Sparrowlee railway station

Leek and
Manifold Valley
Light Railway
 Hulme End
 Ecton
 Butterton
 Wetton Mill
 Redhurst Halt
 Thor's Cave
 Grindon
 Beeston Tor
 Sparrowlee
 Waterhouses
North Staffordshire Railway
to Leek

Sparrowlee was the name of a railway station on the Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway, a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge line which ran for 8 miles between Hulme End and Waterhouses, in Staffordshire, and was initially operated by the North Staffordshire Railway before being taken over by the LMS.

The station was opened on 27 June 1904 and was the first halt when travelling north along the line, and indeed it is the only halt along the valley of the River Hamps between Waterhouses and Beeston Tor, the next station, and the start of the route along the River Manifold.

The station, which was simply a small halt with a grand sign, only in fact served Lee House Farm, for there was no such settlement of this name, and no other community to serve. A waiting room was consequently not provided, but a siding was provided for the farm's use, and this included a 60-foot standard gauge section, for the use of standard gauge wagons which were carried on special low transporter wagons.

The line closed in 1934, and the route of the railway past the station is now designated the Manifold Way, a walk- and cycle-path.

References
  • Keys R and Porter L (1972) The Manifold Valley and its Light Railway, Moorland publishers


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