Wennington railway station

Wennington is a railway station on the Bentham Line, which runs between Leeds and Morecambe via Skipton. The station, situated 15+3⁄4 miles (25 km) east of Lancaster, serves the village of Wennington in Lancashire. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

1. History

Originally opened by the "Little" North Western Railway in 1849 on their line between Skipton and Morecambe, the station was rebuilt and expanded in 1865 prior to the opening of the Furness and Midland Joint Railway from Carnforth in 1867. Thereafter it became a busy junction, with many passenger trains calling to detach through carriages for Carnforth from the main Morecambe portion if heading west or attaching them if heading east - a bay platform was provided at the east end of the station for this purpose, along with several sidings on the opposite side of the line for locomotive and carriage stabling (all since removed, along with the extra platform line). A number of local services (mainly from the Carnforth line) also originated or terminated there. Much of this activity ended with the withdrawal of local stopping trains on the Carnforth line in 1960 (though it remained in use for through services) and the closure of the Lancaster line to passengers in January 1966. The latter was then closed to all traffic the following year and subsequently lifted, although the abandoned trackbed can still be seen. The original station buildings have also been demolished and replaced by shelters, although the signal box remained in use as the last remaining block post on the line until 1988 – it was then closed & permanently "switched out" but was not formally abolished and removed until 2006.

1. = Accidents and incidents =

The junction was the site of a derailment on 11 August 1880 in which eight people were killed.

1. Facilities

The station is unstaffed and has no ticket-buying facilities. Passengers therefore must purchase these on the train or in advance of their journey. Train running information is provided by telephone and information posters. Step-free access is limited to the eastbound platform, as the westbound one can only be reached by footbridge.

1. Services

From Monday to Saturday, there were formerly five daily services to Lancaster (journey time 25mins) and to Skipton & Leeds (1hr20). All but the first of the daily westbound departures continue onwards to Morecambe. On Sundays there were four services in each direction all year round since the May 2011 timetable change - prior to this the first two departures each way ran only during the summer months. From the start of the May 2018 summer timetable, additional services have been introduced. Seven trains each way run to Lancaster and Skipton, with three of the former continuing to Morecambe and six of the latter to Leeds (though the direct train to and from Heysham has ceased). One additional train each way runs on Sundays. As of May 2019, one further service has been introduced each way, to bring the weekday frequency to eight in each direction. Five of these run to/from Morecambe.

1. References


1. Sources


1. External links

Media related to Wennington railway station at Wikimedia Commons Train times and station information for Wennington railway station from National Rail

Nearby Places View Menu

Wennington, Lancashire

Wennington is a civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. The 2001 Census recorded the parish's population as 102, and the 2011 Census recorded it as 178. The village is on the B6480, near the River Wenning and the Yorkshire border. It is administered by Wennington Parish Council. Wennington Hall is to the north.

Landmark Neighbourhood

Wennington Junction rail crash

Just west of Wennington railway station was Wennington junction where the Furness and Midland Joint Railway left the North Western section of the Midland Railway. On 11 August 1880 the 12:15 Leeds to Lancaster train completely derailed at the junction points then continued for 166 yards (152 m) before striking the abutment of a bridge. The junction had no super-elevation as continuous crossing timbers were in use thus reducing the safe speed, and the Midland Railway were advised to correct this. But the enquiry also found the braking power of the train to be grossly inadequate; the train should have been able to stop before reaching the bridge. Only the locomotive was fitted with a Westinghouse brake and there was only one brake van on the train. Although the Midland Railway was fitting continuous brakes to its passenger trains the enquiry pointed out that such a recommendation had been made twenty years previously and the actions had still not been completed.

Landmark Train

Wennington Hall

Wennington Hall is a former country house in Wennington, a village in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. The house is a Grade II listed building and from 1940 until 2022 was used as a school, at first by the Quaker boarding school Wennington School before its move to Yorkshire, then by Lancashire County Council.

Historic Site Landmark

Church of St James the Less, Tatham

The Church of St James the Less is in the village of Tatham, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Tunstall, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the diocese of Blackburn. Its benefice is united with those of St Wilfrid, Melling, St John the Baptist, Tunstall, St Peter, Leck, the Good Shepherd, Lowgill, and Holy Trinity, Wray, to form the benefice of East Lonsdale. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It stands above the flood plain of the River Wenning.