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Deansgate railway station: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 53°28′27″N 2°15′03″W / 53.4742°N 2.2508°W / 53.4742; -2.2508
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{{Short description|Railway station in Greater Manchester, England}}
{{Refimprove|date=December 2009}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2009}}
{{Infobox UK station
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
| name = Deansgate
{{Infobox station
| symbol = rail|symbol2=metrolink
| code = DGT
| name = Deansgate
| symbol_location = gb
| image_name= Knott Mill Station - geograph.org.uk - 1447337.jpg
| symbol = rail
| imagesize = x265px
| caption =
| symbol2 = metrolink
| image = Knott Mill Station - geograph.org.uk - 1447337.jpg
| manager = [[Northern Rail]]
| borough = [[Manchester city centre]], [[City of Manchester]]
| locale = [[Deansgate]]
| country = England
| borough = [[City of Manchester|Manchester]]
| coordinates = {{coord|53.4742|-2.2508|type:railwaystation_region:GB_scale:10000|display=inline,title}}
| platforms = 2
| grid_name = [[Ordnance Survey National Grid|Grid reference]]
| lowusage0405 = {{pad|1em}} 16,090
| grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|SJ834975|25|SJ834975}}
| lowusage0506 = {{decrease}} 13,550
| manager = [[Northern Trains]]
| lowusage0607 = {{increase}} 97,783<ref name="notcomparable">Figures not comparable because of changes in definition.</ref>
| platforms = 2
| lowusage0708 = {{increase}} 120,642<ref name="notcomparable"/>
| code = DGT
| lowusage0809 = {{increase}} 242,179<ref name="notcomparable"/>
| classification = [[United Kingdom railway station categories|DfT category]] D
| lowusage0910 = {{increase}} 300,355
| transit_authority = [[Transport for Greater Manchester|Greater Manchester]]
| lowusage1011 = {{increase}} 322,708
| original = [[Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway]]
| lowusage1112 = {{increase}} 354,492
| pregroup = Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
| latitude = 53.4742
| postgroup = Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway<br />[[London Midland Region of British Railways]]
| longitude = -2.2508
| owner =
| years = {{start date|1849|07|20|df=y}}
| events = Opened as ''Knot Mill and Deansgate''
| gridref = SJ834975
| years1 = ?
| original = [[Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway]]
| pregroup = Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
| events1 = Renamed ''Knott Mill and Deansgate''
| years2 = 3 May 1971
| postgroup = Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway<br />[[London Midland Region of British Railways]]
| events2 = Renamed ''Deansgate''
| years = {{start date|1849|07|20|df=y}}
| mpassengers =
| events = Opened as ''Knot Mill and Deansgate''
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{increase}} 1.323 million}}
| years1 = ?
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 0.213 million}}
| events1 = Renamed ''Knott Mill and Deansgate''
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 0.805 million}}
| years2 = 3 May 1971
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 0.968 million}}
| events2 = Renamed ''Deansgate''
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2023/24 |passengers={{increase}} 1.059 million}}
| pte = [[Transport for Greater Manchester|Greater Manchester]]
| footnotes = Passenger statistics from the [[Office of Rail and Road]]
| zone =
|mapframe=yes
|mapframe-zoom = 13
}}
}}


'''Deansgate''' is a [[railway station]] in [[Manchester]] city centre, England. It is situated approximately {{convert|1100|yd|km|0}} west of [[Manchester Piccadilly station|Manchester Piccadilly]] in the [[Castlefield]] area, at the junction of [[Deansgate]] and Whitworth Street West.
'''Deansgate''' is a [[railway station]] in [[Manchester city centre]], England; it is located {{convert|1100|yd|km|0}} west of [[Manchester Piccadilly station|Manchester Piccadilly]], close to [[Castlefield]] at the junction of [[Deansgate]] and Whitworth Street West. It is part of the [[Manchester station group]].


It is linked to [[Deansgate-Castlefield Metrolink station]] and the [[Manchester Central (Conference Centre)|Manchester Central]] Complex ''(both previously called G-Mex)'' by a footbridge built in 1985, while Deansgate Locks, the [[The Great Northern Warehouse|Great Northern Warehouse]] and the [[Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester]] are nearby.
It is linked to [[Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop]] and the [[Manchester Central Convention Complex]] by a footbridge built in 1985; Deansgate Locks, [[The Great Northern Warehouse]] and the [[Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester|Science and Industry Museum]] are also nearby.


The platforms are elevated, reached by lift or stairs, or by the walkway from the Manchester Central Complex. The ticket office, staffed full time, is between street and platform levels. There are no ticket barriers, although manual ticket checks take place on a daily basis.
The platforms are elevated, reached by lift or stairs, or by the walkway from the Manchester Central Complex. The ticket office, staffed full-time, is between street and platform levels. There are no ticket barriers, although manual ticket checks take place on a daily basis.


It is on the [[Manchester to Preston Line|Manchester to Preston]] and the [[Liverpool to Manchester Lines|Liverpool to Manchester]] lines, both heavily used by commuters. Most tickets purchased by passengers to Deansgate are issued to Manchester Stations or Manchester Central Zone, therefore actual usage is not reflected in these statistics, due to the difficulty in splitting the ticket sales correctly between the four grouped stations (Piccadilly,Victoria,Oxford Road and Deansgate).
It is on the [[Manchester–Preston line|Manchester to Preston]] and the [[Liverpool–Manchester lines]], both used heavily by commuters. Most tickets purchased by passengers to Deansgate are issued to ''Manchester Stations'' or ''Manchester Central Zone''; therefore actual usage is not reflected in these statistics, due to the difficulty in splitting the ticket sales correctly between the four grouped stations (Piccadilly, [[Manchester Victoria station|Victoria]], [[Manchester Oxford Road railway station|Oxford Road]] and Deansgate).

{{Manchester Lines North |collapse=yes}}


==History==
==History==
The original station buildings were situated on Hewitt Street.<ref name="parkinson-bailey">{{cite book |title=Manchester: An Architectural History |first=John J. |last=Parkinson-Bailey |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-71905-606-2 |page=55 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ush5WC9BM_gC&pg=PA55}}</ref> The station was opened as ''Knot Mill and Deansgate'' on 20 July 1849 by the [[Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway]]<ref name=Butt137>{{cite book |last=Butt |first=R.V.J. |title=The Directory of Railway Stations |year=1995 |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |location=Yeovil |isbn=1-85260-508-1 |id=R508 |page=137 }}</ref> (MSJAR) near the Manchester terminus ('the Knot Mill station'<ref>(advert.){{cite news|title=Bridgewater Canal Packets|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=7 December 1844|page=1}}</ref>) of the [[Bridgewater Canal]] from which travellers could catch a fast packet in 1849 which could get them to [[Liverpool]] in four and a half hours for as little as sixpence.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cheap Trips to the Manufacturing Districts|work=Liverpool Mail|date=6 October 1849|page=5}}</ref><ref>(advert.) {{cite news|title=Cheap Travelling between Manchester and Liverpool|work=Bradford Observer|date=27 September 1849|page=1}}</ref> This fare was anomalously low because of a temporary outbreak of competition between the canal and the [[London and North Western Railway]] (L&NWR);<ref>{{cite news|last1=Howarth|first1=W J|title=Answers and Comments: Travelling between Manchester and Liverpool|work=Manchester Times|date=18 November 1892|page=5}}</ref> it was back up to sixteen pence by 1853.<ref>(advert.) {{cite news|title=Bridgewater Canal Tide Packets|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=23 April 1853|page=1}}</ref>
The station was opened as Knott Mill on 20 July 1849 by the [[Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway]] (MSJAR) with wooden buildings near the site of the annual Knott Mill Fair, a decades old event, which hosted acts such as [[Pablo Fanque]]'s Circus Royal and [[George Wombwell]]'s Menagerie.<ref>Gretchen Holrook Gerzina, Editor, "Black Victorians-Black Victoriana" (Rutgers University Press: New Brunswick, NJ, 2003)</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=The Manchester Guardian|url=http://www.fairground-heritage.org.uk/newsite/learn/learn-1850KM.html|title=Knott Mill Fair, Manchester, 1850|publisher=The Fairground Heritage Trust|date=11 April 1850|accessdate=2011-09-07}}</ref> In 1884 Manchester Corporation approached the MSJAR about the station as it was an "eyesore and nuisance." Improvement plans were drawn up but it was not until 1891 that an Act was obtained to reconstruct the station and acquire the necessary land. The rebuilding was completed in 1896 and this date appears on a shield motif over the entrance. The station became Knott Mill & Deansgate around 1900 and Deansgate in 1971. Today it is sometimes known as Manchester Deansgate, and on many station information boards it is Deansgate G-Mex.
When a celebratory train ran over the line at the beginning of July 1849, a reporter for the ''[[Manchester Courier]]'' observed that most stations had permanent buildings and "at Knott Mill and Oxford-street temporary stations will in the meantime be erected."<ref>{{cite news|title=Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway – Contractors' Excursion|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=7 July 1849|page=9}}</ref> When the line opened for passenger traffic a fortnight later, the ''Courier'' reported the station at Knott Mill had opened with temporary wooden buildings.<ref name=opening>{{cite news|title=Opening of the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=21 July 1849|page=7}}</ref> The booking office was at street level; from it, "narrow, steep, troublesome steps, enough to tire anyone but athletes"<ref>{{cite news|title=The Jubilee of the Bowdon Railway|work=Manchester Times|date=5 May 1899|page=5}}</ref> led to the platforms. The station proved, according to its critics, to be "inconvenient of approach, ugly in appearance and with platform, booking office and waiting-room accommodation much cramped"<ref name="Improvements1893">{{cite news|title=Railway Improvements in Manchester|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=6 May 1893|page=7}}</ref> but accessibility was the biggest issue: for the aged, the invalid or children it was "a most difficult not to say dangerous task to climb the steep flights of steps to the platforms."<ref name="Improvements1893" />


The area was also the site of the annual Easter-tide<ref name="Fair1876" /> Knott Mill Fair,<ref>{{cite news|title=Knott Mill Fair|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=26 April 1848|page=6}} which noted the absence of Wombwell's</ref> a decades-old event which, until its abolition in 1876,<ref name="Fair1876">(advert. {{cite news|title=Manchester Fairs|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=12 August 1876|page=1}}</ref> hosted acts such as [[Pablo Fanque]]'s Circus Royal and [[George Wombwell]]'s Menagerie.<ref>Gretchen Holrook Gerzina, Editor, "Black Victorians-Black Victoriana" (Rutgers University Press: New Brunswick, NJ, 2003)</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=The Manchester Guardian |url=http://www.fairground-art.co.uk/newsite/learn/learn-1850KM.html |title=Knott Mill Fair, Manchester, 1850 |publisher=The Fairground Heritage Trust |date=11 April 1850 |access-date=2011-09-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023000238/http://www.fairground-art.co.uk/newsite/learn/learn-1850KM.html |archive-date=23 October 2013 }}</ref>
==Services==
[[File:Deansgate Station 2011.jpg|thumb|left|Platform 2 in 2011.]]
[[File:Deansgate Concourse.jpg|thumb|left|Station concourse]]
[[File:Deansgate Whitworth St. West.jpg|thumb|left|Entrance from [[Whitworth Street|Whitworth St. West]]]]
There are regular trains eastbound to [[Manchester Oxford Road]] and Manchester Piccadilly. Some through trains continue towards {{Stnlnk|Manchester Airport}}, {{Stnlnk|Stoke-on-Trent}} and {{Stnlnk|Buxton}}.


In 1860, special trains laid on in connection with the fair by both the L&NWR and the [[Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway]] (MS&LR), the joint owners of the MSJAR were not advertised as running to Knott Mill station; the LNWR excursion ran to [[Ordsall Lane railway station|Ordsall Lane]],<ref>(advert.) {{cite news|title=London and North-Western Railway – Knott Mill Fair|work=Bolton Chronicle|date=7 April 1860|page=1}}</ref> the MS&L excursion to London Road (now Piccadilly station).<ref>(advert.) {{cite news|title=Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway – Cheap Pleasure Trip from Sheffield to Manchester – Manchester Knott Mill Fair will be held in Easter week|work=Sheffield Daily Telegraph|date=27 March 1860|page=1}}</ref>)
Westbound there are regular trains to {{Stnlnk|Liverpool Lime Street}}, {{Stnlnk|Southport}} and {{Stnlnk|Blackpool North}}.


If the station was originally named ''Knot Mill and Deansgate'' by the MSJAR, from its opening onwards it was known simply as ''Knott Mill'' (or ''Knot Mill'') to the Manchester papers<ref name=opening /> and, by 1860, the railway was following suit in its advertisements.<ref>(advert.) {{cite news|title=Manchester South Junction and Altrincham and Cheshire Midland Railways – Illumination of Salt Mines at Northwich|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=20 May 1864|page=1}}</ref><ref>(advert.){{cite news|title=Manchester, South Junction, and Altrincham Railway|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=12 May 1860|page=1}}</ref> In 1864, the MS&LR gave the required notice of a bill to be brought forward in the next session of Parliament for widening part of the MSJAR "from or near Knott Mill station to Old Trafford station";<ref>{{cite news|title=In Parliament – Session 1865: Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway: (Widening of Part of Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway, &c,)|work=Morning Post|date=28 November 1864|page=7 (columns 4–5)}}</ref> however, in the same year, the accident return for an accident at Old Trafford noted that the train involved had stopped at "Knot Mill and left that station..."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Tyler|first1=H W|title=Accident at Old Trafford on 6th August 1864|url=http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/eventsummary.php?eventID=2641|website=Railways Archive : Accident Archive|publisher=(originally Board of Trade accident return)|access-date=6 February 2018}}</ref>
==Metrolink==
{{main|Deansgate-Castlefield Metrolink station}}


Following the widening and improvement of the southern portion of [[Deansgate]], a correspondent to the ''Manchester Courier'' suggested in 1880 that the station be renamed ''Deansgate'': "Very few lady passengers who have shopping to do in Deansgate make use of the Knot Mill station. If they are aware of its nearness, perhaps they are waiting for the station and its approaches to be improved"<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lever|first1=Ellis|title=Manchester and Salford One City|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=3 July 1880|page=10}}</ref> A public meeting in October 1884 complained that Knott Mill station was altogether inadequate for the newly improved district; the MSJAR was therefore in breach of its Act of Parliament which required it to provide sufficient station accommodation: the Improvement Committee of Manchester Corporation was called upon to exert pressure on the MSJAR.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Accommodation at Knott Mill Railway Station|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=10 October 1884|page=7}}</ref>
==Notes==
<references/>


A deputation from the Improvement Committee duly met directors of the railway to urge them to improve the "dingy" and "long-neglected" station.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Municipal Elections: Manchester: St John's Ward|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=29 October 1884|page=8}}</ref> Improvement plans were drawn up but an impasse was reached; the MSJAR's joint owners (the L&NWR and the MS&LR) disagreed on how much they should spend on improvement<ref>{{cite news|title=Railway Communication with North Wales|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=25 May 1889|page=8}}</ref> and Manchester Corporation were unhappy with any narrowing of adjacent streets to accommodate an enlarged station.<ref>as noted (for example) in {{cite news|title=Proposed New Railway Station at Knott Mill|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=2 January 1892|page=7}}</ref> Not until 1892 was a plan devised that was acceptable to all of the interested parties.<ref>{{cite news|title=Manchester City Council|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=28 May 1892|page=9}}</ref> Negotiations to purchase the required land were protracted, with Manchester Corporation eventually offering to exercise its powers of compulsory purchase to assist the railway, but the work finally went out for tender in January 1895.<ref>(advert.) {{cite news|title=Contracts – To Builders and Contractors|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=21 January 1895|page=1}}</ref> Work started in March 1895. By June 1895, a temporary entrance from Gaythorn Street had to be used and the previous entrance from Deansgate was closed;<ref>(advert.) {{cite news|title=Manchester, South Junction, and Altrincham Railway – Knott Mill Station Alterations|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=17 June 1895|page=1}}</ref> it was completed in September 1896;<ref>{{cite news|title=Knott Mill Station|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=19 September 1896|page=18}}</ref> the latter year appears (in a shield) as part of the decorative stonework over the entrance. The station name is given there as simply ''Knott Mill Station''.
{{Rail start}}
{{Rail line|next={{Stnlnk|Salford Crescent}}|previous={{Stnlnk|Manchester Oxford Road}}|route=[[TransPennine Express]]<br><small>[[TransPennine North West]]</small> |col={{FTPX colour}} }}
{{Rail line |previous={{Stnlnk|Trafford Park}}<br><small>{{Stnlnk|Urmston}} on Sundays</small> |next={{Stnlnk|Manchester Oxford Road}}|route=[[Northern Rail]]<br><small>[[Liverpool to Manchester Line]]</small> |col={{Northern colour}} }}


The station is now a Grade II listed building.<ref>"Whitworth Street West – Deansgate Railway Station. Grade II. 20.8.98" {{cite web|title=Listed buildings in Manchester by street (W)|url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/514/listed_buildings_register/1908/a-z_of_listed_buildings_in_manchester/22|website=Manchester City Council: A-Z of Listed Buildings in Manchester|publisher=Manchester City Council|access-date=6 December 2017}}</ref> Its [[battlement]]ed architectural feature, visible at its corner, is intended to mirror similar features in the nearby viaducts, all of which in turn incorporated the design in recognition of the Roman fort that once stood in the Castlefield area.<ref name="parkinson-bailey"/>
{{Rail line|next=[[Manchester United Football Ground railway station|Manchester United<br> Football Ground]]|previous={{Stnlnk|Manchester Oxford Road}}|route=[[Northern Rail]]<br><small>[[Liverpool to Manchester Line]]<br>(Matchdays only)</small> |col={{Northern colour}} }}

{{Rail line|next={{Stnlnk|Salford Crescent}}|previous=[[Manchester Oxford Road railway station|Manchester Oxford Road]]|route=[[Northern Rail]]<br><small>[[Manchester to Preston Line]]</small> |col={{Northern colour}} }}
The station became ''Knott Mill and Deansgate'' for railway purposes in around 1900;<ref name=Butt137 /> to the local press, it remained ''Knott Mill'' station. It was renamed ''Deansgate'' on 3 May 1971.<ref>{{harvnb|Butt|1995|pp=137, 77}}</ref> It is sometimes known as ''Manchester Deansgate'' and on many station information boards it is [[Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop|Deansgate G-Mex]].

The station name ''Deansgate'' was formerly used for the [[Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)|Great Northern Railway]] goods station<ref>{{cite news|title=Railway Enterprise in Manchester: The Great Northern Company's Goods Station|work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|date=1 July 1898|page=8}}</ref> serving the [[Great Northern Warehouse]] next to [[Manchester Central railway station]]. This is now a Grade II* listed, as the ''Deansgate Goods Station'' building.<ref>"Watson Street – Deansgate Goods Station. Grade II*. 4.5.79. (Upgraded 2.4.96.)" {{cite web|title=Listed buildings in Manchester by street (W)|url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/514/listed_buildings_register/1908/a-z_of_listed_buildings_in_manchester/22|website=Manchester City Council: A-Z of Listed Buildings in Manchester|publisher=Manchester City Council|access-date=6 December 2017}}</ref>

==Services==
[[File:Deansgate Station 2011.jpg|thumb|Platform 2 in 2011]]
[[File:Deansgate Concourse.jpg|thumb|Station concourse]]
[[File:Deansgate Whitworth St. West.jpg|thumb|Entrance from [[Whitworth Street|Whitworth St. West]]]]

All services at this station are operated by [[Northern Trains|Northern]]. The typical off-peak service pattern is:<ref>{{cite web |title = Northern Trains – Timetables |url = https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/travel/timetables |publisher = Northern |access-date = 11 December 2022}}</ref>
* 1tph to {{rws|Lancaster}}, including
** 11tpd continuing to {{rws|Barrow-in-Furness}}
** 4tpd continuing to {{rws|Windermere}}
* 2tph to {{rws|Blackpool North}}
* 1tph to {{rws|Southport}} via {{rws|Bolton}}
* 1tph to {{rws|Liverpool Lime Street}} via {{rws|Newton-le-Willows}}
* 1tph to Liverpool Lime Street via {{rws|Warrington Central}}
* 2tph to {{rws|Manchester Oxford Road}}
* 4tph to {{stn|Manchester Airport}}
All eastbound trains call at Manchester Oxford Road; those that continue to Manchester Airport also call at {{stn|Manchester Piccadilly}}.

{{s-rail-start|noclear=yes}}
{{s-rail|title=National Rail}}
{{s-rail-national |previous=Urmston|next=Manchester Oxford Road|toc=Northern Trains|route=Liverpool to Manchester via Warrington Central|rows2=6|rowsmid=2}}
{{s-rail-national |previous=Trafford Park|hide2=yes|hidemid=yes|toc=}}
{{s-rail-national |previous=Bolton|hide2=yes|toc=Northern Trains|route=Barrow-in-Furness/Windermere to Manchester Airport}}
{{s-rail-national |previous=Salford Crescent|hide2=yes|toc=Northern Trains|route=Blackpool North to Manchester Airport|rows1=2}}
{{s-rail-national |hide1=yes|hide2=yes|toc=Northern Trains|route=Manchester to Southport}}
{{s-rail-national |previous=Eccles|hide2=yes|toc=Northern Trains|route=Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport}}
{{Disused Rail Insert}}
{{Disused Rail Insert}}
{{rail line one to two |previous={{stnlnk|Manchester Oxford Road}}<br /><small>Line and station open</small> |next1={{stnlnk|Cornbrook}}<br /><small>1856–65</small><br /><small>Line and station closed</small> |next2=[[Trafford Bar Metrolink station|Old Trafford]]<br /><small>1849–56, 1865–1991</small><br /><small>Line closed, station open</small> |route=[[Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway|Manchester, South Junction<br />and Altrincham Railway]] |col={{MSJA colour}} }}
{{rail line two to one |next={{stnlnk|Manchester Oxford Road}}<br /><small>Line and station open</small> |previous1={{stnlnk|Cornbrook}}<br /><small>1856–65</small><br /><small>Line and station closed</small> |previous2=[[Trafford Bar tram stop|Old Trafford]]<br /><small>1849–56, 1865–1991</small><br /><small>Line closed, station open</small> |route=[[Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway|Manchester, South Junction<br />and Altrincham Railway]] |col={{MSJA colour}} }}
{{S-end}}
{{S-end}}


==Metrolink==
{{Manchester Lines North |collapse=yes}}
{{main|Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop}}

==See also==
{{portal|Greater Manchester}}
* [[Listed buildings in Manchester-M3]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite magazine|title=Deansgate station refurbished|page=9|issue=110|date=30 November – 13 December 1989|magazine=[[RAIL (magazine)|RAIL]]|publisher=EMAP National Publications|issn=0953-4563|oclc=49953699}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Deansgate railway station}}
{{stn art lnk|DGT|M311AA}}

{{Greater Manchester railway stations|state=collapsed}}
{{Greater Manchester railway stations|state=collapsed}}
{{Manchester B&S}}
{{Manchester B&S}}


{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2011}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deansgate Railway Station}}
[[Category:Railway stations in Manchester]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Manchester]]
[[Category:Former Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway stations]]
[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in Manchester]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by First TransPennine Express]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by Northern Rail]]
[[Category:DfT Category D stations]]
[[Category:DfT Category D stations]]
[[Category:Former Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway stations]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1849]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by Northern]]
[[Category:1849 establishments in England]]

Latest revision as of 01:45, 27 November 2024

Deansgate
National Rail Manchester Metrolink
General information
LocationManchester city centre, City of Manchester
England
Coordinates53°28′27″N 2°15′03″W / 53.4742°N 2.2508°W / 53.4742; -2.2508
Grid referenceSJ834975
Managed byNorthern Trains
Transit authorityGreater Manchester
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeDGT
ClassificationDfT category D
History
Original companyManchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
Pre-groupingManchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
Post-groupingManchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
London Midland Region of British Railways
Key dates
20 July 1849 (1849-07-20)Opened as Knot Mill and Deansgate
?Renamed Knott Mill and Deansgate
3 May 1971Renamed Deansgate
Passengers
2019/20Increase 1.323 million
2020/21Decrease 0.213 million
2021/22Increase 0.805 million
2022/23Increase 0.968 million
2023/24Increase 1.059 million
Location
Map
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Deansgate is a railway station in Manchester city centre, England; it is located 1,100 yards (1 km) west of Manchester Piccadilly, close to Castlefield at the junction of Deansgate and Whitworth Street West. It is part of the Manchester station group.

It is linked to Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop and the Manchester Central Convention Complex by a footbridge built in 1985; Deansgate Locks, The Great Northern Warehouse and the Science and Industry Museum are also nearby.

The platforms are elevated, reached by lift or stairs, or by the walkway from the Manchester Central Complex. The ticket office, staffed full-time, is between street and platform levels. There are no ticket barriers, although manual ticket checks take place on a daily basis.

It is on the Manchester to Preston and the Liverpool–Manchester lines, both used heavily by commuters. Most tickets purchased by passengers to Deansgate are issued to Manchester Stations or Manchester Central Zone; therefore actual usage is not reflected in these statistics, due to the difficulty in splitting the ticket sales correctly between the four grouped stations (Piccadilly, Victoria, Oxford Road and Deansgate).

History

[edit]

The original station buildings were situated on Hewitt Street.[1] The station was opened as Knot Mill and Deansgate on 20 July 1849 by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway[2] (MSJAR) near the Manchester terminus ('the Knot Mill station'[3]) of the Bridgewater Canal from which travellers could catch a fast packet in 1849 which could get them to Liverpool in four and a half hours for as little as sixpence.[4][5] This fare was anomalously low because of a temporary outbreak of competition between the canal and the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR);[6] it was back up to sixteen pence by 1853.[7]

When a celebratory train ran over the line at the beginning of July 1849, a reporter for the Manchester Courier observed that most stations had permanent buildings and "at Knott Mill and Oxford-street temporary stations will in the meantime be erected."[8] When the line opened for passenger traffic a fortnight later, the Courier reported the station at Knott Mill had opened with temporary wooden buildings.[9] The booking office was at street level; from it, "narrow, steep, troublesome steps, enough to tire anyone but athletes"[10] led to the platforms. The station proved, according to its critics, to be "inconvenient of approach, ugly in appearance and with platform, booking office and waiting-room accommodation much cramped"[11] but accessibility was the biggest issue: for the aged, the invalid or children it was "a most difficult not to say dangerous task to climb the steep flights of steps to the platforms."[11]

The area was also the site of the annual Easter-tide[12] Knott Mill Fair,[13] a decades-old event which, until its abolition in 1876,[12] hosted acts such as Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal and George Wombwell's Menagerie.[14][15]

In 1860, special trains laid on in connection with the fair by both the L&NWR and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR), the joint owners of the MSJAR were not advertised as running to Knott Mill station; the LNWR excursion ran to Ordsall Lane,[16] the MS&L excursion to London Road (now Piccadilly station).[17])

If the station was originally named Knot Mill and Deansgate by the MSJAR, from its opening onwards it was known simply as Knott Mill (or Knot Mill) to the Manchester papers[9] and, by 1860, the railway was following suit in its advertisements.[18][19] In 1864, the MS&LR gave the required notice of a bill to be brought forward in the next session of Parliament for widening part of the MSJAR "from or near Knott Mill station to Old Trafford station";[20] however, in the same year, the accident return for an accident at Old Trafford noted that the train involved had stopped at "Knot Mill and left that station..."[21]

Following the widening and improvement of the southern portion of Deansgate, a correspondent to the Manchester Courier suggested in 1880 that the station be renamed Deansgate: "Very few lady passengers who have shopping to do in Deansgate make use of the Knot Mill station. If they are aware of its nearness, perhaps they are waiting for the station and its approaches to be improved"[22] A public meeting in October 1884 complained that Knott Mill station was altogether inadequate for the newly improved district; the MSJAR was therefore in breach of its Act of Parliament which required it to provide sufficient station accommodation: the Improvement Committee of Manchester Corporation was called upon to exert pressure on the MSJAR.[23]

A deputation from the Improvement Committee duly met directors of the railway to urge them to improve the "dingy" and "long-neglected" station.[24] Improvement plans were drawn up but an impasse was reached; the MSJAR's joint owners (the L&NWR and the MS&LR) disagreed on how much they should spend on improvement[25] and Manchester Corporation were unhappy with any narrowing of adjacent streets to accommodate an enlarged station.[26] Not until 1892 was a plan devised that was acceptable to all of the interested parties.[27] Negotiations to purchase the required land were protracted, with Manchester Corporation eventually offering to exercise its powers of compulsory purchase to assist the railway, but the work finally went out for tender in January 1895.[28] Work started in March 1895. By June 1895, a temporary entrance from Gaythorn Street had to be used and the previous entrance from Deansgate was closed;[29] it was completed in September 1896;[30] the latter year appears (in a shield) as part of the decorative stonework over the entrance. The station name is given there as simply Knott Mill Station.

The station is now a Grade II listed building.[31] Its battlemented architectural feature, visible at its corner, is intended to mirror similar features in the nearby viaducts, all of which in turn incorporated the design in recognition of the Roman fort that once stood in the Castlefield area.[1]

The station became Knott Mill and Deansgate for railway purposes in around 1900;[2] to the local press, it remained Knott Mill station. It was renamed Deansgate on 3 May 1971.[32] It is sometimes known as Manchester Deansgate and on many station information boards it is Deansgate G-Mex.

The station name Deansgate was formerly used for the Great Northern Railway goods station[33] serving the Great Northern Warehouse next to Manchester Central railway station. This is now a Grade II* listed, as the Deansgate Goods Station building.[34]

Services

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Platform 2 in 2011
Station concourse
Entrance from Whitworth St. West

All services at this station are operated by Northern. The typical off-peak service pattern is:[35]

All eastbound trains call at Manchester Oxford Road; those that continue to Manchester Airport also call at Manchester Piccadilly.

Preceding station   National Rail National Rail   Following station
Northern Trains
Liverpool to Manchester via Warrington Central
Northern Trains
Barrow-in-Furness/Windermere to Manchester Airport
Northern Trains
Blackpool North to Manchester Airport
Northern Trains
Manchester to Southport
Northern Trains
Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport
Disused railways
Cornbrook
1856–65
Line and station closed 		  Manchester, South Junction
and Altrincham Railway 		  Manchester Oxford Road
Line and station open
Old Trafford
1849–56, 1865–1991
Line closed, station open 		   
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Main article: Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Parkinson-Bailey, John J. (2000). Manchester: An Architectural History. Manchester University Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-71905-606-2.
  2. ^ a b Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 137. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  3. ^ (advert.)"Bridgewater Canal Packets". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 7 December 1844. p. 1.
  4. ^ "Cheap Trips to the Manufacturing Districts". Liverpool Mail. 6 October 1849. p. 5.
  5. ^ (advert.) "Cheap Travelling between Manchester and Liverpool". Bradford Observer. 27 September 1849. p. 1.
  6. ^ Howarth, W J (18 November 1892). "Answers and Comments: Travelling between Manchester and Liverpool". Manchester Times. p. 5.
  7. ^ (advert.) "Bridgewater Canal Tide Packets". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 23 April 1853. p. 1.
  8. ^ "Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway – Contractors' Excursion". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 7 July 1849. p. 9.
  9. ^ a b "Opening of the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 21 July 1849. p. 7.
  10. ^ "The Jubilee of the Bowdon Railway". Manchester Times. 5 May 1899. p. 5.
  11. ^ a b "Railway Improvements in Manchester". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 6 May 1893. p. 7.
  12. ^ a b (advert. "Manchester Fairs". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 12 August 1876. p. 1.
  13. ^ "Knott Mill Fair". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 26 April 1848. p. 6. which noted the absence of Wombwell's
  14. ^ Gretchen Holrook Gerzina, Editor, "Black Victorians-Black Victoriana" (Rutgers University Press: New Brunswick, NJ, 2003)
  15. ^ The Manchester Guardian (11 April 1850). "Knott Mill Fair, Manchester, 1850". The Fairground Heritage Trust. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  16. ^ (advert.) "London and North-Western Railway – Knott Mill Fair". Bolton Chronicle. 7 April 1860. p. 1.
  17. ^ (advert.) "Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway – Cheap Pleasure Trip from Sheffield to Manchester – Manchester Knott Mill Fair will be held in Easter week". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 27 March 1860. p. 1.
  18. ^ (advert.) "Manchester South Junction and Altrincham and Cheshire Midland Railways – Illumination of Salt Mines at Northwich". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 20 May 1864. p. 1.
  19. ^ (advert.)"Manchester, South Junction, and Altrincham Railway". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 12 May 1860. p. 1.
  20. ^ "In Parliament – Session 1865: Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway: (Widening of Part of Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway, &c,)". Morning Post. 28 November 1864. p. 7 (columns 4–5).
  21. ^ Tyler, H W. "Accident at Old Trafford on 6th August 1864". Railways Archive : Accident Archive. (originally Board of Trade accident return). Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  22. ^ Lever, Ellis (3 July 1880). "Manchester and Salford One City". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. p. 10.
  23. ^ "The Accommodation at Knott Mill Railway Station". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 10 October 1884. p. 7.
  24. ^ "The Municipal Elections: Manchester: St John's Ward". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 29 October 1884. p. 8.
  25. ^ "Railway Communication with North Wales". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 25 May 1889. p. 8.
  26. ^ as noted (for example) in "Proposed New Railway Station at Knott Mill". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 2 January 1892. p. 7.
  27. ^ "Manchester City Council". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 28 May 1892. p. 9.
  28. ^ (advert.) "Contracts – To Builders and Contractors". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 21 January 1895. p. 1.
  29. ^ (advert.) "Manchester, South Junction, and Altrincham Railway – Knott Mill Station Alterations". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 17 June 1895. p. 1.
  30. ^ "Knott Mill Station". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 19 September 1896. p. 18.
  31. ^ "Whitworth Street West – Deansgate Railway Station. Grade II. 20.8.98" "Listed buildings in Manchester by street (W)". Manchester City Council: A-Z of Listed Buildings in Manchester. Manchester City Council. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  32. ^ Butt 1995, pp. 137, 77
  33. ^ "Railway Enterprise in Manchester: The Great Northern Company's Goods Station". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 1 July 1898. p. 8.
  34. ^ "Watson Street – Deansgate Goods Station. Grade II*. 4.5.79. (Upgraded 2.4.96.)" "Listed buildings in Manchester by street (W)". Manchester City Council: A-Z of Listed Buildings in Manchester. Manchester City Council. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  35. ^ "Northern Trains – Timetables". Northern. Retrieved 11 December 2022.

Further reading

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  • "Deansgate station refurbished". RAIL. No. 110. EMAP National Publications. 30 November – 13 December 1989. p. 9. ISSN 0953-4563. OCLC 49953699.
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