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Hoole and the Railways: Difference between revisions
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[[Category:SiteIndex]]
[[Category:Railways]]
[[Category:Development]]
== The coming of the Railways and the making of modern Hoole<ref>''<small>Article by Phil Cook, initially published in ‘Hoole Roundabout’ in January 2016 - <nowiki>http://www.hooleroundabout.com</nowiki></small>''</ref> ==
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== Making Tracks!<ref>''<small>Article researched and written by Phil Cook and Linda Webb, June 2015, Hoole History & Heritage Society</small>''</ref> ==
Members enjoyed a fascinating tour of the area around and inside Chester Station on
Phil's knowledge of, and fascination with, the history of the railways in Chester is boundless and his enthusiasm brought the past to life for us.
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Did you know that Hoole Bridge is curved because it had to avoid the dead straight line of the old turnpike road running from Brook Street up to Hoole Road beyond where the bridge now ends?
Social class distinctions were rigidly observed with 'The Queen Hotel' being built in 1860 to serve first class passengers while 'The Albion' opposite (now 'The Town Crier') served the lower orders although an underground passage did connect the two.
Chester Station, constructed by the world-famous railway builder and local man Thomas Brassey, was completed in 1848 to an Italianate design. "''It wouldn't look out of place in Padua, Verona or Florence
On
We finished by craning our necks upwards to the roof of the central island platform to see the carved wooden owls placed to deter pigeons. Look out for them the next time you catch a train!
== Celebrating the
On
During the day Phil Cook led three walking tours of the Station, starting with a morning tour arranged for Hoole Community Centre’s over 55s, which was very well received. Phil’s afternoon and evening tours were well supported by members of the Society and other visitors to the event.
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When the idea of a joint station was first mooted, three companies were affected: The Grand Junction; the Chester and Birkenhead; and the Chester & Holyhead. The Shrewsbury & Chester arrived in November 1846.
In 1847, two Acts of Parliament were passed which authorised the Shrewsbury & Chester and the Chester & Holyhead Railways to construct the station at Chester, to be managed jointly by the London and North West Railway (which had absorbed the Grand Junction Railway) and the Lancashire & Cheshire Junction Railway (which incorporated the Chester & Birkenhead Railway on
In a short period of time railways were rapidly developing a national network. With four busy routes meeting at Chester there would be a considerable interchange of passengers between trains.
Thomas Brassey was the chief contractor for the Station site. He started preparatory work in levelling and draining the ground on
Parliamentary approval for the station building work was given on 9th July 1847, the first stone was laid in August, and, although it was not yet quite complete, the official opening of the new station took place on
The joint station building had been designed by the celebrated London architect Francis Thompson, who was commissioned by Robert Stephenson.
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At each end of the main building, and projecting out from it, was a covered shed for cabs and omnibuses, each 290 feet by 24 feet, awaiting the arrival of trains. Both survive today, and the one at the east end is still very much as it was built, apart from the doors inserted in the side wall where it abutted the parcels office. (An 1883 official plan describes the West Pavilion as a Covered Cab Stand.)
The Illustrated London News described the station as
The Joint Companies wanted to make an impression on the local people and their shareholders, and the front of the station, facing towards Chester, achieved that.
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The station and buildings had gas lighting and the railway had its own gasworks (and waterworks) on the Hoole side of the station site. There was also an electric telegraph office.
On the left-hand side of the main entrance, viewed from the roadway, there were
Inside the station the faded inscriptions of
The refreshment room manager at the time was a Mr. Hobday who paid the Station Committee £500 a year for the right to operate it.
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The Chester West Loop was opened at the same time as the new station, and it allowed goods trains to and from the Shrewsbury & Chester Railway to travel direct to Birkenhead. It was useful for turning locomotives and complete trains.
‘The Stranger’s Handbook to Chester, 1856’ said the following:
== World War 1 and the Railways ==
''See also:'' [[World War 1 & the Railways
During World War 1, the railways and the war effort became entwined. The contribution which railways and the railway men made to the war effort; the railway industry during the war; and how the industry kept the country functioning whilst the network was stretched to the limit. In recognition, a special honour was bestowed on the railwaymen of Great Britain and Ireland at the end of the Great War.
== The “Memorial” (Petition) of 1889 ==
''See also:'' [[The "Memorial" (Petition) of 1889
<u>Submitted by 197 Signatories from Hoole, Flookersbrook, Trafford, Newton and Upton to ‘The Joint Railway Companies’</u>
The document is a 'Memorial' (petition), urgently requesting that the Joint Railway Companies construct a pedestrian entrance to the General Railway Station from the Hoole side of the main railway bridge (now known as the Hoole Bridge). The main reason for this was to allow Hoole residents, many of them commuters, to have access to the station without the danger and inconvenience of having to cross the main road bridge.
== References ==
<references />
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