- Blackpool Central railway station
Infobox UK disused station
name = Blackpool Central
manager =Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway /London and North Western Railway
locale =Blackpool
borough =Blackpool
platforms = 14
caption =
line =Blackpool and Lytham Railway
latitude = 53.8141 | longitude = -3.0542
gridref =
years =6 April 1863 | events = Opened as "Hounds Hill"
years1 = June 1878
events1 = Renamed "Blackpool Central"
years2 = 1901| events2 = Enlarged to 14 platforms
years3 =2 November 1964 | events3 = ClosedBlackpool Central was the largest railway station in the town of
Blackpool in the county ofLancashire ,England . It is long gone, and principal railway services to Blackpool now terminate at Blackpool North station.History
The station opened on 6 April 1863 as "Hounds Hill" and was renamed "Blackpool Central" in 1878. [Welch, p.32] Initially, it was a relatively small town centre terminus for an isolated line running along the south Fylde coast from
Lytham . In 1874 this line was connected to another branch from Lytham to Kirkham, allowing through trains from Preston and beyond. In 1901, the station was enlarged to include 14 platforms—the same number of platforms as London's busy Paddington terminus in 2006. A further development came in 1903 when an additional “Marton Line” was added, routed directly from Preston and considerably shorter and quicker. [Suggitt, p.44] [Welch, p.26] This arrangement made for very convenient and direct access to Blackpool's town centre, particularly the sea front andBlackpool Tower .Central Station was the focus of Blackpool's worst incident during
World War II . Blackpool was home base for a major flight training centre and a fighter squadron during the war. On 27 August 1941, two aircraft—a Blackburn Botha trainer and aBoulton Paul Defiant fighter—collided in midair over the sea, just off Blackpool's central seafront. The debris from the collision was strewn over a large area but a large part of it struck Central Station, causing severe damage and killing twelve people. [ [http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=4004220&mode=1 Commonwealth War Graves Commission Civilian War Dead Register - Blackpool County Borough] ]The station remained in service just long enough to see its centenary before sudden closure on 2 November 1964 [Suggitt, p.46] as a consequence of the
Beeching Axe . Part of the building was used as a bingo hall until 1973, at which point all buildings were demolished. The direct “Marton” line from Preston (which also passed through Blackpool South station) was closed in 1967, leaving a large tract of wasteland along with disused embankments and bridges.Current use of the site
The land reclaimed from the station buildings became the location of some sea front amusement arcades, a new police station and a multi-storey car park with some residual spare land used as additional flat car parking space. In the late 1980s, the derelict track bed of the central railway line was adapted into a road, Yeadon Way, connecting the town centre with the
M55 motorway . This road terminates at Blackpool Central Car Park, based at the site of the former station office. The main claim to fame for this area is thatBlackpool Illuminations are ceremonially switched on here with a large party and often local and national radio coverage. The very outer wall of the car park is the last visible remnant of the 1900 build.A large part of the sidings and other land formerly belonging to
British Rail were converted into a car park at about the same time as the road was completed. The toilets at the end near the promenade are all that remain of the station. Some of this land was used to create George Bancroft Park in 2006.Notes
GBoldmap|53.8141|-3.0542|SD|3069|3583|Blackpool Central Station
MARIO 2500=(about 1892)
NPE Maps=(1947)
Vision of Britain=y
Old OS Maps=(estimated 1925 to 1945)References
* Suggitt, G. (2003, revised 2004) "Lost Railways of Lancashire", [http://www.countrysidebooks.co.uk Countryside Books, Newbury] , ISBN 1 85306 801 2
* Welch, M.S. (2004) "Lancashire Steam Finale", Runpast Publishing, Cheltenham, ISBN 1 870754 61 1External links
* [http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/b/blackpool_centrtal/index.shtml Disused Stations—Blackpool Central]
* [http://web.ukonline.co.uk/lait/site/Botha-Defiant.htm Botha-Defiant air crash]
* [http://www.thesectionalappendix.co.uk/CLPBStF10.html British Railways in 1960, Kirkham & Wesham North Jn. to Blackpool Central]rail line
next=Blackpool South
previous=Terminus
route=Preston and Wyre Joint Railway
Marton Line (from 1903)
col=964B00rail line
next=Blackpool South
previous=Terminus
route=Blackpool and Lytham Railway
col=964B00
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