Rowthorne Station - oldminer.co.uk

Built to link the colliery lines of Glapwell with those of Pleasley and then on to Teversal to transport coal and mining equipment and colliers to work, it was opened for traffic in 1883 but was never used to its full capacity during its life, it was closed early as a result, in the 1930’s with the line ending at Glapwell Colliery station. There is a tunnel to the north of the station running in to Glapwell colliery station it is 929 yards long and had two air shafts about half way along its length, in the fields along its length are two air shafts , at both ends of the tunnel were deep cuttings, at the south end little remains to suggest its existence. With the two air shafts to the tunnel it would appear then that the cutting of the tunnel would have been done using six working faces, one from each end and four others, two from each of the air shafts.

Although the capping stones have been utilised as parking bollards in the car park at the start of the trail little remains of the tunnel. The tunnel was filled in and landscaped to form part of the Rowthorn Trail some time in the 1970’s but there are still several small reminders of the railway like rotting sleepers and telegraph pole stumps and some ironware from the rails themselves.

There was an 'old wives tale' that the station was rarely used to service passengers and that it was built solely to satisfy the whim of the Duke (of Portland) who then owned Hardwick Hall, you will see however, that the station was used by the general public as the tickets suggest. The tale also said that the Duke allowed the mineral line to be constructed but on the understanding that the station was for his own personal use. This is further laid to rest as you can see from the following poster sent to me by John Platts that it was part of the Doe Lea Extension Branch line and was a station along its route. Monday September 1st 1890.

I am not aware of any photographs surviving of the station.