Chesterfield Market Place railway station

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Chesterfield Market Place was a railway station in the centre of the town of Chesterfield, England. It was opened by the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway in March 1897 and closed by British Rail in 1951 following a collapse of the Bolsover Tunnel. The station possessed four platforms and was situated at the end of the Horns Bridge, 700 feet long, which passed over the Great Central Railway and the Midland Main Line.

Market Place station was situated on West Bars, adjacent to two old inns; the White Horse and the Bird in Hand. To take advantage of the additional custom generated by the railway, the owners of the White Horse, William Stones brewery of Sheffield, applied to build a new hotel. This was approved by the licensing magistrates in April 1898.

As the licensing laws of the time prevented a pub from closing down during rebuilding, the new hotel was built in two parts. Building of the first phase commenced on the site of the Bird in Hand which had closed and had recently been demolished, its licence being transferred to the refreshment rooms in Market Place station. When the first part was complete the licence was transferred from the White Horse, along with the landlord, Job Siddall. The second phase was then erected on the site of the White Horse. The hotel, named after the Duke of Portland, on whose estate much of the railway ran, was officially opened Christmas 1899 by Earl of Rosebery.

Until 1927, the station was also served by Chesterfield Tramway which ran from Brampton to Wittington. A dead end spur was bult near the station and was situated on Market Place.

[edit] See Also

Three railway stations served Chesterfield at one point:

• Chesterfield Central Station
• Chesterfield Midland Station