Boar's Head railway station

Boar's Head railway station served the southern part of the village of Standish.

Boar's Head
Station remains in 1962
Location	Standish, Wigan England
Coordinates	53.5736°N 2.6395°W
Grid reference	SD577087
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	North Union Railway
Pre-grouping	London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
31 October 1838	Station opened
1 December 1869	Lancashire Union Railway platforms opened
31 January 1949	Station closed

History

A 1907 Railway Clearing House Junction Diagram showing railways in the vicinity of Boar's Head (upper left)

The Wigan Branch Railway (WBR) was authorised on 29 May 1830 to connect the town of Wigan to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway at Parkside, and it opened on 3 September 1832. A railway route between Wigan and the town of Preston, in the form of the Wigan & Preston Railway, was authorised by Parliament on 22 April 1831; but before it was built, this company amalgamated with the WBR under an Act of 22 May 1834, to form the North Union Railway (NUR) - the first railway amalgamation to be sanctioned by Act of Parliament.[1] The line was opened throughout between Wigan and Preston on 31 October 1838,[2] and Boar's Head station opened the same day;[3] it was the first station on the route to the north of Wigan.[4]

The Lancashire Union Railway route between Wigan and Blackburn via Chorley was authorised on 25 July 1864; it opened on 1 November 1869 for goods trains, and one month later, on 1 December, passenger services began. The LUR diverged from the NUR to the south of Boar's Head station, where additional platforms were provided for this route. Trains on the section between Wigan and Chorley, via Boar's Head, were operated by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR).[5]

The section of the NUR between Parkside and Euxton Junction, which included Boar's Head station, was transferred to the LNWR on 26 July 1889.[6]

The station closed on 31 January 1949.[3]

Routes

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Standish Line open, station closed		London and North Western Railway North Union Railway		Wigan North Western Line and station open
	Disused railways
Red Rock Line and station closed		London and North Western Railway Lancashire Union Railway		Wigan North Western Line and station open

References

1. Marshall, John (1969). The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, volume 1. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 66. ISBN 0-7153-4352-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
2. Marshall 1969, p. 67
3. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 38. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
4. Conolly, W. Philip (January 1976). British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazetteer (5th ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 45, section D2. ISBN 0-7110-0320-3. EX/0176.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
5. Marshall, John (1970). The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, volume 2. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. pp. 27, 30. ISBN 0-7153-4906-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
6. Marshall 1969, p. 77

External links

• Boar's Head Station on navigable 1948 O.S. map