Disused Stations: Macclesfield Hibel Road Station

[Source: Paul Wright]

Date opened:	18.6.1849
Location:	East side of Station Street and north side of Hibel Road
Company on opening:	London & North Western Railway
Date closed to passengers:	7.11.1960
Date closed completely:	7.11.1960
Company on closing:	British Railways (London Midland Region)
Present state:	Demolished
County:	Cheshire
OS Grid Ref:	SJ917742
Date of visit:	October 2021

Notes: Macclesfield Hibel Road station opened as a joint station by the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) and the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) on 13 July 1849, with the opening of the NSR route to Uttoxeter via North Rode and Leek and it replaced an earlier, temporary, LNWR station at Beech Bridge. Built right at the point where the track of the two companies made an end-on junction, the station was managed by a joint committee of the two companies.

With the opening of the Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway in 1871, the NSR opened a new station less than 500 yards further south called Macclesfield Central. It had been hoped that the new line could run into Hibel Road, but the LNWR objected to this and neither would the LNWR agree to share Central station.

Both stations remained open until 1960, when the decision was taken by British Railways to concentrate services on a redeveloped Central station. The refurbished Central station, now renamed simply Macclesfield, opened on 7 November 1960; the same day that Hibel Road closed. The site of Hibel Road station has now been redeveloped.

LNWR services to/from Manchester London Road terminated at Hibel Road but, if they continued to Stoke-on-Trent via Congleton, then many stopped at Central too. NSR services, either on the main line to Stoke or via the Churnet Valley line, used both stations. Express trains between Euston and Manchester tended only to use Hibel Road.

The area around the station was very cramped. To the south of the station was the NSR goods yard, which dealt mostly with coal for Macclesfield gas works. North of the station was the LNWR goods yard and the NSR motive power depot. As the track north of the station was LNWR owned, the NSR could only access its engine shed using running powers over the LNWR track.

Tickets from Michael Stewart.

Sources:

Britain's Joint lines - H C Casserley - Ian Allan 1968
Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain a Chronology - M Quick - Railway and Canal Historical Society 2009

See also: Macclesfield Central

Macclesfield Hibel Road station looking south from the down (Manchester direction) platform in 1960.
Copyright photo from Stations UK

Macclesfield Hibel Road station in its original form shown on a 1874 town plan.

The extended Macclesfield Hibel Road station shown on a 25-inch scale map from 1898.

A view looking north away from Macclesfield Hibel Road station circa 1930.
Copyright photo from the John Alsop collection

Locomotive 42421 is seen running light at Macclesfield Hibel Road in June 1959. This is a 4P 2-6-4 passenger tank designed by Fowler and built in 1933 at Derby works for the LMS. Entering service on 6 December as 2421, this loco passed into BR ownership and was renumbered 42421 which it carried until withdrawal from 5C, Stafford shed on 21 August 1964 then scrapped during October, possibly at Crewe works. The small locomotive depot at Hibel Road is out of view to the right.
Photo by Ben Brooksbank

A view looking east down to the Macclesfield Hibel Road station in early years of the 20th Century.

The site of Macclesfield Hibel Road looking north in November 1979

Photo by John Mann

The site of Macclesfield Hibel Road station looking north in October 2021.
Photo by Nigel Thumpson

[Source: Paul Wright]

Home Page