Howe Bridge railway station
Encyclopedia
Howe Bridge railway station, originally Chowbent station, is a closed railway station in Atherton
, Greater Manchester
. It was situated within the historic county of Lancashire
.
, in common with other stations on the Manchester to Wigan Line
, was opened by the London and North Western Railway
on 1 September 1864.
At a junction to the west of Tyldesley railway station
, the line to Wigan North Western railway station
headed north west via Chowbent, Hindley and Platt Bridge to Springs Branch near Wigan.
The timber built Chowbent Station was situated on an embankment accessed by steps and was renamed Howe Bridge in 1901.
The station joined the London Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping
in 1923. It passed to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.
The station closed on 20th July 1959.
Coal
deposits were the chief motivation for building a railway in the area and the railway's supporters included many local colliery owners and industrialists. A connection to Fletcher, Burrows and Company
's Chanters Colliery
was provided by the LNWR to the east of the station.
Atherton, Greater Manchester
Atherton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of Lancashire. It is east of Wigan, north-northeast of Leigh, and northwest of Manchester...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
. It was situated within the historic county of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
.
History
The station at Howe BridgeHowe Bridge
Howe Bridge is a suburb of Atherton in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated to the south west of Atherton town centre on the B5215, the old turnpike road from Bolton to Leigh...
, in common with other stations on the Manchester to Wigan Line
Manchester to Wigan Line
The Manchester and Wigan Railway refers to a railway in North West England, opened in 1864 and closed to passengers on 3 May 1969, which was part of the London and North Western Railway before the Grouping of 1923 ....
, was opened by the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
on 1 September 1864.
At a junction to the west of Tyldesley railway station
Tyldesley railway station
Tyldesley railway station is a closed railway station in Greater Manchester. It was situated within the historic county of Lancashire.-History:...
, the line to Wigan North Western railway station
Wigan North Western railway station
Wigan North Western railway station is one of two railway stations serving the town centre of Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK.It is a moderately-sized station on the West Coast Main Line. It is operated by Virgin Trains, and is also served by Northern Rail...
headed north west via Chowbent, Hindley and Platt Bridge to Springs Branch near Wigan.
The timber built Chowbent Station was situated on an embankment accessed by steps and was renamed Howe Bridge in 1901.
The station joined the London Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
in 1923. It passed to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.
The station closed on 20th July 1959.
Coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
deposits were the chief motivation for building a railway in the area and the railway's supporters included many local colliery owners and industrialists. A connection to Fletcher, Burrows and Company
Fletcher, Burrows and Company
Fletcher, Burrows and Company was a coal mining company that owned collieries in Atherton, Greater Manchester, England. Gibfield, Howe Bridge and Chanters collieries exploited the coal mines of the middle coal measures in the Manchester Coalfield...
's Chanters Colliery
Chanters Colliery
Chanters Colliery was a coal mine which was part of the Fletcher, Burrows and Company's collieries at Hindsford inAtherton, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England.-Geology:...
was provided by the LNWR to the east of the station.