Disused Stations: Great Harwood Station

Jubilee class 45684 'Jutland' passing under the road bridge at Norden on its way to the seaside resort of Morecambe on 28 July 1964. The nameplate has been removed and someone had chalked “Ringo” on it – after all it was Beatles mania time.

Photo by Geoffrey Robinson from John Robinson's 'Steaming North Last days of the North East Lancs Loop Line' collection

A sad photo of the demolition of the station October – December 1965. The footbridge is being cut up and the down line track is being removed at the same time. The building at the front is the lamp room, note the roof slates are being collected up.
Photo by Geoffrey Robinson from John Robinson's 'Steaming North Last days of the North East Lancs Loop Line' collection

A view from the down side looking east during the station's demolition (October - December 1965). The base of the footbridge has been cut and the bridge leans down across the tracks. The view is of the up platform, the building's roof has at this point been removed. To the left of the building, one side wall of the former carriage shed can be seen still standing. Continuing left, the up platform home signal still stands, and far left, Great Harwood East signal box is visible. You can see the down line is being cut up into manageable lengths ready for removal. The photo was taken between the down platform and Great Harwood West signal box which is behind and out of sight.
Photo from John Mann collection

Another view of the demolition of the station from the down side. Great Harwood West signal box is in full sight, one of its windows is broken and a piece of wood is missing. A large overgrown bush covers the front of the steps to the box. At this point, the down building still has its roof and behind the building the goods shed can be seen still intact. The down home starter signal can be seen at the eastern end of the down platform. The side of the lamp room building can just be seen next to the up line (by the right hand side of the footbridge). The houses to the left of the signal box are on Railway View.
Photo from John Mann collection

Rare colour photograph of the down platform and building during demolition October – December 1965. Two men on the platform discuss the progress while two others are standing on the top of the awning removing slates from the building's roof. To the left on the stone base of the footbridge, the station's British Railways running in board can be seen. The two maroon and white posts leaning held a destinations sign up. Just to the left of the two men on the platform, the station clock is resting on the base of the station master's office bay window. To the right, just in sight are the rusty rails of the up line. Pete Leigh who took the photo was a former booking clerk at the station.
Photo by Pete Leigh

Another rare colour photo, this time of the up platform and building, October – December 1965. The remains of the footbridge are on the right. The platform is overgrown and the rusty rails of the up line are clearly visible. From this photo, it looks like the carriage shed walls have been knocked down. In the distance at the end of the platform, the home signal can be viewed as can East signal box.
Photo by Pete Leigh

8f 48218 returns from the Tottleworth area travelling east towards Unity Bridge passing Albert Street, Great Harwood (on the right). Beyond the bridge around the right hand curve was the station which was demolished two years before (1965). I sat on the stone wall (on the right) and watched the train go past. My legs were cold as I had short pants on, but the sight of steam engine going right past me made me forget about it. The engine disappeared under the bridge and one by one I watched the wagons go by until the last one faded into the distance. A week or two later I returned only to find the track had gone. 48218 was the demolition train, and most likely the last ever engine to run down to Great Harwood. She was withdrawn from service at the end of that month (30 September 1967) and scrapped by Cashmore's in Walsall around March 1968.
Photo by Geoffrey Robinson from John Robinson's 'Steaming North Last days of the North East Lancs Loop Line' collection

In September 1967 the track removal gang near Tottleworth Lee bridge cutting up the final remaining up line and removing it.

Photo by Geoffrey Robinson from John Robinson's 'Steaming North Last days of the North East Lancs Loop Line' collection

This photo taken in 1974 shows a bulldozer clearing the rubble of the Great Harwood station area. The station itself was demolished in the last quarter of 1965 and yet the rubble lay there for just over eight years. If you follow the electricity pylons along to the left you can just see the cooling towers of Padiham power station, which on the loop line was 4 miles away.
Photo by Paul Kirkup

Looking east in March 1987, an industrial estate now covers the former station's site. The grassed area runs west behind us at the southern edge of Great Harwood, and was originally a cutting. Beyond the industrial estate going east is Heys lane and the start of one of the embankments which is now covered with trees.
Photo by John Mann

A view looking East in December 2022. The station main area is now an industrial estate. The main buildings in the centre cover the area of the platforms and running lines. The clump of trees at the top near the last building is where the embankment started. You can see the line of trees going around to the left following the track's path.
Photo by John Robinson

Closer view of the scene above in December 2022. The station main area is now an industrial estate. The main buildings in the centre cover the area of the platforms and running lines. The clump of trees at the top near the last building is where the embankment started. You can see the line of trees going around to the left following the track's path.
Photo by John Robinson

Looking west in December 2022, the line of houses to the right facing the trees is on what was called Railway View (now Hameldon View). The green grassy path now covers the track bed. This was a cutting running out of the town towards Blackburn. If you follow the tarmac path on the grass it meets up with St. Hubert's Road. Here there was a bridge over the cutting, originally called St. Hubert's bridge, later Unity bridge. For many years after the cutting was filled in, the hump of the top of the bridge could easily be seen.

Photo by John Robinson

The site of the former goods yard in December 2022. Now partly occupied by a supermarket and its car park. Heys Lane runs across from left to right, and on the other side of it was the gas works.
Photo by John Robinson

The remains of the goods yard wall in December 2022, the only thing that now remains of the station. If you didn't know, you could be forgiven for thinking there was never a railway station here at all.

Photo by John Robinson

[Source:Andy Hunt]

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