Station
Parbold

Parbold Station is situated on the Wigan to Southport line, seven miles west of Wigan and was built in the mid 19^th century by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company. The opening of the station radically changed the rural village opening up job opportunities for villagers in Wigan and beyond. The station was originally called Newburgh then Newburgh for Parbold, Parbold for Newburgh and finally Parbold.

The original Lancashire and Yorkshire station buildings were restored in 2004 by Lancashire County Council. Work carried out included roof repairs, replacement mullion windows, gutter restoration, shelter and seating upgrade and provision of a new booking office.

The village of Parbold dates back to at least the 12^th century and the name comes from the old English and means pear orchard.

This attractive, semi-rural, village lies in the valley of the River Douglas which is crossed by the Leeds to Liverpool Canal and at the bottom of Parbold Hill. The village has much to offer with a good selection of small shops and a number of public houses. Turn right as you leave the station and proceed to the Leeds to Liverpool Canal.  Approaching the canal you will see the famous Parbold windmill and close to this is the Windmill Public house.

The village is dominated by Parbold Hill which is 120 metres above sea level.  On the hill lies the famous and recently restored Parbold Bottle.  This is a stone monument about 6½ feet high and so called because it resembles a bottle.  It was built in 1832 to celebrate the passing of the Reform Act.  Also on Parbold Hill is a viewpoint with commanding views of large parts of Lancashire, Merseyside and the Berwyn Mountains can be seen on a clear day.

The Leeds Liverpool canal was authorised in 1770 and work to construct started immediately but it was not completed in full until 1816. The section from Wigan to Liverpool was opened in 1777. The canal was built to transport coal, cotton, flour and other goods between the important port of Liverpool and the mills towns of East Lancashire and Yorkshire.  The canal parallels the railway from Burscough all the way to Wigan and provides many excellent linear walks along the towpath. At Lathom, to the east of Burscough, the canal is joined by the Rufford Branch. Click HERE for more information.

There are some fine walks starting from the village and taking in Parbold Hill and the Canal.  Details can be found by clicking HERE.

History Posters

A history poster has been prepared for Parbold station and this can be seen by clicking on the thumbnail below or on this link: History Posters.

A virtual history poster is also available and the short video can be viewed on this link: Virtual History

A series of audio files of staff from Parbold recorded around ten years ago can be listened to on this page: communityraillancashire.co.uk/audio-files/

Address

Parbold Station
Station Road
Parbold
Wigan
Lancashire
WN8 7NU

Grid Reference

SD 490107 – for a map visit www.streetmap.co.uk and enter the grid reference.

Operator

Northern (DOHL)

Facilities

+  Staffed station (Booking Office open Mon to Fri 06:30 – 13:00)
+  Ticket Vending Machine
+  Two trains per hour to Southport, Bolton & Manchester
+  Waiting room available during booking office hours
+  Shelters on platforms
+  Additional seating on platforms
+  Car park – 15 spaces
+  CCTV

Other Information

+  Buses are available in the village – click here for bus timetables
+  Rail User Group – Ormskirk, Preston & Southport Travellers Association
+  Friends of Station – visit communityraillancashire.co.uk/station-adoption/ for more details
+  CRP branded notice boards