Preston Fishergate Hill was a

railway station 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 prep ...

at the bottom of Fishergate Hill in Preston. It formed the northeastern terminus of the

West Lancashire Railway The West Lancashire Railway (WLR) ran northeast from Southport to Preston in northwest England. History Construction was started by Samuel Swire the Mayor of Southport, on 19 April 1873. It opened on 15 September 1882. A branch was constructe ...

which built a direct railway link between

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

and Preston. The station was also known as Preston West Lancashire Station (OS 1:2500 1st Ed map).

History

The terminus opened on 15 September 1882 and was designed by

Charles Henry Driver Charles Henry Driver FRIBA (23 March 1832 – 27 October 1900) was a significant British architect of the Victorian era, with a reputation for pioneering use of ornamental iron work for which he was seen as a leading authority. Biography Drive ...

. It closed to passengers on 16 July 1900 when the West Lancashire Railway was absorbed by its rival, the

Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways. It was the third-largest railway system based in northern ...

(Biddle, 1989). From that date, the new owners directed passenger traffic to the joint L&YR and

LNWR The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom. In 1923, it became a constituent of the L ...

station closer to the centre of town (Cotterall, 1982). Thereafter, the station remained open for

goods In economics, goods are items that satisfy human wants and provide utility, for example, to a consumer making a purchase of a satisfying product. A common distinction is made between goods which are transferable, and services, which are not t ...

traffic until 25 January 1965 but saw occasional passenger specials during the Preston Guild which is held every 20 years. For many years after closure to passengers the premises were let by a firm of provender merchants for use as offices.A photograph can be found in Greville and Holt (1960), p. 199 The station has since been demolished and housing now occupies the site.

References

Notes Bibliography * Biddle, G. (1989) ''The Railways Around Preston - A Historical Review'', Scenes from the Past: No. 6, Foxline Publishing, * Cotterall, J.E. (1982) ''The West Lancashire Railway'', The Oakwood Press, * * Ordnance Survey First Edition 1:2500 map accessed vi
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4 April 2007 Disused railway stations in Preston Former Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1882 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1900 Charles Henry Driver railway stations {{NorthWestEngland-railstation-stub