Hadlow Road Station
Hadlow Road Station
The Wirral village of Willaston was served by the nearby Hadlow Road Station which opened on 1st October 1866 as part of the GW/L&NW joint single-track branch to Parkgate. This was extended to reach West Kirkby 20 years later. On the eastbound platform is an imposing main building, built in brick with ashlar dressings. This incorporated a booking office and waiting room – separated by a half-glazed wooden screen – as well as adjacent accommodation for the station master. At the platform’s east end is a neat signal cabin.
A second platform, hosting a small shelter, was needed for trains heading to Parkgate due to the presence of a passing loop. These tracks crossed the adjacent Hadlow Road on a skewed level crossing. Just east of the station, two sidings were provided to handle goods.
The station saw its last passenger train on the evening of Saturday 15th September 1956 but freight services continued until closure of the branch on 7th May 1962. In its final few months, DMUs passed over the line for driver training purposes. Two years later, salvage crews arrived to lift the track.
After five years of development work, the trackbed of the Hooton-West Kirkby line became the Wirral Way footpath in 1973, part of Wirral Country Park. It was the first UK site to receive such a designation. Today the station retains its authentic 1950s look, with a gas lamp and enamel signs fixed to the wall. A short length of track has been relaid alongside the eastbound platform. English Heritage bestowed a Grade II listing on the building in 1999.
June 2014