This thread is a continuation of my Victoria Park thread, I felt it needed a new heading as Victoria Park has now become a secondary issue. I now have all the photos I want to post, the Southport Visiter ones from the library are just photostats and the quality is very poor but I will post them none the less and see what they come our like. As I stated my cousin has also sent me photostats and I will endevour to obtain better copies from her. Once I've done this, and I have access to a printer which I don't at the moment, I will post them all on here.
I've also recieved from the Library a copy of the article which accompanied the Visiter photos which I thought I'd copy out some of the highlights for those that are interested.

From the Southport Visiter Tuesday Jan 8th 1952
Southport has finally lost one of it's railway stations.
During it's 68 years of existance, Lord St Station has acted as a gateway to Southport for hundreds of thousands of visitors. But the last ticket has been collected, and the gateway is closed and barred.

Amid signs of regret history was made on Saturday night when the last trains left and arrived at the station.

The Railway Executive made their decision to close the line between Southport and Aintree because it was found it was losing £29,000 a year. Southport Town Council made no objection to the proposal but regular passengers fought to keep the line open.

The scene was witnessed by several hundred people 207 of whom bought tickets for the last journey to and from the station.

Leaving Lord St on the 5.30 pm train to Liverpool passengers changed at Gateacre or other stations and joined the last Liverpool to Southport train which was due back at Southport at 7.44 pm. Actually it arrived at the station at 7.41 pm.

Among those who made the journey for sentimental reasons was Mr Francis J Weld who travelled on the first train in 1884.
" Having ridden on the first train I thought I'd travel on the last," he told me.

As a boy of 10, he, he his father and his sister got up at 6.30 in the morning and travelled from Southport to Aintree on the first train to leave Southport. He said it was with great excitment that as a boy he watched the line being built.

One of the implements used to cut out the line was called the "American Devil," which was driven by a donkey engine.He remembered the road being raised at Weld Rd to allow the line to pass underneath and the difficulty experienced when the Esplanade was built. "High seas kept washing the workings away."

Mr Weld recalled the send off given to the first train."We changed at Aintree and waited half an hour and caught the next train back, the services were better in those days."

There was no official ceromony for the closure. Mr T.C Byrom District Passenger Superintedent of Liverpool saw the train off accompanied by Mr E Hollis Stationmaster.

Right on time Porter William Halsall former Southport goalkeeper blew his whistle and the 5.30 train pulled out of the station. at stations down the line small groups of people assembled to see the last train through, whilst at others a group off youths on the train set off fireworks.

On the return journey some of the passengers held a private tea party and more fireworks were set off. As the train pulled into Lord St Station driver J Bentham of Southport gave a loud blast on the whistle and there was a half hearted cheer from the people who had gathered to see the last train arriving, a number of people refused to give up their tickets as they wanted to keep them as souveniers.

After the passengers had alighted the train backed slowly out of the station to the explosions of fog detonators placed on the line.
When the refreshment rooms and bar closed Shunter William Beck oldest employee with 46 years service closed the big iron gate for the last time and then went round to put out the lights in the station.

Great post Stg....iv got some pics of the lzst day il post when i get home later....

Excellent read!
I remember as a very young lad, my brother and myself walking the trackbed in 1955 or 1956, from the footbridge in Victoria Park, almost equal in location to Beach Road. We walked towards Lord Street Station, the signal box was still in situ.
The trains had well and truely gone.

Some of the other stories that appear in th Visiter of January 1952 amused me, a well know Southport phchiatrist calls for stage hypnotism to be banned..
It was also reported that spinster Miss Margaret Turner of Fairhaven Rd formerly of Palermo Scicily left estate in Great Britain valued at £166. Letters of administration have been granted to her sister Mrs Emmie Salter.


Lets hope the old girl got her money okay and she didn't spend it all in one go.

A few pics I took in 1989. Sorry about the quality.

A 5 mile departure from the original thread but the Formby Civic Society have a nice image of Woodvale sidings in the 1940's.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/formbyc...ty/4746514113/

Fantastic pics Tony b, I especially enjoyed the Woodvale shot, I had two uncles worked on the line one lived in the station house at Woodvale which can be clearly seen in the photo.
photo I'd never seen before thankyou so much.
What a shame the photo is copyrighted I'd have loved to have downloaded it.

I didn't realise theses few remains of Lord St station had lasted that long. It can't have been long after they were swept away, including sadly the bridge linking the Prom to Rotten Row.

i remember walking the trackbed too in the late 50s, along the back of Victoria Park to Birkdale Palace station. The platforms were still there, though the buildings had gone. When the Flower Show was on there were stables for the show-jumping horses on the trackbed behind the park. Thanks Sgt Wilson for reproducing the extract from the Visiter, very interesting reading.

Originally Posted by shirazsue

i remember walking the trackbed too in the late 50s, along the back of Victoria Park to Birkdale Palace station. The platforms were still there, though the buildings had gone. When the Flower Show was on there were stables for the show-jumping horses on the trackbed behind the park. Thanks Sgt Wilson for reproducing the extract from the Visiter, very interesting reading.

Thank's I appreciate that, I just hope to get the photos on this thread sooner than later.
My earliest recollections of the line are visiting my uncle in

at the station house at Woodvale, he remained there long after the line had closed, the station house and bridge weren't demolished until 1957.
I can remember feeling very uneasy walk on the actual tracks in case a train might come along, of course they were all long gone by then. I can distinctly remember my father cycling along the line from the Liverpool Rd side with me sat on a seat on the crossbar to see my uncle being reassured by dad there was no chance of a train coming. After leaving the station house my uncle moved to a prefab on Pinfold Lane, anyone remember those?
As for Birkdale Palace Station, for a long while the covered stairway from the platform to Weld Rd was still there. It was blocked off but eventually it became possible to gain access to it. Children, I must admit including myself used to play on it. I think it eventually became quite dangerous and was removed.

I'm pleased to see the interest this thread has attracted, judging by the number of hits.

I vaguely remember the trains and definitely the bridge to Rotten Row (there were plans to build the new equivalent of Smedley Hydro on the seaward side at one time).

I do remember well the Ribble buses and the noisy and exhaust fumes filled bus station in later years.

Ironically a bus station is something Southport really needs at present, especially after the plans to have one in London Street fell through.

I also had some great nights in the Palace Hotel where a work colleague used to organise regular appearances by top jazz and Merseyside bands in the 1960s.

It was a similar scenario at the Queen's Hotel on the Promenade on Thursday nights - these were laid on by an out of town guy.

But I'm digressing.....

Originally Posted by Stupot

I vaguely remember the trains and definitely the bridge to Rotten Row (there were plans to build the new equivalent of Smedley Hydro on the seaward side at one time).

Yes they even got as far as laying the foindations but the scheme was scapped after a change of government.
I also remember the swimming baths being built on the former station approach opposite Pleasureland.
Is it true true these baths have now closed down? Don't get up to Southport much these days.

Removing the signs on the last day....1952....

The baths are still there Sgt.

Sgt Wilson

Yes the Woodvale Station pic brings back so many memories. I used to live about 1/2 a mile away and spent hours around the sidings. When they where removing the track I was given a ride in the steam engine shunnting the wagons.

I cannot be 100% certain of the 1989 date. I was not that good on recording dates in those days. Below are some more I took in the same year?. They show that the Model Village still existed. Maybe this will allow someone to confirm the 1989 date?.

These are also dated 1989.

Stupot

Pic 1 (on the right) I think shows the footings for the "equivalent of Smedley Hydro on the seaward side at one time"

The first was taken in 1993 and the second between 1972 and 1977 and does give a good overview.

Cracking archive tonyB....Winter Gardens Terrace....i use to live there and my brother and i played in the bus station at night....

I worked in the Ribble Bus Station Office for a few weeks on leaving school before going to college in 1969.
The original left luggage office was still there and still used for that purpose by the Ribble. There was also an old wall clock that had survived from the buildings days as a railway station.
The booking office where my uncle had worked was still in tact you could see where the spaces in the windows used to be to issue the tickets.

The former Cheshire Lines Stationmaster still retained a flat in the building at that time, Ribble obviously allowed him to remain there. I can remember him coming down to the office to pay his rent.
There was also a stained glass window with the inscription, Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway. I remember reading in the Visiter a few years later that this window had been removed and sent to th Ribble head office at Preston for safe keeping for fear it might get damaged.
I recall Cedric Greenwood the Visiter's historian being outraged arguing the window should remain in Southport, perhaps being displayed at the Botanic Gardens Museum as it had much more to do with Southport's history than that of Ribble Motors.

It was a very impressive window, I wonder where it is now?

I enjoyed your photo Quackerz, it's one I remember once seeing in the Visiter, have you got any more like that?

Originally Posted by beldray

The baths are still there Sgt.

But haven't been used for many years.

Spent a lot of time in them as a youngster.

Edit.

Oops, sorry. Thinking of the Open Air Baths...:-(

Thats the only one of that occasion i have Stg....

I think i may have a descrption of the picture....il have to have a dig about....

Originally Posted by Sgt Wilson

I recall Cedric Greenwood the Visiter's historian being outraged arguing the window should remain in Southport, perhaps being displayed at the Botanic Gardens Museum as it had much more to do with Southport's history than that of Ribble Motors.

Cedric was actually one of the Visiter reporters. I knew him as I used to work for the paper in the late 50s and much of the 1960s.

In those days the library containing all the huge files of previously published Visiters, Journals and Guardians was housed above the editorial department and you had to climb a flight of steps into the roof area to do any (somewhat dusty) research.

Hopefully these were either kept or micro-filed for future generations.

>>Pic 1 (on the right) I think shows the footings for the "equivalent of Smedley Hydro on the seaward side at one time">>

Yes, pretty certain that's where I remember the concrete foundations that were prepared in anticipation of the building work.

My uncle who worked at Lord St Station also had a son whose now sadly deceased, he lived in America I last visited him in 2000 not long before he died. he was very ill at that time but even then said to me, "you know I'm still upset they closed the Cheshire Lines down," he was also very sad when they tore down the bus station.

He also told me that in the 30s the CLC used to operate a steamcar shuttle service between Lord St and Ainsdale Beach when the Ainsdale Lido was at it's peak, I would think very similar to the steamcar sevice that used to run to Barton, the Altcar Bob as it was called.
Apparently his father used to let him ride in the driver's cab up and down all day between Lord St and Ainsdale Beach.

He said he did it so many times he actually got sick of it. Although he agreed with me he'd have done anything just to do it one more time. He was a railway fanatic and used to drag his poor wife all over the place both here and in the US just to look at some obscure line disused or otherwise.

Originally Posted by Qwackerz

Removing the signs on the last day....1952....

Great pic! Got anymore?

A scan of the 1950 summer London Midland region timetable.
The timetable was printed in a 22 x 14 cm format, using the 12 hour clock.

The image has been uploaded to Flickr, where it may be viewed more clearly.

Great stuff Andy I can't seem to find this on Flickr, any chance of a link?
An update on my cousin's photos, I've just spoken to her again and sh's agreed to send me the originals, so hopefully inthe next week or so I'll be able to get them scanned and on this thread.

Tony B Please check your PMs

Originally Posted by Sgt Wilson

Great stuff Andy I can't seem to find this on Flickr, any chance of a link?
An update on my cousin's photos, I've just spoken to her again and sh's agreed to send me the originals, so hopefully inthe next week or so I'll be able to get them scanned and on this thread.

Just click on the image ( I forgot to make the scan public !).

Sgt Wilson

PM now sent.

Below is a listing from my Seeds 1914 directory of Southport. Not that exciting but I thought worth a contribution to this thread.

Posted in error!

Ive managed to upload one of my cousins two photos. For some reason the other one plus the copies from the Visiter come out all blurred when I enlarge them. Will try again later in the week.

The one below is a staff photo from sometime I would think in the late 1940s, my uncle is third from the right front row.