Steeple House railway station

The line through the station was opened in the 1830s to meet the Cromford Canal at Cromford on the River Derwent on the eastern part of the Peak Forest in Derbyshire.{{cite book |last1=Glover |first1=Stephen |title=The Peak Guide: Containing the Topographical, Statistical, and General History of Buxton, Chatsworth, Edensor, Castlteon [!] Bakewell, Haddon, Matlock, and Cromford; with an Introduction, Giving a Succinct Account of the Trade and Manufactures of the County; an Alphabetical List of Noblemen and Gentlemen's Seats, and Several Road Sketches ... |date=1830 |publisher=publisher |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Peak_Guide/rhkvAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Cromford+Canal+to+Steeple+House&pg=PR32&printsec=frontcover |access-date=1 February 2025 |ref=Road Sketches |language=en}} It was then built to meet the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge in the Peak District at the western side of Derbyshire.{{cite book |last1=Buckley |first1=Norman |title=Peak District Walking on the Level |date=2004 |publisher=Sigma Leisure |isbn=978-1-85058-811-5 |page=28 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Peak_District_Walking_on_the_Level/O1Nq1VuWlwMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Peak+District+Canal+to+Cromford+Canal+railway&pg=PA118&printsec=frontcover |access-date=1 February 2025 |ref=Cromford and the Canal |language=en}} The opening of this line allowed for goods traders from Manchester and surrounding areas to trade with the wider East Midlands and offered a far more direct connection than the canal did thus making it much easier for traders to transfer and receive goods by rail than boat.{{cite web |title=History |url=https://www.sglr.co.uk/history |website=Steeple Grange Light Railway |access-date=1 February 2025 |language=en}}

File:High Peak Railway at Steeplehouse Spring 1967 (geograph 2794872).jpg

The station at Steeple House opened in 1855,{{cite book |title=English Mechanics and the World of Science |date=1866 |page=106 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/English_Mechanics_and_the_World_of_Scien/VEZCAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=steeplehouse+and+wirksworth+railway+station&pg=PA106&printsec=frontcover |access-date=1 February 2025 |language=en}} along with the stations at Middleton, Hopton, Longcliffe and Friden. It was located midway between the Middleton Incline and High Peak Junction. Due to the line being primarily used for movement of freight and goods, passenger services were not given priority and thus due to the amount of sidings and shunting movements along the line. Journeys were very slow and due to the limited populated places along the route, it was a sparsely populated part of the Peak District stops were opened. There was originally a bill to try and introduce through passenger services between Buxton and Steeple House but this was not approved.{{cite book |last1=Nicholson |first1=Christopher |last2=Barnes |first2=Peter |title=Railways in the Peak District: A History |date=15 January 2020 |publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited |isbn=978-1-4456-9385-9 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Railways_in_the_Peak_District/qj3KDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=steeplehouse+and+wirksworth+railway+station+ashbourne+line&pg=PT116&printsec=frontcover |access-date=1 February 2025 |language=en}} The only main populated places along this route would have been Cromford, Wirksworth, Buxton and Whaley Bridge. The line did offer though a convenient connection at Parsley Hay for both the Ashbourne Line and the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway (now part of the Derwent Valley Line at Whatstandwell Bridge.

File:Dark Lane Quarry (geograph 3671234).jpg]]

The station was closed in 1876 to passengers.{{cite book |title=Railway News, Finance and Joint-stock Companies' Journal |date=1864 |page=832 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Railway_News_Finance_and_Joint_stock_Com/0Ak1AQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=steeplehouse+and+wirksworth+railway+station+closed+passengers&pg=PA832&printsec=frontcover |access-date=1 February 2025 |ref=The Mountain Railway |language=en}} After closure to passengers, a new branch line was opened by the London and North Western Railway nicknamed the Killer's Branch. This connected the line from northeast of the station to the Hoptonwood Stone Firms. The line ran to both the Dark Lane Quarry{{cite web |title=WIRKSWORTH-Parish Records-Wirksworth Today |url=http://www.wirksworth.org.uk/a06w-tod.htm |website=www.wirksworth.org.uk |access-date=1 February 2025}} and the Hoptonwood Stone Quarry.{{cite web |title=MDR13552 - Hoptonwood Quarry, Via Gellia, Middleton - Derbyshire Historic Environment Record |url=https://her.derbyshire.gov.uk/Monument/MDR13552 |website=her.derbyshire.gov.uk |access-date=1 February 2025 |language=en-gb}} This line opened in 1884 and continued to be used for freight until 1967. The line has been partly repurposed for the Steeple Grange Light Railway.

A goods station was opened near the site named "Steeplehouse & Wirksworth Goods Yard". It consisted of three sidings and a few goods sheds. Mostly for moving mineral and quarry traffic.{{Cite web |title=WIRKSWORTH-Parish Records-CHPR Cromford & High Peak railway |url=http://www.wirksworth.org.uk/CHPR.htm |access-date=2020-10-13 |website=www.wirksworth.org.uk}}{{cite web |last1=McCarthy |first1=P J |date=November 2001 |title=A Chronology of the CROMFORD & HIGH PEAK RAILWAY and associated events |url=https://rchs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Cromford-High-Peak-Railway-Nov-2001.pdf |accessdate=13 October 2020 |website=RAILWAY & CANAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY}}There were several sidings around the station serving limestone quarries.{{Cite web |title=1:25,000 map Sheet SK25, Revised: 1938 - 1949, Published: 1951 |url=https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=53.09503&lon=-1.57850&layers=10&b=13&marker=53.469642,-2.1821648 |access-date=2023-02-20 |website=maps.nls.uk}} The line remained in use until 21 April 1967, when it closed to all mineral traffic.{{Cite book |title=Modern Railways |date=July 1967 |pages=398}} Traffic along the line began to see slight decline in the 1960s and then by 1967, the railway was closed through station.{{cite book |last1=Evans |first1=John |title=The Cromford & High Peak Railway in Colour |date=15 July 2017 |publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited |isbn=978-1-4456-6409-5 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Cromford_High_Peak_Railway_in_Colour/FWAuDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=1967+cromford+and+high+peak+railway+closed&pg=PT33&printsec=frontcover |access-date=1 February 2025 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Cromford & High Peak Railway |url=https://www.bigginhall.co.uk/things-to-do/industrial-archaeology/cromford-high-peak-railway.html#:~:text=The%20line%20was%20not%20profitable,closed%20on%2021%20April%201967. |website=www.bigginhall.co.uk |access-date=1 February 2025}} It was later purchased by Derbyshire County Council in 1971 to be repurposed for the High Peak Trail, using both the trackbed and station site through Steeple House between Parsley Hay on the Tissington Trail and near High Peak Junction at Cromford.

The National Stone Centre located near to the site and the track bed forms part of the High Peak Trail.{{Cite web|title=Disused Stations: Parsley Hay Station|url=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/p/parsley_hay/index.shtml|access-date=2020-10-13|website=www.disused-stations.org.uk}} A section of the former line is used by the Steeplehouse Grange Light Railway.{{Cite web|title=CalmView: Overview|url=https://calmview.derbyshire.gov.uk/calmview/overview.aspx?src=calmview.catalog&q=refno:D6367*|access-date=2020-10-13|website=calmview.derbyshire.gov.uk}}{{Cite web|title=WIRKSWORTH-Parish Records-CHPR Cromford & High Peak railway|url=http://www.wirksworth.org.uk/CHPR.htm|access-date=2020-10-13|website=www.wirksworth.org.uk}}{{cite web |last1=McCarthy |first1=P J |title=A Chronology of the CROMFORD & HIGH PEAK RAILWAY and associated events |url=https://rchs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Cromford-High-Peak-Railway-Nov-2001.pdf |website=RAILWAY & CANAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY |accessdate=13 October 2020 |date=November 2001}}

{{Disused Rail Start}}

{{rail line|previous=Middleton|next={{rws|Whatstandwell Bridge}}|route=Cromford and High Peak Railway|col={{NSR colour}}}}

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Category:Disused railway stations in Derbyshire

Category:1855 establishments in England

Category:Wirksworth