Leek
Leek station site in 2018, now a Morrisons supermarket
General information
LocationLeek, Staffordshire Moorlands
England
Coordinates53°06′01″N 2°01′58″W / 53.1003°N 2.0329°W / 53.1003; -2.0329
Grid referenceSJ978559
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Opened13 July 1849 (1849-07-13)[1]
Closed4 January 1965 (1965-01-04)[1]
Original companyNorth Staffordshire Railway
Post-grouping
Key dates
3 July 1970Closed to freight

Leek railway station served the town of Leek, Staffordshire. It was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway in 1849.[2] Passenger services to Uttoxeter were withdrawn in 1965, with complete closure following in 1970. For a short time in 1961–62, special football excursions (the Stanley Matthews Express) were arranged to Stoke following the return of Stanley Matthews to Stoke City FC.

History

Leek had a substantial station and goods yard, but competition from road transport led to the withdrawal of services to Stoke-on-Trent in 1956 and the remaining passenger services to Uttoxeter in 1965. Freight workings continued until 1970.[2]

The site of the station is now occupied by a Morrisons supermarket,[3] although the road bridge is still in situ between the latter's car park and petrol station.

Future

In 2009, Moorlands and City Railways Ltd (MCR) bought the 20 miles of railway line from Stoke in the west-direction of Leek, with a view to reconnect Leek with the national network.[4]

A new station could be constructed in Leek, possibly on the Cornhill development on the outskirts of the town, although the MCR would prefer a station closer to the town centre.[5][6] Following its initial refusal of planning permission in September 2014, Moorlands District Council accepted a second proposal which would see a station provided next to the 17-acre Barnfield Industrial Estate in Cornhill, on a site previously occupied by Hughes Concrete Products.[7] The new station would become the Churnet Valley Railway's northern terminus and the headquarters of the MCR.[7] The ¾-mile extension from Leek Brook would be funded by the sale of land within a triangle at Leekbrook for housing.[7]

Route

Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Rudyard
Line and station closed
   North Staffordshire Railway
Churnet Valley line		   Leek Brook
Line and station closed

References

  1. 1 2 Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway & Canal Historical Society. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.
  2. 1 2 Keys, R.; North Staffordshire Railway Society (1974). The Churnet Valley Railway. Moorland Publishing Company. ISBN 0-903485-16-8.
  3. ↑ Ballantyne, Hugh (2005). British Railways Past & Present: North Staffordshire and the Trent Valley. Past & Present Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85895-204-2.
  4. ↑ "New rail link 'best thing in years for Moorlands'". This is Staffordshire. 15 October 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  5. ↑ Broadbent, Steve (25 July – 7 August 2012). "Looks like Leek's luck may change". RAIL (701): 72.
  6. ↑ "Road talks put job zone back on track". This is Staffordshire. 10 February 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 Brodrick, Nick (March 2015). "Leek back on the agenda as council permits station". The Railway Magazine. 161 (1368): 73.
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