// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Brunswick Wharf say to the ship? "You're dock-ing in the wrong place.
Brunswick Wharf was a railway goods yard in Buglawton, Congleton, in Cheshire, England.[1][2] It was used to transport sand and coal between Congleton and the Staffordshire Potteries, along the Biddulph Valley Line.[1][3]
History
[edit]Brunswick Wharf was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) on 29 August 1860; it was the northern terminus of the Biddulph Valley line.[4] In NSR timetables it was referred to as Congleton Town.[5]
While using the line for most of the journey, goods trains heading to Brunswick Wharf would leave the Biddulph Valley Line at Congleton Lower Junction.[6] Goods trains would then follow a line underneath the North Staffordshire main line, which was used to reach Brunswick Wharf and a goods and mineral yard at Congleton railway station.[6]
Ever Saturday morning[when?], there was a sand train service from Brunswick Wharf to Warrington and St Helens;[7] the sand was used in the Lancashire glass industry.[7]
During the line's heyday, the Robert Heath-owned collieries operated private mineral trains between their various sites to and from Brunswick Wharf.[8]
When trams were being built for Manchester and other local cities, metal was brought to Brunswick Wharf to be moulded down into brake blocks for trams.[9]
The decision to close Brunswick Wharf "baffled" the staff due to how busy and well used it was.[10] The last train left Brunswick Wharf on 1 April 1968, after which it was closed.[1][3] After its closure, sand had to be brought to Congleton station and coal to Kidsgrove station.[10]
Plans were drawn up by the North Staffordshire Railway Society in the 1970s to reopen Brunswick Wharf, as part of a planned heritage railway to Biddulph station;[11] this was created in order to preserve some of the Biddulph Valley Line.[11] Due to lack of interest from Cheshire County Council and the general public, this plan was abandoned.[11]
Operation
[edit]Brunswick Wharf consisted of three sidings called Wharfs, operated by three different companies; these were:[12]
- Robbert Heath and Low Moor
- The Congleton and Industrial & Equitable Co-operative society
- H. Hargreaves & Co. Ltd, coal, coke and lime merchants.
Staff
[edit]Below is a list of staff who worked at Brunswick Wharf, with their job titles and/or employer if known:
- Harry Walton.[12]
- Mr Minshull. (Yard Forman)[12]
- John Butler.[12]
- Charles Yates.[12]
- Jack Holland.[12]
- Charlie Butler.[9]
- Frank Emery. (British Rail checker)[10]
- Fred Jackson. (British Rail loader)[10]
- Stan Woodward. (Co-op Yard Forman)[10]
- Joel Boon. (Gillow heath)[10]
- Jack Greenford.[10]
- Billy Smith.[10]
- Ralf Goodwin.[10]
- Bill Willett.[10]
- Will Shaw.[10]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Activities and Information About the Biddulph Valley Way". www.cheshireeast.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ↑ Alcock, Joan P. (30 June 2003). History & Guide Congleton. Stroud: Tempus Publishing Ltd. p. 67. ISBN 0752429469.
- 1 2 Biddulph Valley Way Explorer including Dane-in-Shaw Pasture & Timbersbrook Picnic Area (PDF). Cheshire East Council. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ↑ Jeuda, Basil (1 May 1996). THE KNOTTY An Illustrated Survey Of The North Staffordshire Railway. Lightmoor Press. p. 43. ISBN 1899889019.
- ↑ Baker, Allan C. (2023). Railways and Industries of the Biddulph Valley. Vol. One: The North Staffordshire Railway era. Lightmoor. pp. 63, 66. ISBN 9781 915069 28 3.
- 1 2 Allan. C Baker. An Illustrated History of Stoke and North Staffordshire's Railways. Irwell Press. p. 53. ISBN 1-903266-11-4.
- 1 2 Allan. C Baker. An Illustrated History of Stoke and North Staffordshire's Railways. Irwell Press. p. 57. ISBN 1-903266-11-4.
- ↑ Allan. C Baker. An Illustrated History of Stoke and North Staffordshire's Railways. Irwell Press. p. 54. ISBN 1-903266-11-4.
- 1 2 "THE LAST PAGE OF A CHAPTER And the man who has watched history made". Congleton Chronicle. 15 March 1968. p. 1.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Wharf Closes". Congleton Chronicle. 15 March 1968. p. 10.
- 1 2 3 "Our History". www.nsrailway.co.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jeuda, Basil (20 April 2014). The North Staffordshire Railway In LMS Days Volume 3. Lydney: Lightmoor Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-1899889839.