Notes: Southport Windsor Road station was situated 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.

Windsor Road opened as the temporary Southport terminus of the WLR on 10 June 1878. The first section of the line had opened to public services from Hesketh Park, north Southport, to Hesketh Bank on 20 February 1878. Southport Windsor Road was located on the east side of its namesake to the north of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway’s (LYR) Southport and Wigan line, behind two large houses. It is possible that the houses were purchased by the WLR and used as station facilities; certainly, early maps show them to be incorporated into the station. Windsor Road itself crossed over the LYR line by means of a level crossing.

Windsor Road station had two platforms, both of timber construction. Between them were three lines, the central one being a siding. As the station was considered to be only temporary there were no facilities on the platforms.

At the time of opening the station provided a service to Hesketh Bank via Crossens. From 1 August 1878 trains also ran a short distance further north to River Douglas, which had been passed for passenger traffic on 13 July 1878, where a steamship connection to Lytham St Annes could be made.

In 1880 the level crossing over the LYR was taken out and Windsor Road was effectively cut into two. A footbridge was installed to replace the level crossing.

The WLR had tried to negotiate with the LYR to operate its trains into their Chapel Street terminus, in the town centre, close to the seafront. Negotiations failed, and as a result the WLR obtained an Act to build its own terminus (Southport Central) to the west of Windsor Road. Central station welcomed its first passenger trains on 4 September 1882. Windsor Road station had to be closed to enable construction of the extension to the new terminus.

After the line to Southport Central had opened a new station called Southport Ash Street was built on the site of Windsor Road.