Friden railway station

Friden
Friden station site in 2005
General information
Location	Friden, Derbyshire Dales England
Coordinates	53.143°N 1.7438°W / 53.143; -1.7438
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Cromford and High Peak Railway
Pre-grouping	London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1855	Opened
1877	Closed
21 April 1967	Line between Cromford and Parsley Hay closed
1971	Trackbed reopened as part of the High Peak Trail[1]^[better source needed]

Friden railway station was a railway station on the Cromford and High Peak Railway serving the villages of Friden and Newhaven in Derbyshire, England. It was located on the former line between High Peak Junction near Cromford and the Parsley Hay near Buxton. After closure of the line in 1967, the trackbed was incorporated into the High Peak Trail. The former stationmaster's house is a Grade II listed building.

History

The line through the station was opened in the 1830s to meet the Cromford Canal at Cromford on the River Derwent on the eastern part of the Peak Forest in Derbyshire.[2] It was then extended to meet the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge in the Peak District at the western side of Derbyshire.[3] The opening of this line allowed goods traders from Manchester and the surrounding areas to trade with the wider East Midlands and offered a more direct connection than the canal making it much easier for traders to transfer and receive goods by rail than boat.[4]

Opening to passengers

Old railway bridge at Friden, crossing an unmarked road

The station at Friden opened in 1855, along with the stations at Steeple House, Middleton, Hopton and Longcliffe. It was located midway between the Gotham Curve and the junction with the Ashbourne Line. As the line was primarily used for the movement of freight and goods, passenger services were not given priority. The number of sidings and shunting movements along the line made journeys slow, and due to the sparse population in this part of the Peak District few stops were opened. A parliamentary bill to introduce through-passenger services between Buxton and Steeple House was not successful.[5] The main populated places along this route were Cromford, Wirksworth, Buxton and Whaley Bridge. The line did offer a convenient connection at Parsley Hay for both the Ashbourne Line and the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway (now part of the Derwent Valley Line at Whatstandwell Bridge.

Closure to passengers

The station was closed to passengers in 1877, the line remaining in use for both mineral and freight traffic until complete closure in 1967.

Friden Goods Yard

Looking towards the site of Friden Goods Yard

Friden Goods Yard was a goods station located on the Cromford and High Peak Railway near the village of Friden in Derbyshire. Mostly for moving mineral and quarry traffic. It closed in 1967 along with the rest of the line and nothing remains of the goods yard. The trackbed now forms part of the High Peak Trail.[6][7][8]

Present day

The Grade II listed Station House, which was the station masters house.

After closure of the line, in 1971, the line was purchased by Derbyshire County Council and was converted into the High Peak Trail. The High Peak Trail now passes through the station site with only part of the platform still visible. The station masters house now renamed "Station House" which is near the site was given Grade II listed building status by Historic England in 1984.[9]

Route

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Parsley Hay		Cromford and High Peak Railway		Longcliffe

References

1. "The Cromford & High Peak Railway @ Fernilee Reservoir Peak District National Park & Derbyshire". BLGFLTA. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
2. Glover, Stephen (1830). The Peak Guide: Containing the Topographical, Statistical, and General History of Buxton, Chatsworth, Edensor, Castlteon, Bakewell, Haddon, Matlock, and Cromford; with an Introduction. Henry Mozley and Son. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
3. Buckley, Norman (2004). Peak District Walking on the Level. Sigma Leisure. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-85058-811-5. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
4. "History". Steeple Grange Light Railway. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
5. Nicholson, Christopher; Barnes, Peter (15 January 2020). Railways in the Peak District: A History. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-9385-9. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
6. McCarthy, P. J. (2001). A Chronology of the Cromford and High Peak Railway (PDF). Railway and Canal Historical Society. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
7. "MDR9136 - Loading wharf, Friden Goods Yard, Hartington Nether Quarter - Derbyshire Historic Environment Record". Derbyshire County Council. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
8. "87721 - Friden Goods Station - Derbyshire Historic Environment Record". Derbyshire County Council. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
9. Historic England. "Station House, Hartington Nether Quarter (Grade II) (1334892)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 February 2025.