Monsal Dale railway station was opened in 1866 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 am ...
on its line from
Rowsley
Rowsley () is a village on the A6 road in the English county of Derbyshire. The population as at the 2011 census was 507.
It is at the point where the River Wye flows into the River Derwent and prospered from mills on both. The border of the P ...
, extending the
Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway
The Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway ran from a junction with the Midland Railway at Ambergate to Rowsley north of Matlock and thence to Buxton.
In time it would become part of the Midland Railway's main line between ...
.
History
The original intention was merely to have a goods depot to serve the nearby
Cressbrook Mill, to be called Cressbrook or Cressbrook Sidings. However a passenger station would also serve the villages of
Upperdale and
Cressbrook
Cressbrook is a village in the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire. It lies in Water-cum-Jolly Dale at the foot of Cressbrook Dale. Population details at the 2011 Census are included in the civil parish of Litton. Before its Enclosure Act ...
.
The down line and platform was built on a shelf carved in the rock face, while the up was built on wooden trestles over the hillside. The wooden buildings for the latter were obtained from
Evesham railway station
Evesham railway station is in the town of Evesham in Worcestershire, England. It is between and stations on the Cotswold Line between and ''via'' Worcester and . It is operated by Great Western Railway. Trains to take about 1 hour 45 min ...
.
From Monsal Dale, the line proceeded through Cressbrook and Litton tunnels to on its way north. Cut through solid limestone, they were both complex tunnels on a gradient of 1 in 100, and curved to allow the line to conform to the terrain.
It was written:
The station closed to regular passenger traffic in 1959 but continued to be used by occasional ramblers specials and excursions until April 1961. Trains continued to pass through the station until 1968 when the line was closed.
Today this section of line forms part of the
Monsal Trail
The Monsal Trail is a cycling, horse riding and walking trail in the Derbyshire Peak District. It was constructed from a section of the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway, which was built by the Midland Railway in 18 ...
, an walk and cycleway. The down platform edge can still be seen, but nothing remains of the up platform or timber buildings. The tunnels previously mentioned were re-opened in 2011, and the previous path diversions over the river via a permissive path by Cressbrook Mill are still available.
Stationmasters
*James Lister ca. 1867
*Richard Coe ca. 1871–1873
(afterwards station master at Longstone)
*J. Freer 1874
[
*J. Hudston 1874–1876][ (afterwards station master at Chapel-en-le-Frith)
*G. Barnett 1876–1880][ (afterwards station master at Chorlton-cum-Hardy)
*W. Daw 1880][–1881][ (afterwards station master at Blackwell)
*William James 1884][–1904][
*J. Greenbank from 1906][
*H.R. Wilcox until 1909 (afterwards station master at Bugsworth)
*Joseph Jennings 1909–ca. 1911
*D.H. Jones ca. 1914
*Mr. Tompkins ca. 1932
*J.H. Adams 1944–1947 (afterwards station master at Radway Green)
From 1 October 1931 the stationmastership was merged with that of Longstone.]
Route
References
{{Closed stations Derbyshire
Former Midland Railway stations
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1866
Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1959
Disused railway stations in Derbyshire
1866 establishments in England