Beeston railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Beeston
code = BEE

---

caption = Beeston Station in 2004
manager = East Midlands Trains
locale = Beeston
borough = Broxtowe
start = 1839
platforms = 2
usage0405 = 0.331
usage0506 = 0.337
usage0607 = 0.368|

Beeston railway station serves the town of Beeston in Nottinghamshire, England. It lies on the Midland Main Line, 5 km (3 miles) south west of Nottingham railway station. The station is managed by East Midlands Trains.

Plans are in place for improved facilities with toilets, CCTV, a waiting room and improved parking. [cite web|url=http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=134487&command=displayContent&sourceNode=134482&contentPK=20380020&folderPk=78489&pNodeId=134461|title=125MPH TRAINS TO CUT JOURNEY TIMES|date=April 12 2008|publisher=Nottingham Evening Post]

History

The station was built in 1839 for the Midland Counties Railway, which shortly joined the North Midland Railway and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway to form the Midland Railway.

The first station from Nottingham, at the time it was very popular with people from the city who wished to spend a day in the countryside, desiring "fresh air and recreation".

The original station building, which was little more than a cottage, was replaced in 1847 with the substantially larger white brick building with ashlar trimmings which still exists. This is notable for its carved bargeboards, some remaining diagonal paned windows and the pseudo-heraldic shields with 'MR' and '1847'. The wooden platform canopies and adjacent wrought-iron and glass canopy were installed in 1871. The wooden platform canopies were originally located at Southwell Railway Station, and were relocated to Beeston when Southwell Station was re-built.

The growth of Beeston led to substantial expansion of the station facilities in the Edwardian period. An extension containing a large booking hall, ladies' waiting room and parcels office was added to the rear of the station building, doubling its floorspace.

In 1937 the Midland Railway drew up plans for an additional waiting room on platform 2 but the plan was never put into action.

The level crossing, lattice footbridge and signal box survived until 1969 when Beeston and Stapleford Urban District Council built a road bridge across the railway to ease traffic delays caused by the frequent closure of the level crossing.

With the decline in passenger numbers in the 1980s, the entire station suffered from vandalism and neglect, and British Rail proposed complete demolition. A spirited campaign by the local civic society and rail historians led to the listing of the station building in 1987. A separate listing application was made in the early 1990s and the platform shelters were also listed.

This was followed by restoration of what remained of the 1847 building and the platform shelters. The (architecturally undistinguished) extension was demolished, revealing the original gables on the town side of the building.

Platform reconstruction 2004

The original platform masonry survived until 2004 when the platforms were completely rebuilt.

Beeston station staff

tation Masters

1881 census

The railway employed a large number of local people. The 1881 census for Beeston shows 141 men with railway employment although there is no evidence that they all worked in Beeston.

* "Clerks:" George Adcock age 20, William Eaton age 21, William Jas. Lee age 43, George Little age 29, Jos. Har. Hampton age 33, William Wildman age 27
* "Foremen:" Benjamin Baker age 38 (Foreman of Pointsmen), Robert Paling age 39, John Mills age 34, Jas. Searle age 46 (assistant), William Robinson age 37, Isaac Taylor age 33, John Richardson age 29
* "Labourers:" George Harper age 20, William Stewart age 23, John Stewart age 29, Walter Stewart age 20, William Greasley age 32, Richard Hewitt age 25, Joseph Dennis age 55, John Reynolds age 45, Robert Reynolds age 21, Thomas Spray age 56, John Cartwright age 25, Arthur Atkin age 23, Benjamin Broadley age 41, Frederick Paling age 36, Richard Mitchell age 18, Joseph Hewitt age 18, Richard Whittaker age 52, William Smith age 24, John Walker age 48, James Lawton age 23, William Taft age 26, Arthur Taft age 21, Herbert Taft, William Hollingsworth age 21, Samuel Towlson age 37, Joseph Williams age 19, Frederick Salmon age 26, Joseph Wright age 32, William Kilburn age 31, Thomas Kirby age 45, Charles Stapleton age 27, Jas. Beeby age 27, Daniel Harris age 31, John William Chalk age 27, John Cooper age 31, Thomas Murden age 24, George Bailey age 42, John E Makins age 23, George Turner age 25, William Alvery age 44, Edward Alvery age 23, Samuel Alvery age 18, Henry Mee age 37, John Morley age 35, Richard Mitchell age 18, Thomas Mundill age 20, William Hollingsworth age 21, Henry Cordon age 20, Edward Houlton age 18, John Collington age 21, Joseph Oldham age 31, Edward R.H.L. Harrison age 17, Richard Chamberlain age 23, John Chamberlain age 18, Joseph Hardy age 24, Samuel Coville age 28, William Coville age 68, William Goddard, George Hazledine age 37, William Newbert age 32, John Lewis age 22, Edward Lewis age 17
* "Platelayers:" Thomas Coope age 41, Jarman Johnson age 31, John Richardson age 52
* "Pointsmen:" John Gumley age 26, John Stroyan age 28, Harry William Froth age 23, William Simpson age 26
* "Porters:" George Brandell age 22, William Fisher age 22, Alfred Cowley age 21, William Jones age 40, Jas. Arthur Hardy age 24, Jas. Staff age 25, Alfred Cowley age 21, Edward Heat age 22, William Clark age 26, David Warner age 24, Edward Draper age 22, Gerald Blackwell age 22, William Westlake age 31
* "Servants:" Edward Throssell age 25, John Dunham age 26, James Kiffe age 24, William Mould age 18, James Walker age 26, James Harper age 34, James Dale age 31, Thomas Houlgate age 26, William Cunningham age 21
* "Shunters:" Samuel Hollingsworth age 22, John Bettles age 26
* "Signalmen:" Thomas Harris age 37, William Waplington age 30, Edward Price age 38, J.V. Francis age 24, George Hall age 23, Charles Groom age 21, John Hancock age 27, John Moore age 30, William Hillery age 26, Robert Groom age 35, Arthur Whitworth age 25, Robert W. Banks age 23, Edward Baguley age 43
* "Stationmaster:" Samuel Theodore Bunning age 34
* "Wagon Builders:" Walter Arch age 29, Andrew Jackson age 36 (Examiner), John Fletcher age 43
* "Miscellaneous:" Jas Chamberlain age 40 - Railway Contractor, Edward Clifford age 21 - Railway Wheel Sounder, Jas. Fairborn age 24 - Railway Carriage Inspector, Sam Fox age 20 - Railway Stoker, William Steer age 39 - Railway Guard, George Brough age 31 - Railway Collector, Joseph O'Rell age 60 - Engine Driver, Jas. Rogers age 60 - Railway Superintendent, William Barker age 73 - Railway Asphalter, Arthur Clacey age 24 - Railway Ticket Collector

Miscellaneous

In 1864, John Ashe is listed as the booking clerk.

Leslie Blood worked in the booking office from 1926 to 1939 when he was promoted to the position of Stationmaster at Stoke Golding.

Sir Neil Cossons, now Chairman of English Heritage, worked as a junior porter in his youth.

ervices and Fares from 1842 to 2006

1842

* 4 trains daily to Nottingham and 5 back. Journey time 8 or 9 minutes.

1856

* London 6s first class, 3s second class

1882

* 35 trains daily to Nottingham and 36 back, third-class season tickets being 15/- per quarter, with 450 quarterly ticket-holders, and 170,000 ordinary passengers in the year.

1916

* over 100 trains per day and over 1,000 season ticket holders.

1923

* London via Trent. Single £1 5"s" 3"d". Return £2 0"s" 6"d".
* London via Nottingham. Single £1 5"s" 8"d". Return £2 1"s" 4"d".

1962

* Birmingham. Single 13"s" 6"d".

1964

* Nottingham. Single 8"d".

1995 to present day

Tickets

Fares on many routes were increased at the start of 2008 (which is common with rail operators), which has made some fares disproportionatly more expensive than those at other local stations. To enable more affordable travel, passengers can ask retailers to 'split there ticket' - eg. buying a day return to Bedford then a day return from Bedford to London can make the overall fare to London much cheaper (this is possible on many routes not just London). Be aware retailers are instructed not to do this unless asked, also that the train must stop at the station where the tickets change over although you don't have to get off.

The station has the PlusBus scheme where train and bus tickets can be bought together at a saving. It is in the same area as Nottingham, Bulwell, Netherfield and Carlton stations.

tation Master's House

* The first station masters house built in 1839 was a small cabin.
* A larger building, originally at Southwell was moved to Beeston and erected in 1857.
* The Station Master's House at 211 Station Road is now private property, used as [http://www.stationhouse-daynursery.co.uk/ Station House Childrens' Day Nursery] .

Other information

* The Victoria Hotel public house is adjacent to the Nottingham platform and has its own gate access to the platform, for which it reputedly pays an annual peppercorn rent of 50 pence.
* There is also a second, now closed, Beeston railway station in England by the same name in the village of Beeston, near Tarporley, in Cheshire.

References

* "The Nottingham and Derby Railway Companion," (1839) Republished 1979 with Foreword by J.B.Radford, Derbyshire Record Society
* Higginson, M, (1989) "The Midland Counties Railway: A Pictorial Survey," Derby: Midland Railway Trust.

ervices

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External links

* [http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/cgi-bin/big.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturethepast&keyval=picturethepast.ref_no=NCCS002083 "Picture the Past" Beeston Station c1904]
* [http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/cgi-bin/big.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturethepast&keyval=picturethepast.ref_no=DMAG001916 "Picture the Past" Beeston Station c1910]
* [http://therailwaystationgallery.fotopic.net/c344626.html "Pictures of Beeston Station taken in 2004"]