Heaton Park Station

“MODEL STATIONS” – A short time since we announced the opening of a new section of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company's system, connecting Manchester and Whitefield. The new line is about six miles in length, and it is proposed to ultimately extend it to Bury. The present extension affords a boon to the residents at Crumpsall and Heaton Park, who have hitherto had to fall back upon buses as the only means of regular communication with Manchester. The construction of the line, though somewhat costly, will, we have little doubt, prove a profitable scheme, and will also materially benefit the neighbourhoods of Crumpsall and Heaton Park, by holding out an important inducement to people to reside there. The stations erected at these two places are, according to Major Marindin, the Board of Trade inspector, "model stations." They certainly are well-planned and comfortable places, very much above the average of small roadside stations, and totally unlike any we have seen before on the Lancashire and Yorkshire system. The line being considerably below the road level makes the arrangement of the station buildings a matter of consideration. At Crumpsall the road runs parallel with the line. The booking office and general waiting-room forms the entrance to the station. This room is 16 yards by 10 yards, the booking office being formed by means of a partition. From this room exit is made on to a covered bridge crossing the line, with stairs down to the platforms, the first flight being to the Whitefield platform, and the other to the Manchester one. The total length of the platform is 200 yards by 4 yards, the covered-in portion being 40 yards by 9 yards. This covered portion extends the whole width of the platform, as will be seen from the figures given, a convenience not usually afforded to passengers at stations of this class. The accommodation, in the shape of waiting-rooms, &c, is conveniently arranged, though Ave think a little more waiting-room accommodation might with propriety, both as regards expense and traffic have been provided at Crumpsall. There are ladies' and gentlemen's waiting-rooms on either platform, together with conveniences. One good idea in connection with the planning of these stations is the placing of the lamp-room and the porters'-room in a small detached block a little distance from the rest of the buildings. This arrangement might with advantage be reproduced in future station erections. Heaton Park Station differs from that at Crumpsall only in the placing of the booking-office room, which, owing to the road crossing the railway, is situated on the tunnel midway between the two platforms, so that the covered bridge connecting the platforms is entered from this room exactly in the centre. The buildings are all of brick, faced with the Ruabon white bricks, supplied by Mr. J. C. Edwards. Hawskley's patent steps have been used in the approaches to the bridges, and the platforms are laid with blue grooved paving bricks, supplied by Messrs. Park, of Brinscall. The coping stones of the platforms are about 4 feet wide, having a projection of about a foot. This latter idea is a very good one, allowing as it does more ground space than usual between the platform and the metals in case of accident. For the glazed portions of the roofs of both stations, equalling about 8,000 feet, Shelley's patent has been used. In the British Architect, of the 31st of January last, we fully described this system of glazing, and though we had not at that time seen it in practical use, felt able from examination of the principles of its construction in recommending its adoption. That recommendation we can still further endorse after seeing its application at the Heaton and Crumpsall Stations. We were enabled to test our inspection of it at the stations, and our previously formed opinion by an examination of a full-sized model of the system. The details fully explained by us in our notice of the patent are so exceedingly simple, and withal possess so much solidity of construction about them as to make Mr. Shelley's invention one of real practical merit. Mr. Green, the architect to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, confirms our opinion of the practicability of Messrs. Shelley & Co.'s glazing, by informing us that he considered the system one of the best at present in use. In point of maintenance he considered it was very valuable, for, as far as he could judge, no repairs, save the replacing of a broken square, would probably be required. Expansion and contraction are effectually provided for by the packing of the glass in the grooves of the iron bars with vulcanised india-rubber. If repairs are needed to any portion of the roofs, planks thrown across the bars are all the scaffolding needed, the bars being of sufficient strength to support the weight required in such cases. We are glad to have had this opportunity of again bringing Messrs. Shelley's system to the notice of our readers, and the more so because we can do so with increased confidence as to its practical utility as a method of glazing. (Messrs Shelley, we may here mention, have been commissioned to execute about 0,000 feet of glazing at the Pontypridd new station on the Taff Yale Railway. They have also done work for the London and North Western Railway Company in South Wales, and have on the way glazing at the museum at Leicester. The glazing at a large machinery manufactory in Belfast has been executed by them, the constant vibration, we are given to understand, not at all affecting the glazed portion of the roofs. The Radcliffe station roofs on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway are also being glazed on this system, there being about 10,000 feet to be executed and the patent is, we understand, to be adopted at the alterations connected with the Victoria Station, Manchester.) Zinc roofing has also been executed at these stations by Messrs F Braby & Co., of Liverpool. Messrs. Leech Brothers, of Manchester, supplied the fire grates, etc. The architect for the stations is Mr. Green, the company's architect, and Major Marindin's compliment is, perhaps, the best criterion as to the improvement Mr. Green has effected in the designing of small roadside stations. The engineer for the construction of the line is Mr. S. Meek, engineer to the company, Mr. W. Hunt being the assistant-engineer. Mr. J. T. Waller, of London, is the contractor for the whole of the work, Mr Enowell acting as his agent. [British Architect 17 October 1879 Page 152-153].

Reference           British Architect 17 October 1879 Page 152-153