Nottingham's first railway station


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Finally found one, to answer a few questions.

This is from the mid-1840s, showing the early railway station in Nottingham, when the lines went over Carrington Street on a level crossing, before the construction of the viaduct taking the road over the railway (1869). The first station is the northern part of the building; the slightly longer building to the south of the original was added a few years later to accommodate the lines coming from Lincoln.

carringtonold.jpg

Other bits worth pointing out (some of it has already been mentioned here)

  • I've marked Station Street, and on the corner is the earlier version of what is now the Bentinck Hotel;
  • the road going off to the bottom right corner is Queen's Road, built in 1843 when Queen Vic visited the area.
  • at this date there was no Arkwright Street coming in from the south;
  • Leen Side is today's Canal Street.
  • the bridge taking Carrington Street over the canal was built in 1842
  • the next version of the station (with its entrance on Station Street) was opened in 1848.
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A great map, where did you find it? It's interesting that it doesn't show any sidings, engine sheds or turning facilities, there must have been some somewhere otherwise the trains would have had to have been shunted backwards. I also assume that the area off the canal just above the station throat must have been some sort of exchange basin between the trains and the barges.

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A great map, where did you find it?

First came across it in a book in West Bridgford Library. Next time I'm in there I'll try to remember to check what it was.

Are the curved lines marked with radii near the top and bottom something to do with the GNR/Ambergate proposals?

Good question! On the examples I have, I can't see any more information to answer.

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Until they built the station on station street, trains did have to reverse out of the original station then proceed forward to Lincoln. Think that is dangerous? The first signalling system was like the modern day time interval working. ie. Railway police let a train through then waited for five minutes then let another train through. Hopefully they kept going otherwise there would have been lots of rear end collisions. And yes there were. Safety systems were developed from flaws in the systems in use. Still do it today That is why contrary to what many might believe, railways in Britain are very safe. Although railway police have little to do with signalling trains these days, the signalman (or signaller as he/she is now called) is still referred to as the bobby.

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Interestingly, the oldest existing main station (much as built) in Nottingham is London Road Low Level (built I think 1857), even though it is no longer used as such.

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Until they built the station on station street, trains did have to reverse out of the original station then proceed forward to Lincoln.

In the very early days with the first building (the two lines directly under the word "Station"), apparently that is exactly what they did. Trains coming from Lincoln went past the station and then reversed back in.

That is why the second part of the early station was built (the lower building, alongside the lines to/from Lincoln).

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As railways became more popular, they couldn't build new routes quickly enough. Because the existing roads were nothing short of abysmal, and the canals were painfully slow, new companies sprang up presenting new Acts of Parliament for new railways to be built. That is why we had first two then later three main line railways up the Leen Valley, transporting coal to feed the ongoing industrial Revolution. It soon became clear that Nottingham station was hopelessly inadequate for the trains arriving from the new lines - after the Midland Counties Railway to Derby opened in 1839, the extension to London quickly followed then the line up the Leen Valley and also the Erewash Valley. Although these lines were opened primarily to shift coal, passenger carriage soon became popular as the price of tickets became cheaper. Hence the need for a much bigger station at Nottingham. As rail traffic became more concentrated, it became clear that railway operation was a very dangerous business. New rules were introduced as each accident produced a batch of fatalities. An interesting book to read on this subject is Red for danger by LTC Rolt (ISBN - 0-7509-2047-5)

I would have loved to have been around during those heady days of railway pioneering.

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The first trains to London from Nottingham ended up at Euston. They went from Leicester to Rugby by a line long since closed (I travelled it once in the late 1950's). After that they terminated at Kings Cross via a line from Bedford to Hitchin, also long closed. Then the Bedford to St. Pancras line was built.

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The first trains to London from Nottingham ended up at Euston. They went from Leicester to Rugby by a line long since closed (I travelled it once in the late 1950's). After that they terminated at Kings Cross via a line from Bedford to Hitchin, also long closed. Then the Bedford to St. Pancras line was built.

I think this line ran from Market Harborough to Northampton and was still extant in the early 60's. I recall catching a Printing Exhibition special train, pulled by a rare Jubillee from Nottingham Midland with a huge headboard on the front circa 1963. We were heading for Earls Court Olympia station and went by a most peculiar route, possibly even via Bedford. I recall coming out on to the West Coast Mainline somewhere, I think near Wolverton and we were standing in one of those ex LMS brake vans with the side and rear observation windows except we were coupled directly behind the 'Jube' giving a great view. I recall seeing a Class 40 hauled 'Royal Scot'coming the other way but we also ended up racing a Crimson Coronation Class Pacific on a parcels along a 4 track section. We branched off the WCML well before Euston and somehow ended up at Earls Court. We came back the same way, I think, but it was dark and difficult to see.

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The route BulwellBrian mentions is the original Midland Railway line to the south which ran from Leicester via Wigston to Rugby where it joined the main line to Euston.

The London & North Western Railway route mentioned joined the later Midland Main line at Market Harborough, and trains from Peterborough ran that way - also the services from Nottingham London Road via the Joint Line. After Market Harborough there was a junction, one line leading to Rugby, which closed in 1966, and one to Northampton, the latter only finally closing in 1981.

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  • 4 months later...

Good News! The for years empty building on Station Street (the one with the "MR" over the door which I believe was the entrance to the second Midland Station has re-opened! Howver before you railway history buffs get too excited as an out of hours NHS Medical Centre called "Platform One" with free parking no less replacing the one on Derby Road that was the former RAC/AA? Hq.

No doubt the building already had some preservation order on it? but it's good to see it being put to use again. I had occasion to visit yesterday, so you can trainspot from the doctors!

As for the medical care there I have nothing but the highest praise, within 5 minutes of arriving I was seen by a young nurse (who I assumed must have been a doctorsuch was her knowledge of my condition) COPD breathing problem and perscribed a totally different treatment to that of my own doctor (without having to consult any books etc) and within hours I began to feel better and this morning my struggle is already almost totally gone. I intend writing a letter to the powers that be praising this young lady.

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It still won't let me do quotes, but there seems to be some confusion here - the 'second Midland station' had its entrance on Station Street at the side of the present station.

The building with the doorway that you mention did not form part of the original station - the only remaining part of which are a pair of gate posts at what used to be the entrance to the good yard.

See the thread: Carrington Street Goods Depot. I'd post a link to it, but it won't let me paste anything either.

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#16 ref the photo,......my ist job in 1960 was Van lad there,through that doorway was where we went to collect our wages,and to the left of it was the parcels depot and to the left of that the parcels yard where the Vans loaded.

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This is the building (post no.16) there used to be alot more of it, I remember it being pulled down but no idea when, Maybe I am assuming too much? only the fact it is on Station Street led me to that assumption maybe it always was just a parcels office/loading? however on cliff ton's map it is the only builwith a frontage on station street, conversly though vic station and the GNR one stood well back from the roads, somewhere, maybe picture the past there is a photo of mk2 station built right up to the pavement, whatever theres still an MR over the door and it appears a great health centre, still sniffling and coughing but vast inprovement after only one day of treatment

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I originally posted this map to show a building I thought might be the one Ashley is referring to. It shows the Mk2 station on Station Street, and the way its entrance was at an angle to the road.

mid10-58-01.jpg

This shows things by 1920s; the Mk3 station is operating and Ashely's building is marked in black - and bigger than it is now. And the one in the earlier map is still there.

statnew.jpg

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To me it looks like there was another building in black fronting Station St with a a part /////// which I have seen on other maps as representing a glass roof? sothis could well have been the mk 2 station and "my building" a parcel office

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I see, sorry.

Well, there are photos of the 'second' station which if I remember right show it had a porticoed front similar to - but larger than - the one at Lincoln St. Marks (still in existence in a shopping development).

There must be a photo in one of those books of mine, I'll see if I can dig it out.

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When I worked at Nottingham Carriage Sidings first as a carriage cleaner then as a shunter from 1978 til I transferred to Derby in 1985, that building on Station Street was the train crew office. It was also the train crew stores where we had to go if we needed stuff like new hand lamps. Trouble was, the head storeman thought it was all his. We always got one answer off him. 'We haven't got any f.....s'. He was a nice bloke really.

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This seems to explain the row of buildings on the map which I first thought was the one Ashley mentioned. It appears to be a row of houses or sheds/workshops ? Next to them seems to be a platform awning, and then the Health Centre/Train crew office.

aerial-2.jpg

For anyone who isn't sure, London Road bridge is on the right.

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