Station Name: OTTERSPOOL

[Source: Paul Wright]

Date opened: 1.6.1864
Location: At the south end of Otterspool Road.
Company on opening: Garston and Liverpool Railway
Date closed to passengers: 5.3.1951
Date closed completely: 5.3.1951
Company on closing: British Railways (London Midland Region)
Present state: Station building still extant in use as private dwelling
County: Lancashire
OS Grid Ref: SJ378862
Date of visit: June 1969 & 1.7.2005

Notes: Otterspool Station was located in leafy parkland in South Liverpool. It opened as part of the Garston and Liverpool Railway which linked Garston Dock with a new station nearer to the city at Brunswick. This line opened on 1.6.1864. Just over a year later on the 5.7.1865 the line was absorbed by the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC).

On 1.8.1873 the CLC opened a direct line from a point just to the northwest of Garston Dock to Manchester. From that point the station became part of the CLC main line linking the two northern cities. On 2.3.1874 a new Liverpool terminus was opened right in the city centre called Liverpool Central.

Otterspool Station had its main facilities on the eastbound platform. A footbridge came straight out of the ticket office which was at road level and connected across to the Liverpool (westbound) platform. Being somewhat isolated from populated areas and not very far away from other stations on the line Otterspool was an early candidate for closure and it was closed to passengers on 5.3.1951.

The line closed to passenger services in April 1972 but re-opened as part of the Merseyrail Northern Line in January 1978.

For many years after closure the platforms could clearly be seen but today, if anything does exist it is obscured by vegetation.

For other stations on the Liverpool to Manchester CLC line click on the station name: Liverpool Central, Liverpool St. James, Brunswick, Garston, Halewood & Manchester Central.


Otterspool Station looking south east in 1910
Copyright photo from John Alsop collection



1909 1:2500 OS map.

Otterspool Station looking south east in early 1930s
Photo from John Mann collection

Otterspool station looking south east in early 1960s
Photo by David Nicholas

Otterspool station forecourt in early 1960s
Photo by David Nicholas


Otterspool station looking south east seen from a passing train in June 1969
Photo by Nick Catford

Otterspool Station in April 1977
Photo by Alan Young

The site of Otterspool Station in July 2005
P
hoto by Paul Wright



 

 

 

:[Source: Paul Wright]


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