As well as improving the environment around Goostrey Station, members of FoGS are interested in the history of our local railway. A few years ago they restored an oil lamp that used to illuminate the platform and they retrieved the keystone of the former road bridge; now both are mounted on the wall at the end of platform one.

Recently they located a boundary post – a marker which showed the limit of railway land – in the old sidings. Often these posts were used where it was difficult to install a fence or hedge, where there was a risk of encroachment by other landowners, or where there had been a dispute over land ownership. So we expect to find more at Goostrey. A boundary post has a very long base that was buried deep in the ground to discourage landowners from digging it up and moving it! The inscription explains its function and reads “L & N W Ry Co Boundary Post”.  It was probably made in the foundry at the London & North Western Railway’s Crewe works.

The LNWR was formed in 1846 by the amalgamation of three major railway companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway (which in practice only ran from Manchester to Crewe). The network linked London to Birmingham, Cheshire, Liverpool, Manchester, Wales and Ireland. The company built rolling stock and locomotives at three major centres: Crewe, Earlestown and Wolverton.  The locomotives were painted ‘blackberry black’ and their coaches ‘purple lake’, which gave them a distinctive appearance amongst the green, chocolate and cream of the Great Western Railway and the red of the Midland Railway.  In 1923, the LNWR was absorbed into the London, Midland & Scottish Railway.  It joined with the Midland, Lancashire & Yorkshire, Caledonian, Glasgow South Western, Highland, North Stafford, Furness and a few smaller railways.

If you have photos or stories about the history of Goostrey railway station that you could share with FoGS, please get in touch with Chris Burgess on 07976 894737.

News from Friends of Goostrey Station ….

Are you wanting some gentle exercise in the fresh air?  Then look no further than Goostrey station – you’ll get a warm welcome from Friends of Goostrey Station!

We’re glad that we continue to make the station a pleasant place to visit and we’re extremely proud that our efforts have been recognised both locally and nationally.  But it’s important that improvements continue to be made – and so we’re encouraging new people to join us. Volunteers of all ages are needed.

In December, we were delighted to welcome Ian Conway and his wife Cath to Goostrey.  Ian volunteers with a group that supports the Lakes Line and Furness Railway, so he was interested to compare his experiences with ours.  Cath was keen to see where, forty years ago, her father Richardson Irving worked with Frank Pointon – where they sold tickets, signalled the train to depart and cleaned the toilets.  She was surprised that there were six employees when Goostrey station opened in 1891. But she told us that Richardson and Frank looked after the station so well, including tending the gardens on the ‘up side of the line’, that Goostrey featured in an article in the Cheshire Life magazine.

FoGS volunteers meet on the third Sunday of each month; the first session in 2023 is on 15th January. There’s a car park at the station, but you could choose greener transport by walking or cycling (there’s a new rack for your bike!).  You may have noticed a smart new noticeboard at the entrance to platform one.  It’s there to help us to publicise FoGS and Goostrey Art Studio more effectively.  For more information, have a look at our website or contact our chair Dave Roberts on 07494 976779.

News from Goostrey Art Studio – a creative hub for our local community ….

Autumn 2022 has proved a busy but rewarding time for Debbie Goldsmith!

She was thrilled that her painting ‘Mostly Sunny’ won first prize in the Inch Arts Winter exhibition. The judge Tom Croft was Sky Portrait Artist of the Year in 2018.  If you’d like to see Debbie’s work and the other entries, the exhibition continues at Inch Arts Gallery in Altrincham until 11 February 2023.

During November, in her role as the resident professional artist at Goostrey Art Studio, Debbie organised 3 successful workshops for local Beavers and Cubs. The children enjoyed using paper craft to make poppies for the Remembrance service at St Luke’s Goostrey, and to create fox and dog masks for fun.

Building on the success of the Big Draw at Crewe Heritage Centre which was part of a celebration of 185 years of the railway in the town, Debbie represented Friends of Goostrey Station at the Northern Community Rail Conference.  She provided a mindful colouring activity which was very well received by those who attended.

If you’re interested in attending a workshop or in bringing a group to Goostrey Art Studio, please contact Debbie Goldsmith on deborahgoldsmith@me.com

The Friends  of Reddish South Station are promoting A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols ….

The Friends of Handforth Station (FoHS) organised an Art Trail in the village at the end of Summer. Some 30 pictures by Manchester artist Eamonn Murphy, illustrating stations along the Crewe to Manchester railway line and their local places of interest, were displayed at various places throughout Handforth.

People used leaflets produced by the FoHS to walk through the village, admiring the various pictures. They also entered a competition, in which they were asked to note which pictures were displayed where.

The winners of the competition were delighted to meet Eamonn at the Handforth Lights Switch-On event on Saturday 26^th November. He presented each of them with their prize, which was a signed print of the picture of their choice.

Barbara Fenner, who chose a picture of one of the Marple Locks, said “Thank you so much for the lovely prize. It was an unexpected surprise because I was a last-minute entrant.”

Oliver, aged 13, said “I chose a picture of a train because I love travelling on trains and it reminds me of the freedom I have to go to different places using the train”.

Jenny Barnes, the Chair of Friends of Handforth Station said “Eamonn’s wonderful pictures, owned by the Crewe to Manchester Community Railway Partnership, are moving from town to town in the area. We are very grateful to local shops and businesses for participating in the Art Trail.”

“This initiative is part of our efforts to link the Handforth Community to its railway station, and to help encourage knowledge and use of the local train line,” she added.