High Shields railway station explained

High Shields
Status:Disused
Borough:High Shields, South Tyneside
Country:England
Coordinates:54.9907°N -1.4403°W
Grid Name:Grid reference
Platforms:2
Original:Brandling Junction Railway Company
Pregroup:North Eastern Railway
Postgroup:London and North Eastern Railway
Events:Opened as South Shields
Years1:17 December 1842
Events1:Resited and opened as High Shields
Years2:1879
Events2:Resited again
Events3:Closed

High Shields railway station served the suburb of High Shields, South Tyneside, England, from 1842 to 1981 on the Brandling Junction Railway.

History

The station was opened as South Shields on 19 June 1839 by the Brandling Junction Railway Company. Despite its name, it was actually in High Shields. It was known as Market Place in the local newspaper. It was resited to the north on 17 December 1842.[1] The new site was known as the 'Station at Grewcock's corner' in the notice upon opening.

It was resited in 1879 and closed on 1 June 1981, when the South Shields branch line was closed for conversion to a Tyne and Wear Metro route.[2] [3] The new Metro line however used the former Stanhope and Tyne Railway alignment to reach the town centre, instead of the former B.J.R route, reflecting the gradual movement of the population away from the river over the previous century, so the station was not reopened for Metro services when they began in March 1984.

The track was subsequently lifted, with the station platforms and buildings demolished - no trace now remains, as the location has been cleared and landscaped.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Quick, M E. Railway passenger stations in England, Scotland and Wales - a chronology. 2002. Railway and Canal Historical Society. Richmond. 395. 931112387.
  2. Book: Quick, M E. Railway passenger stations in England, Scotland and Wales - a chronology. 2002. Railway and Canal Historical Society. Richmond. 226. 931112387.
  3. Web site: High Shields 2nd railway station (site),... © Nigel Thompson cc-by-sa/2.0 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland. Geograph. 11 January 2022.