Adderley Railway Station was built by the Nantwich and Market Drayton Railway. It opened in 1863 one day after the Market Drayton Station which opened on 19th October 1863 and Adderley on the 20th October. The line was from the start run by The Great Western Railway. The Nantwich and Market Drayton Railway eventually merged with The Great Western Railway. The line was nationalised in 1948 and became part of British Railways. The line was closed to passengers in 1963 by the British Railway Board. The last freight train went through Adderley Station in 1967.
Following the closure, In the late 60s, the track lifting began. A lot of the sleepers were sold to local farmers, who found use for them in building farm structures. The railway cuttings or batters were bought by local farmers where they bordered their land. Some pieces of land were bought by locals who built houses on them.
My early recollections of Adderley Railway Station – by Geoffrey Butter
I was born in 1956 and the passenger side of the railway line closed in 1963. I therefore only have limited memories of Adderley Railway Station. My first trip would have been on a Wednesday to the weekly market in Market Drayton. I would have travelled with my mum and was around 6 or 7 years old. I can remember shopping at the outdoor market and the strong smell of the cheese. Coming from Adderley the town seemed like a huge, noisy place. The carriage we travelled in was a small compartment with soft bouncy seats, leather door handles and a roof rack to store your coat on. On the route you could see the back of the farms around Adderley and the different cow herds. In the distance you could see boats on the canal and when we arrived at Market Drayton Station it was smokey and steamy.
I also remember my cousin, Tony Butter, taking us on the train to see a picture film at the Hippodrome Cinema. I believe we saw Pinocchio. I must have travelled on the train no more than 10 times.
The freight/goods side of the line was still going until 1967, when we were living at 3 Greenbank in Adderley which was right in front of the railway line.
It was an event when the train came through the village and me and my brothers would rush to the fence to see it. Others standing near the bridge would get covered in smoke. The trains carried goods such as farm machinery and livestock.
As the volume of trains passing through the village reduced, the tracks and batters became more a playground for local children.In 1967 the last goods train passed through the village. Most of the tracks of the railway have become a wildlife sanctuary for many animals including badgers, foxes, rabbits, stoats, weasels, pheasants, finches and other birds. Houses have also been built in some areas where the track used to be. There were a number of goats belonging to Pool House who thrived living on the railway banks by the station.
Frank’s canalside blooms bring glory to village