TV SHOW GIVES INSIDE TRACK ON STATION HISTORY
Architecture and days of ‘Knotty’ recalled
THE fascinating history behind Stoke Station and the days of the Knotty have been brought back to life for a TV programme.
The North Staffordshire Railway company (NSR), founded in 1845, features in the latest episode of The Architecture The Railways Built, screened on the Yesterday channel.
It reveals how the whole of Winton Square, in Stoke, was designed as a mini-rail village. As well as the station itself, there were directors’ houses alongside the North Stafford Hotel.
Historian Tim Dunn, who presents the TV series, said: “Neo-jacobean, with its striking Dutch gables and ornate brickwork, was chosen as the house style.
“It was using local materials, with lovely red brick.”
For decades, industries such as ceramics and mining were served by canals.
But when the region’s first railway arrived, it was an exciting time.
“It was a small, but punchy power player in railway folklore,” said Tim, who also got to look behind the scenes at Stoke Station during filming.
The station was NSR’S HQ and the imposing old boardroom still looks out onto Winton Square.
The railway was initially built with three lines, which linked industrial towns like Crewe, Macclesfield and Derby with Stoke-on-trent.
But the real magic of the Knotty was in the network of local stations that meandered through North Staffordshire.
Viewers got to see the former Alton station, which was on the NSR’S 27mile Churnet Valley line. Unusually, it was built in an Italianate style.
Local rail expert Aidan Croft said it was to meet the wishes of the Earl of Shrewsbury, who lived at nearby Alton Towers. He even had a luggage lift installed for his own personal use.
The station also boasted a milk shoot so milk churns could slide down from road level, ready to be loaded onto trains.
When Alton Towers was sold in the 1920s and became a tourist attraction, the station was a mecca for day trippers. “There were 20-odd trains a day,” said Aidan.
Sadly, it welcomed its last rail passengers in 1965. The station building is now used for holiday accommodation.
For the programme, Tim also travelled along the Churnet Valley Heritage Railway, which took over part of the line through ‘Staffordshire’s Little Switzerland’.
Volunteers told him about the fight to save Cheddleton Station. One campaigner even parked his Jaguar in front of a bulldozer for two days.
Then Tim travelled on to Leekbrook junction’s signal box, which was granted Grade Ii-listed status thanks to the efforts of the local volunteers.
It was a four-way junction in its heyday, with a staggering 39 signal levers.
People can catch up on The Architecture The Railways Built on UK TV Play. Series three, episode eight will be screened again on Saturday.