Around Rainhill
Rainhill in Lancashire was the site of the 1829 Rainhill Locomotive Trials held on the new Liverpool and Manchester Railway and won by the Rocket designed by George Stephenson.
Rainhill also boasts the Skew Bridge, it is the world's first bridge to cross over a railway at an angle and the Liverpool Manchester Railway the world's first inter-city passenger railway service that runs through the village
TRIG Point.
A triangulation station, also known as a trigonometrical point, and sometimes informally as a trig. It is a fixed surveying station typically a concrete pillar and erected by the Ordnance Survey. Usually two or three can be seen on a clear day from any one of them, they are no longer needed and so are now obsolete.
Before this mobile phone mast was erected some of the local residents objected for various reasons. However as you can see it was erected and disguised as a tree, looking completely out of place.
Into The Village
The Rocket pub on Warrington Road was originally called the Black Horse and was affectionally known as Maggie Sharkey's
Whiston Incline.
Originally, it was thought that steam locomotives would not be able to climb the incline without the assistance of rope haulage and work began on the construction of a line-side winding engine. The success of the Rocket at the Rainhill Trials eliminated the need for this winding engine and another that was planned at Sutton, so they were never completed.
This is at the top of the Whiston Incline by Stoney Lane bridge. The cutting here was widened to accommodate sidings where assisting locomotives could be detached from ascending trains and added to those descending the incline.
You may find this article interesting: Along the Whiston Incline
Rainhill Skew Bridge, a Grade II listed structure, is the most acute of 15 such bridges on the line, built at an angle of 34 degrees to the railway. Work on the construction began towards the edge of 1828. A full-size model was set up in an adjacent field and stone blocks, some weighing over two tons, were cut, dressed and numbered in advance, each being individually shaped to fit its exact position.
The bridge was then constructed and the Warrington to Prescot Turnpike (now the A57), raised by inclined embankments, to pass over it. An inscription carved below the parapet on the eastern side, records the date of completion – June 1829.
The inscription in the bridge naming the Chairman of the railway and the resident engineer.
Rainhill station was opened in 1830 as part of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, and is one of the oldest passenger railway stations in the world. The station was originally called Kendrick's Cross or Kendrick's Cross Gate, it was later changed to Rainhill.
The grade II listed station buildings were constructed around 1860-68 by the London & North Western Railway
This Photograph was taken off the Skew Bridge that was built to take the Liverpool-Warrington-Manchester turnpike across the railway.
This is a public footbridge taking pedestrians over the railway line, outside of the station.
The site of the actual trials taken off the footbridge.
Across the road from the station entrance is the Commercial Hotel.
Rainhill Tavern , later renamed the Victoria.
Kendrick's Cross
Rainhill Community Centre.
As I leave the village of Rainhill I will pass the Rainhill Trials Museum. The Exhibition is housed in a BR MK 1 coach that was in its original livery on delivery. It sits on its own rails in the grounds of Rainhill Library and was specially converted and connected to the library with a permanent link entrance.
The carriage is now painted in a pseudo Liverpool and Manchester yellow livery.
I have included just one token photograph of the inside of the carriage.
Further photographs and information can be found in my article Along the Whiston Incline
Across the fields from Hall Lane.
Hall Lane runs from Rainhill to Cronton, this the Rainhill end.
Dukes Clough is a public footpath running from Hall Lane, Rainhill to Cronton Lane and coming out on Blundells Lane Rainhill.
Walking through Dukes Clough
Some of the many ponds that we frequented as youngsters, they were all very accessible then.
Hall Lane entrance/exit.
In the 50s and 60s this entrance Hall Lane was not blocked, however over the years it has been blocked and is now classed as a public footpath. The path passes through Blundells Hill Golf Club, and is known as Dukes Clough, it continues to Cronton Lane (West) coming out on Blundells Lane.
Cronton Lane. the entrance/exit off Blundells Lane
On Blundells Lane.
Whiston Wood.
These woods are part of the Forestry Commission’s Mersey Forest. The name can be confusing, the entrance is off Cumber Lane in Whiston, but the wood is actually in Rainhill.
One of the many tracks off the main paths.
Published 22/10/2020