Place Southport Grid reference SD331170 | Area Sefton | |
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Original company Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway Pre-grouping Cheshire Lines Committee Post-grouping Cheshire Lines Committee | ||
Southport Lord Street (also known as the Ribble Building) was a railway station located on Lord Street, Southport, Merseyside, England. It was the terminus of the Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway from Liverpool.
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The station closed in 1952, and the building has subsequently been used as a bus station and supermarket, and is now a hotel.
Station history
Southport Lord Street railway station opened on 1 September 1884, as the Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway's (SCLER) northern terminus, which ran from Aintree Central in the northern suburbs of Liverpool. The new line provided passengers with an alternative through route to Liverpool city centre, to that run by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (Southport Chapel Street - Liverpool Exchange).
Unfortunately, from the very beginning, the SCLER line was no competition to that of the L&Y's more direct coastal route, as the route of the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) into Liverpool skirted around the eastern areas of Liverpool, travelling down to Hunts Cross in the south and then back up to Liverpool Central High Level. The line only proving to be relatively popular during the summer months and never really taking off as a commuter route. During late 1942 the timetable showed five CLC trains each weekday to Southport of which two started at Manchester (Central).
The building itself was a grand affair, fronting directly onto Lord Street. The station consisted of five platforms and a footbridge, linking all the platforms. It had been intended by the SCLER to link their tracks to that of that L&Y's, providing the CLC with access to the northern suburbs of Southport. However, this had never been agreed with the LYR, so the provision of the footbridge on this basis, was a rather foolhardy decision to make.
The station first closed in 1917, along with all other stations on the extension line, due to World War I economy measures. It was then reopened in 1919, until 7 January 1952, when the SCLER was closed to passengers from Aintree Central northwards. The line remained open for public goods traffic until 7 July 1952 at Southport Lord Street, Birkdale Palace and Altcar & Hillhouse stations. Public goods facilities were ended at Woodvale, Lydiate and Sefton & Maghull stations on the same date as passenger services (7 January 1952) and there were never any goods facilities at Ainsdale Beach station to begin with. After 7 July 1952, a siding remained open at Altcar & Hillhouse for private goods facilities until May 1960. The very last passenger train to run on the SCLER was a railway enthusiasts' 'special' between Aintree and Altcar & Hillhouse railways stations on 6 June 1959.
Subsequent uses of building
Southport Lord Street railway station was then taken over by Ribble Buses. The spaces in between the platforms were filled in, but apart from that the interior remained the same. The trainshed remained in use by the bus company until Ribble Buses ceased to operate from the building in the 1990s. The trainshed was then later demolished. However, the frontage on Lord Street was retained and still exists today. The clock tower still showing 'SCLER' below the clock itself and making reference to its former role. Morrisons supermarket then took up the space behind the facade.
Work began in early 2013 on renovating the building as a six-storey, 101-bedroom Travelodge hotel and restaurant. Having been empty for over 10 years this was the first time a business had taken use of the building since Ribble Buses used it as a bus station. The hotel opened in 2014.