We are now on the homeward stretch looking at the old stations around the Wirral. We have covered all the tracks that have closed and now all that remains are the odd stations which have closed over the years on lines that still exist. The Wirral Line for example didn’t used to bend round and head to Hamilton Square and on to Liverpool, as it does today, it used to end at Grange Lane. Then there was the Tranmere and Rock Lane stations on this line. Finally, there is a station on the New Brighton line which has closed which used to be called Warren.
Warren station was situated on the New Brighton Branch railway of the Seacombe Hoylake & Deeside Railway (SH&DR) which opened from Bidston to Wallasey on 2nd January 1888 and through to New Brighton on 30th March 1888. The line had been authorised in 1886 and work had begun almost immediately. The New Brighton branch connected with the SH&DR Birkenhead and West Kirby line which had been extended to Birkenhead Park on 2nd January 1888. At Birkenhead Park the SH&DR made an end on connection with the Mersey Railway which had an underground route that passed under the River Mersey connecting Liverpool and Birkenhead.
Warren station was located on the section of line between Wallasey (Later to become Wallasey Grove Road) and New Brighton on the east side of Sea Road over which the line passed on a bridge. The station was in an isolated coastal location surrounded by sand dunes. It appears that Warren was not complete when the section of line to New Brighton opened. It was inspected by Major-General Hutchinson on 16th August 1888. He asked that certain alterations be made including the provision of an exit from the down platform, the installation of catch points on the down line and the repositioning of signals. He did however give permission for the station to open ahead of the alterations. The SH&DR completed the works by 27th September 1888 and reported the fact in a letter to Major-General Hutchinson.
The New Brighton branch was built as a double track railway and Warren had two platforms. The main facilities were on the up platform (Birkenhead direction) in a single storey building. A simple waiting shelter was provided on the down platform (New Brighton direction). A barrow crossing linked the platforms.
Access to the station was via a path that linked it to Sea Road and to Warren Drive.
At the time of opening Warren was served by trains running between New Brighton and Birkenhead Park with some through coaches to Liverpool. Being in an isolated position, passenger numbers at Warren were low and despite the development of a golf course to the south of the station the service was reduced and most trains passed through without stopping.
The SH&DR became the Wirral Railway (WR) on 1st July 1891. From 1st June 1895 a service between New Brighton and Seacombe was introduced using a new branch that had opened from Seacombe Junction to Seacombe Ferry.
The December 1895 timetable showed Warren as having only two trains per day. In the up direction there was a 10.56am service to Birkenhead Park and in the down a 10.44am to New Brighton. This reflected how little used Warren was. For the rest of its existence the station mostly had one train each way per day but occasionally there was a full service. The WR closed Warren on 1st October 1915. The down platform was demolished shortly after closure.
Although Warren station was not a success, the New Brighton branch was very busy from the day it opened as it served a popular seaside town which by the early 20th century was attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. In January 1923, the line became part of the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) who in 1938 electrified it allowing through services to run to Liverpool via the Mersey Railway. The up platform and building were demolished early in the electrification era leaving no trace of the station.
On 1st January 1948, the branch became part of British Railways London Midland Region and in the early 1970s it was branded as the Merseyrail Wirral Line. In October 2006, engineering on the line exposed the foundations of Warren’s up platform for a brief period.
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65 Comments on “Wirral’s Old Railway Stations #14”
Choo choo.
So last batch and then you have to put your train set away?
They’ve built houses on top of the platform? Where’s the foundations?
Why not extend the line from Grange Lane to Conway Park? As it stands there, if you want to travel from Grange Lane to Conway Park you would need three trains and three changes.
Grange Lane to Birkenhead Central
Change train.
Birkenhead Central to Hamilton Square
Change train.
Hamilton Square to Conway Park
Arrive.
Doesn’t make sense.
Makes even less sense because Grange Lane and Conway Park were never there at the same time. Warren closed in 1915 and Conway Park wasn’t built until about the 1990s
Have you remembered which was the puff puff and which was the chuff chuff yet?
Serious question for a chance. Dave, did you actually get on steam trains back then?
No and it is annoying.
Yes just about. Steam was phased out in favour of diesel at the end of the 1960s from memory. I was ten at the end of 1970, so only just about remember the end of the age of steam.
Although Chimpton will probably tell you I was on The Rocket’s first journey!
What will we do when these last few stations have been finished?
When you finish all the train stations you could cover all the ferry boats?
Fantastic idea, I just might look into that… or Bimbo can!!
Or you could change your avatar it looks like you have balls on your chin wearing eyeliner
and you’re in a wheelchair!! Come on now.
What wheelchair? It’s a comfy chair Greta!!
Lockdown makes you do mad things, I now have pink hair!!
I took a shot of Sputnik at 3am in an abandoned warehouse near the docks. Not a problem. Vaccinations are GO!!
I love Winnie the Pooh so much.
ooaAoA HoHao OohoHOaAo haO hHaAoHhOa OhhOH!!
My mum told me once they used to eat sugar butties as kids and thinks this was perfectly ok but she gives me “the look” when my kid has a can of Pepsi Max!
There’s been so many stations!!! I feel like I know a lot more about that area. :0)
What the Christ has the Pope been arrested? Stop it now!
It’s fake news… a rumour!!
what the fuck have i just read, moira!?
If you play football in a Scottish League why would you want to do a training session in Dubai? No wonder Celtic are letting Rangers win the league! Surely a better advantage would be to train in fucking Svalbard?
Good for Morrisons
Should have been happening ages ago
Big signs
NO MASK
NO SERVICE
DO ONE
I’ve had edibles and now I have to put bedding on WITH a back I pulled earlier today AND I’m baking cookies. I deserve my hairy legs getting tickled!!
Blessed are the toasty makers.
The Elephant Man never gets up and goes: “Oh, me hair’s a bit of a mess today.”
He’s the apple of my pie.
The dinosaurs love to be looked at.
open the fucking salons boris youve got birds walking round looking like bricklayers. i look like i should be manning the cement mixer.
What happened to Curly from Corrie?
I gave away all my beautiful dresses and heels because let’s face it. It’s all stretch pants from here on out.
Men were a mistake!!
Dad’s still waiting for his jab.
He’s 83, but he’s been practising his uppercut on the off-chance he ever gets to meet Matt Hancock.
We make great coffee!
My human says I have a very superior look on my face today, I haven’t a clue what she’s talking about. I think that sometimes she forgets I’m a cat. Are all humans like that? I hope mine isn’t the only one.
“I don’t want to complain, but my tail’s cold. Lost all feeling.”
“Poor old Eeyore! I’ll dry it for you,” said Christopher Robin. “Thank you. You’re the only one who understands about tails. To the others it’s just a Little Bit Extra at the back.”
It’s fuckin’ cold!!
Rolf report 12 Jan
My friend Ana from the university library says I’m a deeply mindful cat, as I’m always fully present in the moment. Yesterday I was snoozing in the window. Yet I was firmly anchored by my claws & the merest sound from a creature in my garden snaps me to action.
Rolf x
Good morning and welcome to Tuna Tuesday.
There’s too much going on in the world now. That’s why Post It notes were invented.
Sitting here watching someone walk around drinking coffee out MY mug!
Good morning
Any kid from my generation who did their homework from school are without a doubt 100% certified registered paedophiles now.
Let’s do some Tuesday.
I just saw a woman wearing a sweatshirt with ‘Guess’ on it.
I said, ‘Thyroid problem?’
Am I the only person over 70 who doesn’t know anybody who’s had a jab yet?
I’m tryin’ to work out what would happen with the sea if it didn’t work. If jellyfish weren’t in there.
Breakfast was a couple of hours ago, I’ve only had one snack since then & now they tell me it’s 2 hours 20 minutes exactly until lunch. I’m wasting away, going to resort to hunting my own if it gets any worse.
Bing -Bong, Ladies & Gentlemen
This day today is National Kiss a Ginger Day
I’m waiting…
Ave just been to Breck Rd to pay be dads bills … that furniture shop next to the library is open ‘click an collect’ this worlds mad
Hi Marcus Rashford, get Boris to give us the £30 and we will give the kids 5 times as much food as the government is giving them, WITH a pint!
Lockdown 1 was a dream compared to this!
one of my mates is in hospital with breathing problems bc of covid and another of my mates is having tests bc she had covid over xmas and it has attacked her internal organs. but there’s still little divvies on here saying the virus doesn’t exist. piss off!
Peanut is deep in contemplation.
Hanging around outside Woodside Cafe waiting for someone to throw a scone out the window… or a slice of toast… or ANYTHING!!
It’s kiss a ginger day. Who wants neckin? x
I’m still dead.
“For everyone who’s been asking”
No ones been asking!!
I can either do 7’s home schooling or work but I can’t do both it seems.
How many times does this government have to slap us in the face before we react?
I’m off! Had enough internet for one day.
Being in isolation is definitely not where the craic is however… I got my Teddy Fresh hoodie in the post today and ngl the bright colours have convinced my brain that all is gravy baby!
After Matt Hancock declares the UK is at the “worst point” of the pandemic, Joe Wicks says he’s only trying to help.