Pickering, off the A169 to Whitby. I ...

in the

North York Moors National Park North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

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. It has also been used in numerous television and film productions (see below). Holiday accommodation is available in the form of a

camping coach Camping coaches were holiday accommodation offered by many railway companies in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland from the 1930s. The coaches were old passenger vehicles no longer suitable for use in trains, which were converted to ...

History

This station is on the deviation line opened by the North Eastern Railway in 1865 to avoid the cable-worked

Beckhole Incline Beckhole Incline was a steep, rope-worked gradient on the railway line between Whitby and Pickering, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England. Opened in May 1836 as part of the horse-worked Whitby & Pickering Railway, the line was operated by ...

, which was part of the original 1836

Whitby and Pickering Railway The Whitby and Pickering Railway (W&P) was built to halt the gradual decline of the port of Whitby on the east coast of England. Its basic industries—whaling and shipbuilding—had been in decline and it was believed that opening transport l ...

route. It was opened as ''Goathland Mill'', and was so named due to its proximity to the watermill on the Murk Esk river adjacent to the station. The original

Goathland station Goathland is a village and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is in the North York Moors national park due north of Pickering, off the A169 to Whitby. ...

was located at the head of the incline, where there are still some Y&NM cottages, together with a single W&P one. The station buildings were to the design of the NER's architect Thomas Prosser and were very similar to those being built concurrently (by the same contractor, Thomas Nelson) on the Castleton to Grosmont section of the Esk Valley Line at Danby,

Lealholm Lealholm is a small village in the Glaisdale civil parish of the Borough of Scarborough, in North Yorkshire, England. It is sited at a crossing point of the River Esk, in Eskdale which is within the North York Moors National Park. It is by r ...

Glaisdale Glaisdale is a village and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England, within the North York Moors National Park. It lies at on the River Esk, between the villages of Lealholm and Egton Bridge, west of Whitby, an ...

and

Egton Egton is a village and civil parish in the Scarborough local administration district of North Yorkshire county, England, about west of Whitby, and located within the North York Moors National Park. There is a nearby village called Egton Bridge ...

. The collection of buildings is very little altered since they were built – the last recorded change (apart from

NYMR The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England, that runs through the North York Moors National Park. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by Georg ...

restoration) was in 1908. A tributary of the River Esk flows close by the station. Deemed to be uneconomic, the line through the station was closed to passenger traffic in 1965 as part of the

Beeching cuts The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised British Rail, railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Develop ...

, before reopening in 1973 as part of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

Hornby Hornby may refer to: Places In England * Hornby, Lancashire * Hornby, Hambleton, village in North Yorkshire * Hornby, Richmondshire, village in North Yorkshire Elsewhere * Hornby, Ontario, community in the town of Halton Hills, Ontario, Canad ...

modelled Goathland as part of the Skaledale Junction series, which included the footbridge, waiting room and ''Hogwarts Express''.

Film and television appearances

The station and its environment have appeared in various productions including: *'' Heartbeat'' (as Aidensfield station) *The ''Harry Potter'' films as the

Hogwarts Express Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry () is a fictional Scottish boarding school of magic for students aged eleven to eighteen, and is the primary setting for the first six books in J. K. Rowling's '' Harry Potter'' series and serves as a m ...

station at

Hogsmeade J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' universe contains numerous settings for the events in her fantasy novels. These locations are categorised as a dwelling, school, shopping district, or government-affiliated locale. Dwellings The Burrow The We ...

*'' All Creatures Great and Small'' *The

Simply Red Simply Red are a British soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. The lead vocalist of the band is singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. Since the ...

video of "

Holding Back the Years "Holding Back the Years" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red, released as the third single from their debut studio album, ''Picture Book'' (1985). It reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number two on the UK Sin ...

" from 1985. *''

Keeping Mum ''Keeping Mum'' is a 2005 British black comedy film co written and directed by Niall Johnson and starring Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith and Patrick Swayze. It was produced by Isle of Man Film, Azure Films and Tusk Production ...

'' starring

Rowan Atkinson Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles on the sitcoms '' Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and ''Mr. Bean'' (1990–1995), and the film series ''Johnny English'' (2003–201 ...

*'' Carrington'' starring

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she has received numerous accolades throughout her four-decade-long career, including two Academy Awards, two British A ...

and

Jonathan Pryce Sir Jonathan Pryce (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor who is known for his performances on stage and in film and television. He has received numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards. In 2021 he wa ...

References

Sources

External links

Train times and information from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
*Listed Buildings at Goathland Station ** ** ** ** ** ** {{Railway stations in the Borough of Scarborough Heritage railway stations in the Borough of Scarborough Heritage railway stations in North Yorkshire Former North Eastern Railway (UK) stations Grade II listed buildings in North Yorkshire Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1865 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1965 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1973 North Yorkshire Moors Railway Thomas Prosser railway stations Grade II listed railway stations Beeching closures in England