Place Howe Bridge, Atherton Grid reference SD665025 | Area Wigan Platforms in use 2 | |
Pre-grouping London and North Western Railway Post-grouping London Midland and Scottish Railway 1 September 1864 Station opened as "Chowbent" Similar Darcy Lever railway st, Astley railway station, Staley and Millbrook railway st, Irlams o' th' Height railway st | ||
Howe Bridge railway station, originally Chowbent station, is a closed railway station in Atherton, Greater Manchester. It was situated within the historic county of Lancashire.
History
The station at Howe Bridge, in common with other stations on the Manchester to Wigan Line, was opened by the London and North Western Railway on 1 September 1864. At a junction to the west of Tyldesley railway station, the line to Wigan North Western railway station headed north west via Chowbent, Hindley and Platt Bridge to Springs Branch near Wigan. The timber built Chowbent Station was situated on an embankment accessed by steps and was renamed Howe Bridge in 1901. The station joined the London Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping in 1923. It passed to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. The station closed on 20 July 1959.
Coal deposits were the chief motivation for building a railway in the area and the railway's supporters included many local colliery owners and industrialists. A connection to Fletcher, Burrows and Company's Chanters Colliery was provided by the LNWR to the east of the station. Colliery locomotives would sometimes work through the station.