Alton railway station, Staffordshire

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Alton
The remains of Alton railway station
Location
Location	Alton
Area	Staffordshire Moorlands, Staffordshire
Grid reference	WGS84
Operations
Original company	North Staffordshire Railway
Pre-grouping	North Staffordshire Railway
Post-grouping	LMS London Midland Region
Platforms	2?
History
13 July 1849	Opened
1954	Renamed "Alton Towers"
1964	Closed
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D-F G H-J K-L M-O P-R S T-Z
UK Railways Portal

Alton railway station is a disused railway station in the village of Alton, Staffordshire, England.

The station was a stop on the North Staffordshire Railway's Churnet Valley line from Macclesfield to Uttoxeter.(There is still a Churnet Valley Railway along part of the route, but the track now terminates at Oakamoor: the section through Alton is now a footpath).

Alton station opened on 13 July 1849 and was built in an Italianate villa style. It was used by the Earl of Shrewsbury who had a luggage lift installed to hoist his baggage up to Alton Towers, at the time his castle residence which is situated at the top of nearby Bunbury Hill.^[1]. The station also comprised a three-storey tower which contained the Earl's suite of waiting rooms^[2] and its platform was particularly long to satisfy the Earl's desire to have impressive surroundings in which to receive his guests.

The station was renamed "Alton Towers" in 1954, only to close ten years later. The station buildings, which are grade II listed, were acquired by the Landmark Trust, which converted the stationmaster's house into holiday accommodation^[3]. The Landmark Trust subsequently converted the waiting-room to provide space for more holiday-makers. The buildings are occasionally open to the public as part of an "Open Day" scheme run by the Trust.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Photos of the station
• Landmark Trust official site