This curiously-named station served a thinly populated area on the north-western boundary of the historic West Derby Hundred – one of the administrative districts of Lancashire.

Hundred End was on the West Lancashire Railway (WLR) Company’s Southport & Preston Railway which opened in stages between 19 February 1878 and 6 September 1882. The WLR was promoted by Sir Thomas George Fermor-Hesketh, Bart. Royal Assent was given for the ‘West Lancashire Railway’ on 14 August 1871. The Act authorised construction capital amounting to £150,000. James Brunlees and Charles Douglas Fox were appointed as civil engineers, and the contract for construction was let to Clarke Pruchard and Co. The first sod was cut on 18 April 1873 at a special ceremony held at Little London, in Southport, attended by the Mayor, Alderman Squire JP. From the start the WLR project struggled financially and, although construction started successfully, it stopped abruptly when the contractor faced financial difficulties. A further WLR Act of 1875 authorised the raising of a further £187,500 and granted an extension of time for the line’s completion. A new contractor, Barnes & Squire, was appointed, and work resumed.

Hundred End station did not open with the section of line on which it stood and first appeared in timetables as Hundred End Gate House in July 1878. Hundred End was in a remote location between the villages of Banks and Hesketh Bank, where Hundred End Lane crossed the line by means of a level crossing and there were scattered groups of dwellings. Little is known

Hundred End Gate House would have been served by trains running between Southport Windsor Road and Hesketh Bank. The WLR completed the route to Preston on 6 September 1882 and, to coincide with the completion of the north-eastern end of the line, the WLR opened the new Southport Central terminus at the southern end. Around this time Hundred End Gate House appeared in timetables as Hundred End for Mere Brow and Holms. The Ordnance Survey map from 1890 shows two short platforms on the western side of Hundred End Lane, but no buildings.

On 1 October 1895 new station facilities were opened and the platforms were lengthened. They were constructed using timber to make up a retaining wall back-filled with cinders. Each platform was provided with a simple timber built waiting room, little more than a shed. A single-storey timber booking office was provided; its situation was unusual in that it was detached from the platforms, on the opposite side of Hundred End Lane crossing. It stood on the down (Preston-direction) side of the line.

At the same time a goods yard opened to the east of Hundred End Lane on the down (north) side of the line. It consisted of two sidings one of which had a raised loading ramp. A signal box was provided east side of Hundred End Lane on the north side of the line, beside the station booking office. A tender for its construction and the erection of all signalling was let to McKenzie & Holland of Worcester (the original signalling contractors for the WLR). For some reason McKenzie & Holland withdrew their tender.

On 1 July 1897 the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (LYR) took over the WLR. In their own timetable for 1899 they started to call Hundred End for Mere Brow & Holms simply Hundred End. From 16 July 1900 the LYR closed the WLR Preston station and diverted trains into Preston’s main line station. From 1 May 1901, when Southport Central closed, all WLR line trains ran into Southport Chapel Street station.  

On 3 June 1912 the LYR introduced a ‘railmotor’ service between Crossens and Tarleton Halt, calling at Hundred End. Tarleton was at the southern end of a 1¼-mile branch that connected the Leeds & Liverpool Canal to the WLR at Hesketh Bank. The line had opened for goods in 1880. The railmotor was not a success and was withdrawn on 1 October 1913.

On 1 January 1922 the LYR was absorbed by the London & North Western Railway but a year later that company became part of the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS). By summer 1932 Hundred End had 15 weekday services to Southport and 16 to Preston. The first departure from Hundred End was for Southport at 6:12 am. The last was also for Southport

On 1 January 1948 Hundred End became part of the nationalised British Railways (London Midland Region). By winter 1956/7 there were 15 weekday Preston and 11 Southport services. The first departure was for Preston at 6:03 am and the last was for Southport at 10:54 pm. Hundred End continued to be served by trains on Sundays with six services to Preston and five to Southport. On 3 June 1957 the station’s goods yard was officially closed. Whilst stations on the Southport – Preston line south of Banks (excluding Southport itself) were fitted with LMR totem name signs, the remainder were not, which suggested a reluctance to invest in the route. Not only did Hundred End retain earlier signage but it also remained oil lit. Stuart Taylor (1996) writes fondly of visiting the station in the late 1950s: ‘This wayside halt didn’t look as if it had seen passengers in years and looked for all the world like ‘Buggleskelly’, the fictitious Irish station in the 1936 film Oh Mr Porter …’

In July 1959 Railway Magazine reported that the LMR was considering closure to all traffic of the route between Crossens – the terminus of the electric service – and Preston before the end of the year; Hundred End was also listed separately as a station to close. Whilst the line survived this threat, the remotely located and unremunerative Hundred End was not so lucky.

Less than a year later The Reshaping of British Railways (‘Beeching’) report recommended the complete closure of the railway from Meols Cop through to Preston. Despite local protests all services were withdrawn with effect from 7 September 1964, and the line through Hundred End closed completely as did the line from Hesketh Park to Preston. Track-lifting trains passed through Hundred End in the months following closure, and the rails through the station had been removed by February 1965..

The station site was later developed as a residential property.

Tickets from Michael Stewart except 0645 & 33455 Alan Castle, route map drawn by Alan Young, Bradshaw from Chris Hind. 

Sources:

• The research notes of Tony Graham taken from the National Archive
• The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Vol 1, John Marshall, David & Charles 1969
• The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Vol 2, John Marshall, 1970
• Disused Stations – Lost Termini of North West England - P T Wright – Silver Link Publishing Ltd 2010
• LMS Time Table July 18th to September 11th 1932
• British Railways (LMR) Passenger services Timetable 17 September 1956 to 16 June 1957

To See other stations on the Southport - Preston (West Lancashire) line click on the station name: Southport Central, Southport Windsor Road, Southport Ash Street, St. Lukes, Hesketh Park, Churchtown, Crossens, Banks, Hesketh Bank & Tarleton, River Douglas, Hoole, Longton Bridge, New Longton & Hutton, Penwortham (Cop Lane) & Preston West Lancashire

See also Tarleton Branch
Boat Yard Crossing Halt & Tarleton