Longcliffe railway station

Longcliffe
Site of Longcliffe station in 2010
General information
Location	Longcliffe, Derbyshire Dales England
Coordinates	53.0979°N 1.6644°W / 53.0979; -1.6644
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]

Longcliffe railway station was a railway station on the Cromford and High Peak Railway serving the villages of Longcliffe and Brassington in Derbyshire, England. It was located on the former line between High Peak Junction near Cromford and the Parsley Hay near Buxton. The former station is a Grade II listed building. The track now forms part of the High Peak Trail.

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 for 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

The former railway bridge crossing Coach Road, near Longcliffe

The station at Longcliffe opened in 1855, along with the stations at Steeple House, Middleton, Hopton and Friden. It was located midway between the Hopton Incline and the Gotham Curve. Due to the line being primarily used for movement of freight and goods, passenger services were not given priority and thus, due to the amount of sidings and shunting movements along the line, journeys were very slow.

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, and the line did offer a 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 mineral and freight traffic until complete closure in 1967.

Longcliffe Goods Yard

The former Longcliffe Goods Yard Single Platform near the wharf

Longcliffe Goods Yard was a goods station located on the Cromford and High Peak Railway in Longcliffe, Derbyshire, principally for mineral and quarry traffic. It closed in 1967 along with the rest of the line. Nothing remains of the goods yard except the former single platform.[6][7][8]

Present day

After closure of the line, in 1971, the trackbed was purchased by Derbyshire County Council and converted into the High Peak Trail. The station building was given Grade II listed building status in 1983 by Historic England and is now a private residence.[9] The High Peak Trail now passes through the station site.

Route

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Friden		Cromford and High Peak Railway		Middleton

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. "MDR9511 - Longcliffe Goods Station Siding, Longcliffe - Derbyshire Historic Environment Record". Derbyshire County Council. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
7. "Longcliffe Goods Yard - Derbyshire Historic Environment Record". Derbyshire County Council. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
8. "Cromford and High Peak Railway Image Archive - 19th-20th century". Derbyshire Record Office. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
9. Historic England. "Longcliffe Station, Brassington (Grade II) (1111911)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 February 2025.