Railway
In 1829 the Croft branch line was built by the Stockton and Darlington Railway Company from Darlington to Croft terminus on the north bank of the Tees in Hurworth Place. Coal was brought by rail from Darlington to the terminus for road transport to destinations in South Durham and North Yorkshire. Lead from the Swaledale lead mines was also brought to Croft terminus for onward rail transport. Passenger services ran at times on the line, but it was largely a goods route. Workers' houses were built around the terminus.
On 4 January 1841 the main line between Darlington and York opened, incorporating some of the original Darlington-Croft branch line, which had been bought by the main line's developers, the Great North of England Railway. Through Hurworth Place the new line ran, and still runs, a short distance east of the original line, which remained as a branch line to serve the Croft goods yard. In March 1841 a new Croft Station opened on the main line; this was renamed Croft Spa Station in 1896 acknowledging its role in bringing visitors to the popular and established spa over the bridge at Croft-on-Tees. The goods yard, now known as Croft Depot, remained in use until 1964, when it was demolished, the branch line taken up and the site redeveloped for residential use. Croft Spa station closed to passengers in 1969 and the platforms and station buildings were demolished.
Read more about this topic: Hurworth Place
Famous quotes containing the word railway:
“Her personality had an architectonic quality; I think of her when I see some of the great London railway termini, especially St. Pancras, with its soot and turrets, and she overshadowed her own daughters, whom she did not understand—my mother, who liked things to be nice; my dotty aunt. But my mother had not the strength to put even some physical distance between them, let alone keep the old monster at emotional arm’s length.”
—Angela Carter (1940–1992)