A while ago, I bought this first-day cover. There are a couple of places on the route which I can't identify. They are Greenfield and Howey Lane. The final destination, Grave Lane is obviously a mistake and should be Grange Lane. Anyone any ideas?
In 1833, permission was given for the re-routing of the ancient Chester Turnpike between Bromborough and Birkenhead. This resulted in the building of a bridge over Bromborough Pool and the construction of a new, shorter, more level toll road along the line of the present A41, New Chester Road.
The Howey Lane Toll Gate, which stood 100 yards to the south of today’s Bebington Station, was moved to the new junction of Bebington Road and New Chester Road – on the site where the now empty HSBC Bank building stands today.
Thanks,Gibbo; that solves Howey Lane. It still leaves Greenfield that I can't place. The timetable on the disused stations site is later. The station listed as Sutton became Ledsham. I knew where Moston was from Moston Hall, just before the canal at the bottom of Backford hill, but I didn't know there was ever a station there.
I've been wondering about that, Bert. In the sessional papers in 1837, in the Lords, there is mention of the cost of walling at Greenfields farm, which the railway passes near in a cutting; it's at Bromborough station. The only problem is that I'm assuming that the places listed on the first day cover are where there are stations, and Bromborough is mentioned and Greenfield is between there and Hooton. I'm pretty sure there was never a station at Bromborough Rake until very recently.
It's the bill authorising the building of the railway from Chester to Birkenhead and runs to nearly 500 pages: I haven't finished it yet but it gives a marvellous insight into the details involved. Here's a sample page discussing what effect the railway will have on the canal traffic via Ellesmere Port to Liverpool.
I think Bromborough station happens to be in the Greenfields area of Bromborough and that's why its mentioned. If it was a station in its own right, it would be mentioned in the rate ofinclinations.
Last edited by bert1; 5th Feb 20156:07pm.
God help us, Come yourself, Don't send Jesus, This is no place for children.
"The station was opened in 1985, to coincide with the electrification of the line between Rock Ferry and Hooton, which allowed through trains to Liverpool, via the Mersey Railway Tunnel."
And for Holt Hill Road, should we substitute 'Green Lane'?
And for Holt Hill Road, should we substitute 'Green Lane'?
That would just perpetuate the mistaken idea that there was a main line station there. Bert, you're probably right.
There was argument from the beginning as to whether the line should go to Woodside. In the end, it didn't since that would have been favouring the Woodside ferry over the Birkenhead and Tranmere ferries It's all in the Bill, with complex arguments about distances and road gradients; fascinating.
Yes, the idea of a main line station is a common mistake, but in this respect it refers to a location between stations for the purpose of referencing the inclination of the track over certain sections.
What I don't know is exactly where it refers to. We have Holt Hill and Holt Road, neither of which cross Old Chester Road to reach the railway line. Perhaps the easterly end of Holt Hill was renamed after the survey, but Green Lane is on the maps from at least 1875...
Just going back to the Greenfield bit, and to confirm - I have a map of the 'proposed' Chester and Birkenhead Railway dated 1836 that I found a few years ago now in an antique shop near Lincoln.
Greenfield is shown, as suspected, between Bromborough Rake and where the present-day Bromborough station is. ...So perhaps it was a proposed station which never got built, the actual station being repositioned slightly more towards Chester in the later 1840 scheme?
Last edited by billy_anorak59; 6th Feb 20158:32am. Reason: No picture
Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come.
1850s map, possibly later if the Post Office directory is correct. Is it possible, Holt Hill was more recognisable (Area) to train travellers than Green Lane at the time. Also what I think Norton is touching on, could Holt Hill originally have run down to the junction of Old Chester Rd and Green Lane.
God help us, Come yourself, Don't send Jesus, This is no place for children.
