Lenton station and its level crossing

[Cliff Ton 10,465]

Driving along Derby Road, Lenton the other day, over the bridge which crosses the line near the Wheatsheaves pub. I know Lenton station was at the top end of Faraday Road, and it started me wondering about how that area used to look.

A bit further down the railway line at Church Street you can see where there was a level crossing before the bridge was built in the 1880s (?) next to the Holy Trinity church in old Lenton. So presumably there was also a level crossing where Derby Road meets the line at the Wheatsheaves. I've never seen any photos of that crossing, although Picture the Past has photos of the original bridge being widened in the 1930s.

You can see where the old road used to go here - the road in front of the Wheatsheaves

So when I looked on the Old Maps website at that area in the 1880s I was a bit surprised to see how

it used to be (and the watermark they put in it these days)

You can see the Wheatsheaves lower left, and a bit further along is the level crossing which I've never seen,.......but I'm surprised about the goods shed, the wagon works, the turntable to get the wagons into the shed. A bigger complex of railway works than I'd ever realised

[Ashley 288]

yes there must have been a few crossings on that MR line, my own query being the one at church st old basford, never seen a photo nor a map with such, I remember the one at nottingham rd/vernon rd but always with gates in closed to road traffic position, was another (not seen only the later fence) at bottom of gauntley st, back of soap works. Other

mysteries are the 3 arch stone bridge carrying the old "miners path" (virtually a footpath) over the railway near bottom of st peters st, also if you look over the wall at site of radford station what looks like remains of an old bridge can be seen there, probably best "route" of an old crossing is at bobbers mill bridge, for years until recently there was the old crossing keepers house still there (think now gone?)

[Ashley 288]

I imagine on the MR routes wherever there is a bridge over now there was a crossing originally? even Wilkinson Street? but not sure re Abbey Bridge? and of course some crossings still exist, can't think of any on GN or GC routes cept farmers access etc and maybe in Netherfield area that was "foreign" to me (maybe one on GN at Lambley Lane Gedling?) and pit lines seen at Hucknall Rd Melbourne Rd and Bells Lane, another somewhere near Harwill Crescent plus heard of ones on Aspley Lane and near Clifton Pit

[notty ash 370]

Some were bridges added long after the railway and were never level crossings - like Wilkinson Street which doesn't appear on maps until the 1950s, I think.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Church Street at Lenton was one. Derby Road may have been one. Bobbers Mill had one. The Thomas North line crossed the following lines on the level from Babbington Pit. Bells Lane, The little road next to Broxtowe Lane which once led to Napoleon Square, Melbourne Road, Aspley Lane, Wollaton Road. It also crossed the Radford to Trowell main Line on the level.. My dad used to go and collect spilled coal off the tracks in the 1920s before they built Western Boulevard.

[barclaycon 569]

With ref. to Cliff's photo of the Three Wheatsheaves

I used to play football for CWS Colts on the football pitches that were owned by the Co-Op just down that road going right before the bridge.

Long since built over.

[LizzieM 9,507]

I went to watch a Charity football match down there in the mid 60's. No idea who was playing, don't think they happen these days do they?

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

Among my collection of large scale maps I have one of Lenton station with the goods shed & wagon works.

There were many level crossings on that railway during the 1880s (eg Bobbers Mill & Bulwell)

[StephenFord 866]

Ashley - re #3 I think I have read that there were no level crossings at all on the Great Central's London extension (i.e. all the way from just outside Sheffield to Marylebone).

[Ashley 288]

Think you are right Stephan, but I seem to recall a footpath across the GCR on Hucknall Rd in a dip between Paton Road and Kersal Drive? think on Nottstalgia there was a discussion whether that was where Park Lane used to join Hucknall Rd? maybe old timers still took (dangerous) short cuts across there, also seem to recall a warning sign or something at that point? on modern google map there is a line which I take to be a footpath joining those 2 roads? as in all my posts the ? means not sure of facts! (memory is failing lol, well it was over 50 years ago! can't believe that to be honest!)

[Ashley 288]

check http://nottstalgia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6912 post number 12 this is where I think the level crossing was for 28 years before Church Street Bridge was built in old Basford, Station Rd Bulwell also used to have a crossing it being the "main road" into Bulwell before the bridge, Imagine there was some crossing where Abbey Bridge is now as Victorian houses both sides? Know Ilkeston Rd had bridge altered at some time as the Crown pub demolished and new one with same name built at corner of Radford Bridge Rd, think new road Wilkinson St built in 1930's and when it opened with bridge over the railway level crossing at Gauntly St at side of it closed and that street reduced to footpath south of the railway via still there? (well it was in 1970's!) footbridge leading to cut off Whitemoor Ave, (crossing base and gates, the latter then part of fence could still be seen then also)

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

Ashley - re #3 I think I have read that there were no level crossings at all on the Great Central's London extension (i.e. all the way from just outside Sheffield to Marylebone).

There were only three level crossings on the entire Great Central system.

[Ashley 288]

must have been hard to arrange that? mind you the fact it was a late comer meant the choice flat land already took anyway?

[Cliff Ton 10,465]

The remains of the level crossing at Church Street, Lenton can still be seen. From the east, the road bridge goes to the right and the old road which went over the line is a cul-de-sac on the left.

And Lenton Times website have a photo of the crossing keeper's house which still existed until the late 1970s. It was located on the right of the "cul-de-sac" where the trees have now grown. You can see the railway line behind the fence on the left.

[Merthyr Imp 729]

There were only three level crossings on the entire Great Central system.

Are you sure? I can think of at least three in the Grimsby area alone.

[BulwellBrian 107]

I think it is true that there were no level crossings on the London Extension of the GCR but there were at least five in Grimsby, two within a few yards of each other. The one near the docks had to have a policeman on duty to enable the signal man to get the gates closed. It was a very wide crossing as it covered a junction with tracks to each side of the docks. It was closed to road traffic as for a long time particularly in the afternoon as many passenger trains from Cleethorpes stopped in the Docks station and a shunting engine the pushed one or two fish wagons across to attached to the back of the train. Having done that it had to go back across the road into the docks.

They built a bridge just as the fish traffic was switched to road.

My uncle and aunt lived near Grimsby and I spent many an hour watching against those gates.

[Ashley 288]

About 20 years ago the crossing keepers house (or most of it) with similar roof to Lenton one remained at Bobbers Mill (cafe side of former crossing) might even still be there? about same time I recall someone falling through the rotten boards of the footbridge onto the track, IIRC he was quite badly injured

[notty ash 370]

There are/were a lot of level crossings on the GC in Lincolnshire and adjacent parts of Notts. The one next to Worksop station is an obvious one, with New Holland as one that has now gone. Even more if you count the LD&EC line.

[... 1,411]

level crossings being upgraded health and safety reasons

[Donnyred 1]

Ashley - re #3 I think I have read that there were no level crossings at all on the Great Central's London extension (i.e. all the way from just outside Sheffield to Marylebone).

There was one level crossing on the line at Beighton near Sheffield. This is still there on the back line from Chesterfield to Sheffield via Barrow Hill. It used to have a station and my gt granddad was a porter there when it was the Manchester Sheffield Lincs railway. Hope this helps.

[Ashley 288]

There are/were a lot of level crossings on the GC in Lincolnshire and adjacent parts of Notts. The one next to Worksop station is an obvious one, with New Holland as one that has now gone. Even more if you count the LD&EC line.

Can't recall the crossing at New Holland as under 10 when I went there and only recall being on the ferry dock, that said a memory of having pop outside a pub (on the dock?) now remembered, was a "day out treat" to go across from Hull when I stayed there with relatives, Remember my uncle one night probably having one too many many missing last ferry back and having to sleep in a railway carriage there !

[barclaycon 569]

Re. the GCR in Grimsby.

I used that station a lot in the 70's when I had to travel to and from college.

I always tried to catch the 'London' train which I believe was called 'The Linconshireman'.

It was direct from Grimsby to Kings Cross and extremely popular. When it came into the station they had to keep the level crossing closed at the back end (not the Wellowgate end) because the train was longer than the station.

They often used to park it overnight on the recently closed ELR branch.

It stopped at Lincoln St Marks and looked enormous in the tiny station.

You could get a really nice breakfast on that train. I can remember sharing a beer and talking to fishermen on their way to Grimsby and Immingham. There were also lots of squaddies. (At that time they still wore their uniforms out in the open).

For the life of me I could never understand why they cancelled this popular train. It was always full!

Re. Crossings.

I get the impression that there are lots of level-crossings in Lincolnshire because of the flat countryside.

I think almost every station on the Midland's Nottingham to Lincoln line has got one.

[Ashley 288]

Happy Days!

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

Nottingham - Lincoln

If you take into account foot only crossings there are over 20, although two have recently closed Meadow Lane(Sneinton Junction)& Trent Lane,

These were closed during the "alteration" to Nottingham station last year.

The first crossing out of Nottingham is Now Colwick Crossing

[plantfit 7,595]

RE: New Holland, check out "Daves rail pics" on the internet, plenty of pics on there of the ferry paddle steamers,New Holland platforms and stations, well worth a look

Rog