Make a Bee line for the West Lancashire Line
Croston Heritage Open Days
Croston Old School, 13 &14 September 2025
Heritage Open Days is the one time when Croston Old School opens its doors to the public, free of charge, along with many other buildings not normally open to the public. This includes National Trust properties, so it is well worth noting in your calendar the first two weekends in September.
Rear of Old School, Croston
Croston Village Archive organised an exhibition which included 200 years of British Rail, 80 years anniversary of the end of WWII, and also the national theme of Architecture.
The Croston Archive already had their own photographs and plans of the local lines. Croston used to be double track main line to Liverpool – the Beeching cuts reduced the line to a single track branch line to Ormskirk. Croston was once a very busy station with its own goods yard and buildings. Coal, glass bottles, food and milk for the built-up towns, all added to the business of the time before motors took over. These old pictures were supplemented by up-to-date posters advertising local areas and lines by Richard Watts, from Community Rail Lancashire, together with pens, books and badges supporting the history of rail. We raised a small amount of money from the sale of Paul Salveson’s book, which will be used to purchase plants for the station platform.
We displayed posters and photos of local men who fought in WWII, including medals. This section also created local interest. Then finally, the national subject of architecture, where we exhibited photos of local buildings – some now demolished – which was also interesting to local visitors.
We are proud of our station, which is our lifeline. Although we seem to have more buses at the moment they go round the houses and therefore make them not as convenient. One comment that was made is that it is a pity we aren’t allowed free rail passes for retired people.
Kath Almond
Croston Village Archive
For more information about the West Lancashire Line and Croston go to:
https://communityraillancashire.co.uk/make-a-beeline-for-the-west-lancashire-line/