Kingsley and Froghall railway station

Kingsley and Froghall is a former railway station of the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) that is now preserved on the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire, England.

Kingsley and Froghall
Station on heritage railway (Churnet Valley Railway)
General information
Location	Froghall, Staffordshire Moorlands England
Coordinates	53.0208°N 1.964°W / 53.0208; -1.964
Grid reference	SK024471
Operated by	Churnet Valley Railway
Platforms	2
History
Original company	North Staffordshire Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland & Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 September 1849	Opened as Froghall[1]
1 July 1907	Renamed Kingsley and Froghall[2]
4 January 1965	Closed[1]
11 August 2001	reopened
Location

History

Kingsley and Froghall station, situated on the Churnet Valley Line of the North Staffordshire Railway, was opened to both passengers and goods on 1 September 1849.

The station was a busy country station serving the needs of workers at nearby Thomas Bolton's copper refinery.

As with many UK railways, passenger numbers in the 1960s decreased to such an extent that the station was closed to both passengers and goods in 1965.

Re-opening and the Churnet Valley Railway

The station from the road overbridge, looking south-east in 2010

Plaque marking the re-opening of Kingsley and Froghall railway station

During the 1970s, a railway preservation base was set up at nearby Cheddleton station; later, this was to become the base of the Churnet Valley Railway (CVR). The CVR had been progressing slowly in preserving the line when, in the late 1990s, they had reached the station site. After closure by British Rail, the station buildings had been demolished. Initial rebuilding of the station resulted in the down platform reopening for passengers on 11 August 2001. Construction began later on the new station building, which opened on 20 September 2003.

Since 2003, more work has been done on the station to make the site as complete as the nearby Consall. Initially, this involved resurfacing the down platform and adding fences, a few small buildings and station furniture. With this side now relatively complete, attention has been turned to the second (up) platform where the overhang on the canal and associated fences have been rebuilt, along with walls and the large waiting shelter but, as of 2012^[update], this platform is not in use.

Kingsley and Froghall is currently the southern limit of passenger operations on the CVR, but plans exist to extend towards Oakamoor and Alton Towers.