Otley railway station was a railway station serving the town of

Otley Otley is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at a bridging point on the River Wharfe, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically a part of the West Ridi ...

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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

History

It was opened as a joint venture on the

Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway The Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway was a railway line running between the towns of Otley and Ilkley in West Yorkshire. The line was managed and run jointly by the Midland Railway (MR) and the North Eastern Railway (NER) and was long. Opened to ...

, constructed by the North Eastern Railway and 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 1 February 1865. The station was closed on 22 March 1965. Tracks and buildings have been removed since. The Otley branch line joined

Arthington Arthington is a small village in Wharfedale, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is a civil parish which, according to the 2011 census, had a population of 532 and is in the LS21 postcode district with Ot ...

, in the east, to

Ilkley Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, in Northern England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the ...

and

Menston Menston is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Along with Burley in Wharfedale, most of Menston is within Wharfedale Ward in the metropolitan borough of Bradford. The remainder of Men ...

in the west via a junction known as Milnerwood. The length of the line was about six miles and spanned a range of terrain at the foot of

The Chevin The Chevin is the name given to the ridge on the south side of Wharfedale in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, overlooking the market town of Otley, and often known as Otley Chevin. Etymology The origins of the name ''Chevin'' are uncertain; the ...

with a substantial cutting through a sandstone ridge near Milnerwood which can still be seen today by walking the footpath along the old track bed. In January 2019, Campaign for Better Transport released a report identifying the line via Otley which was listed as Priority 2 for reopening. Priority 2 is for those lines which require further development or a change in circumstances (such as housing developments). The trackbed between Burley in Wharfedale, Otley and Pool is to become a

cycleway Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except w ...

footpath A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide ...

and

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...

route known as the

Wharfedale Greenway The Wharfedale Greenway is a proposed Cycling infrastructure#Bikeways, cycleway, footpath and Bridle path, equestrian route which will run along the route of the former Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway between Burley in Wharfedale and Pool in Wharfe ...

, with possible extensions onward to Ilkley alongside the extant railway. Planning permission for the first phase of the greenway was granted in July 2020.

Station masters

*W. Fox 1865 *Mr. Fry ca. 1870 *John Deans ca. 1874 - 1903 (afterwards station master at Boroughbridge, died shortly after appointment) *G.P. Heggs 1903 - 1911 *Edwin James Deverell 1911 - 1925 *Oliver J. Rignall 1925 - 1931 (formerly station master at Newlay and Horsforth, from 1929 also station master at Burley-in-Wharfdale, afterwards station master at Lancaster Castle)

References

External links

Information and pictures about Otley Station

* Railway junction diagram showing the Otley branch line in 1914 Disused railway stations in Leeds Former Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1865 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1965 Beeching closures in England Otley 1865 establishments in England 1965 disestablishments in England {{Yorkshire-Humber-railstation-stub