Shipley railway station serves the market town of
Shipley in
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 ...
. It is north of and northwest of .
Train services are mostly
commuter services between
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 populati ...
and
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
, the
Airedale line (Leeds and Bradford to Skipton, via Keighley), and the
Wharfedale Line (Leeds and Bradford to Ilkley). There are also a few main-line
London North Eastern Railway
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is a British train operating company. It is owned by the DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT). The company's name echoes that of the London and North Eastern Railway, one of the Big Four ...
services between Bradford or Skipton and London, and it also lies on the line from Leeds to
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
via the
Settle-Carlisle Railway.
History
When the
Leeds and Bradford Railway
The Leeds and Bradford Railway Company (L&BR)The abbreviation L&BR is more commonly seen referring to the London and Birmingham Railway. opened a railway line between the townsLeeds obtained city status in 1893; Bradford became a city in 1897. on ...
built the first
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
link into
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
in
1846
Events
January–March
* January 5 – The United States House of Representatives votes to stop sharing the Oregon Country with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom.
* January 13 – The Milan–Venice railway' ...
, they did not take the shortest route, but a flatter and slightly longer one up
Airedale
Airedale is a geographic area in Yorkshire, England, corresponding to the river valley or dale of the River Aire.
The valley stretches from the river's origin in Aire Head Springs, Malham which is in the Yorkshire Dales, down past Skipton on ...
to
Shipley then south along
Bradford Dale
The River Bradford is a river in the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire. Its source is on Gratton Moor and after passing below Youlgreave it joins the River Lathkill at Alport. Less than in length, its waters are very clear due to the ...
to Bradford. They built stations at several places along the route, including Shipley, which opened in July 1846.
In
1847, the
Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway
The Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway was an early British railway company in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It built a line from near Bradford through and to . The Skipton–Colne Line closed in 1970, but the remainder of the line is ...
was built from Shipley to
Keighley
Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish
in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford.
Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...
and
Skipton
Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Air ...
, creating the triangle of lines which surrounds today's station. The north curve was opened in 1848 and was on a much tighter alignment than the present 1883 curve. The original curve would pass through the car park.
The Leeds and Bradford was absorbed 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 ...
in 1851, and the Midland successively became part of the
LMS and
British Railways
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
.
The
Ordnance Survey
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, logo_caption =
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, di ...
map of Shipley in
1852
Events
January–March
* January 14 – President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte proclaims a new constitution for the French Second Republic.
* January 15 – Nine men representing various Jewish charitable organizations come tog ...
(surveyed between 1847 and 1850) shows the station some 500 m south of the present one, where Valley Road crosses the line to Bradford. However, an article in the ''Bradford and Wakefield Observer'' in February 1849 describes the station in its present position. It is not clear if it was moved in its first few years or there is an error on the map.
The present station was built at some time between 1883 and 1892, nestling between the western (Bradford-Skipton) and eastern (Leeds-Bradford) arms of the triangle. It was designed by the Midland's
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Charles Trubshaw
Charles Trubshaw FRIBA (1840 – 15 February 1917) was an architect specifically associated with railway buildings on the London and North Western Railway and Midland Railway lines.
Career
He trained as an architect in the office of his father, ...
. Platform 3 (on the Bradford-Leeds arm) was lengthened in 1990, to serve full-length
InterCity
InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...
trains. The northern (Leeds-Skipton) arm of the triangle is distant from the main station and had no platforms until May 1979. Before then, trains on the Leeds-Shipley-Skipton run had to come through the station to the Bradford branch and reverse. From 1979, there was a single platform there, on the inside of the triangle, so Skipton-Leeds trains had to cross over to reach it. The current platform 1 on the north side was built in 1992.
It is now one of two remaining triangular stations in the UK: the other being
Earlestown station in Merseyside.
Ambergate station was previously triangular but only retains one platform and
Queensbury station was closed to passengers in 1955.
Until the
Beeching Axe
The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Development of the ...
closures of 1965, the next stations from Shipley were
Saltaire on the
Airedale line to the west,
Baildon
Baildon is a town and civil parish in the Bradford Metropolitan Borough in West Yorkshire, England and within the historic boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire.
It lies north of Bradford city centre. The town forms a continuous urban ...
on the
Wharfedale line to the North,
Apperley Bridge
Apperley is a village in Gloucestershire, England, about southwest of Tewkesbury, south of Deerhurst and east of the River Severn. It is the largest settlement in Deerhurst civil parish. In 2020 it had an estimated population of 625.
The p ...
in the east towards
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 populati ...
, and
Frizinghall
Frizinghall is a district in the Heaton ward of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, lying north of the city centre close to the town of Shipley, itself a part of the City of Bradford Metropolitan District along with such other nearby towns ...
in the south towards
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
. Baildon station closed in 1953, but on 20 March 1965, the other three of these stations closed, along with another dozen stations and the local service between Bradford and Leeds. Most of the services through Shipley were under threat and hung in the balance until the
West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
Metro is the passenger information brand used by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in England. It was formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (WYPTE) at the same time as the metropolitan county of West Yor ...
adopted them in the 1970s. All four of these adjacent stations have since been reopened: Baildon on 5 January 1973, Saltaire in April 1984, Frizinghall in 1987, and Apperley Bridge on 13 December 2015.
Between 1875 and 1931, there was a second station,
Shipley and Windhill railway station
Shipley and Windhill railway station was a railway station in Shipley, West Yorkshire, England between 1875 and 1931.
During the 1860s, two small railway companies were formed to promote suburban railways in Bradford, the ''Bradford, Ecclesh ...
on Leeds Road very close to Shipley Station which served the
Shipley and Windhill Line
The Shipley Great Northern Railway branch line was a railway line that ran east, south and then westwards from Shipley to Bradford in West Yorkshire. The route was opened in 1874 to goods traffic and then to passengers in 1875 by the Great N ...
.
Butterfly meadow
![Shipley railway station butterfly meadow and sign](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Shipley_railway_station_butterfly_meadow_and_sign.jpg)
In the middle of the station is a small
butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...
meadow
A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifi ...
. It was opened in 1993 by
David Bellamy
David James Bellamy (18 January 1933 – 11 December 2019) was an English botanist, television presenter, author and environmental campaigner.
Early and personal life
Bellamy was born in London to parents Winifred May (née Green) and Thoma ...
and is administered by
Butterfly Conservation
Butterfly Conservation (BC) is a UK-wide nonprofit environmentalist organization and charity dedicated to conserving butterflies, moths, and the environment. The charity uses its research to provide advice on how to conserve and restore butterfly ...
, Bradford Urban Wildlife Group and Leeds Groundwork Trust.
Stationmasters
The station master John Wilkinson had his salary reduced from £200 to £180 when a separate goods agent was appointed in 1873,
but the position of goods agent was merged back with that of station master with the appointment of William Crowther.
William Crowther suffered a serious accident on 12 May 1891, aged only 35 years. Whilst attempting to cross the line he was run over by a locomotive which severed both feet and his right hand. He was taken to the Bradford Infirmary where both legs were amputated. He remained in Bradford Infirmary until July but recovered enough to return home. Four hundred local residents subscribed to a fund for him and he was presented with a cheque for £450 (). The Midland Railway found him alternative employment in their cashiers' office.
*John Wilkinson 1848
– 1887 (formerly station master at Bingley)
*William Edward Crowther 1887 – 1891
*John Berkin 1891
– 1909
*Amos Parsons 1909 – 1921
*William Clapham 1921 – 1931
*Mr. Woodcraft 1931 – 1936 (formerly station master at Barrow Hill and Staveley Works, afterwards station master at Low Moor)
*A.W. Bell 1936 – 1943 (formerly station master of Wem, afterwards station master at Morecambe Promenade)
*W. Wright from 1943
Access and facilities
![Shipley station p3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Shipley_station_p3.jpg)
The station has 5 Platforms in a triangle.
* Platform 1 Skipton – Leeds
* Platform 2 Leeds – Skipton
* Platform 3 Bradford F.S. – Leeds (full length)
* Platform 4 Leeds – Bradford (short)
* Platform 5 Bradford – Skipton and back single line
The station lies to the east of the town centre, across Otley Road, There is no access directly from Otley Road: pedestrian access from town is either via a tunnel at the bottom of Station Road, or from Stead Street onto platform 1. Vehicular access is from the side away from town, under the bridge and up a long cobbled drive from Briggate and there is a large car-park between the main station and platforms 1/2.
There are no
bus stop
A bus stop is a place where buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelters, seating, and possibly electronic passenger ...
s on the station forecourt: bus connections are either on Briggate/Leeds Road, or in the Market Square (5–10 minutes walk away). There is also no
taxi rank
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...
within the station: again, passengers need to go into the town centre.
The station is fully staffed – the ticket office is open seven days per week and only closed in the evening. Ticket machines are also available, along with digital information screens and a long-line Public Address System (PA) for train running information.
Step-free access is available to platforms 2, 3 and 5. Platforms 1 and 4 can be reached by disabled passengers via lifts (there is also a subway with steep ramp to platform 4).
Services
Most of the services are commuter services operated by
Northern Trains
Northern Trains, branded as Northern, (legally Northern Trains Limited) is a State-owned enterprises of the United Kingdom, publicly owned train operating company in England. It is owned by DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
, as part of the
MetroTrain network. During Monday to Saturday daytimes, these operate every 30 minutes on all of the following routes:
*
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 populati ...
-
Bradford Forster Square;
*
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 populati ...
-
Skipton
Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Air ...
;
*
Bradford Forster Square-
Skipton
Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Air ...
;
*
Bradford Forster Square-
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 ...
.
In the evening a half-hourly service is maintained between Leeds and Skipton. Ilkley and Skipton to Bradford are hourly. There is no direct service between Leeds and Bradford but a shuttle from Shipley to Bradford connects with Leeds departures. On Sundays, Ilkley/Skipton – Bradford and Skipton and Bradford to Leeds each operate once per hour. These services are mostly operated by
Northern Trains
Northern Trains, branded as Northern, (legally Northern Trains Limited) is a State-owned enterprises of the United Kingdom, publicly owned train operating company in England. It is owned by DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
Class 333 electric multiple units
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number ...
, although the new CAF
Class 331 ''Civity'' units have also started to appear in service.
There are also a number of trains each day from Leeds to
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
(eight on weekdays and six on Sundays) and (eight on weekdays, of which five are through trains to and five on Sundays; both routes operated by Northern Trains), and from both Skipton and Bradford Forster Square to
London King's Cross (via Leeds), which are operated by
London North Eastern Railway
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is a British train operating company. It is owned by the DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT). The company's name echoes that of the London and North Eastern Railway, one of the Big Four ...
.
[GB eNRT May 2022 Edition, Tables 26, 36 & 42] The East Coast service from Kings Cross must access platform 3 in the station (i.e. it must run 'wrong line') as platform 4, the normal stopping point for Bradford bound services, is too short to accommodate the lengthy express trains. The northbound Kings Cross to Skipton service is the only train that does not stop here for similar reasons (platform 2 also being too short for use by a full-length express).
References
Bibliography
* Bairstow, Martin 2004 ''Railways Through Airedale & Wharfedale''.
* Chapman, Stephen N. D. ''Railway Memories No. 7: Airedale & Wharfedaile'' Bellcode books.
* Dewick, Tony 2002 ''Compete Atlas of Railway Station Names'' Ian Allan Publishing.
* Heritage Cartography N. D. ''Shipley 1847 (based on the Ordnance Survey 1:10,560 County Series Map: Yourshire CGI: Survey of 1847)''.
* Sheeran, George 1994 ''Railway Buildings of West Yorkshire, 1812–1920'' Ryburn.
* Smith, F. W. & Martin Bairstow ''The Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway'' Martin Bairstow. .
* Whitaker, Alan & Brian Myland 1993 ''Railway Memories No. 4: Bradford'' Bellcode books.
External links
{{Railway stations served by Northern Trains
Railway stations in Bradford
DfT Category D stations
Former Midland Railway stations
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1846
Northern franchise railway stations
Railway stations served by London North Eastern Railway
Shipley, West Yorkshire
Charles Trubshaw railway stations
1846 establishments in England