Saddleworth railway station, on the

Huddersfield Line The Huddersfield line is the main railway line between the English cities of Leeds and Manchester, via Huddersfield. It is one of the busiest MetroTrain lines. The route travels south-south-west from Leeds through Dewsbury. After a short west ...

Dobcross Dobcross is a village in the civil parish of the Saddleworth in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It is in a valley in the South Pennines, along the course of the River Tame and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, ...

to the north of Uppermill, opened in August 1849 and closed to passengers in October 1968 as a consequence of a report by

Richard Beeching Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching (21 April 1913 – 23 March 1985), commonly known as Dr Beeching, was a physicist and engineer who for a short but very notable time was chairman of British Railways. He became a household name in Britain in the e ...

on the restructuring of railway networks. The former station building can still be seen, having been sold after closure and converted into a private residence. It was the home of television director Ken Stephinson between 1978 and 2012.

History

Saddleworth railway station opened on 1 August 1849. It was one of several railway stations within the parish of

Saddleworth Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the west side of the Pennine hills. Areas include Austerlands, Delph, ...

, and Joseph Bradbury recounts in his nineteenth-century work ''Saddleworth Sketches'' the confusion this caused to those who were unaware that the station, despite its name, did not serve the whole of Saddleworth. In his account, passengers would book journeys to Saddleworth station, and realise on arrival that they were several miles from their anticipated destination. Likewise, goods would be sent mistakenly to Saddleworth station, when this was in fact inconvenient for many recipients. Bradbury concluded that, despite the clarity a name change would provide, "it may fairly be doubted if anything short of Her Majesty's warrant could change it from Saddleworth to Brownhill station". The station closed on 7 October 1968 (the last trains having called on 5 October 1968), following

's 1963 report on the restructuring of railway networks. The report had recommended that all branch stations on the Huddersfield Line should be closed, but after negotiations, the stations at

Mossley Mossley (/ˈmɒzli/) is a town and civil parish in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, in the upper Tame Valley and the foothills of the Pennines, southeast of Oldham and east of Manchester. The historic counties of Lancashire, Cheshire ...

, Greenfield and Marsden remained open.

Diggle railway station Diggle railway station was a station that served the village of Diggle on the Huddersfield Line to the north of Uppermill. Immediately to the west of the Standedge tunnels, it was opened in 1849 along with the first rail tunnel and closed to ...

, also on the Huddersfield Line, closed on the same day as Saddleworth station. After closure, the station buildings were converted to a private residence - the waiting room and ticket office became the

living room In Western architecture, a living room, also called a lounge room (Australian English), lounge (British English), sitting room (British English), or drawing room, is a room for relaxing and socializing in a residential house or apartment. Su ...

, and the goods yard became a garden. In 1978, television director Ken Stephinson moved into the property with his wife Marjorie, and remained there until his death in 2012. A conservatory was added during their period of residence and the adjacent stationmaster's cottage was converted into a one-bedroom flat.

References

Bibliography

*An Illustrated History of Oldham's Railways by John Hooper () {{Closed stations Greater Manchester Disused railway stations in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham Former London and North Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1849 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1968 Beeching closures in England Saddleworth 1849 establishments in England