Busy time!

Trains are very busy at this time of year. If travelling to Manchester during the daytime, we suggest that, if possible, you aim for one of the (Monday - Saturday) trains which start from Hazel Grove, calling at Davenport at xx.35, as they offer a more comfortable journey than those emanating from Buxton which will often be full by the time they arrive here.

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Timetable change

A new timetable period starts across the national network on 8 December. The Buxton line timetable remains the same except that the trains towards Manchester return to their 'normal' times, in many cases a couple of minutes later than has been the case during the autumn. Sadly, alll the annoying faults in the schedules remain (more on this another time.) A major change in the North West in general is that  Manchester Airport - Scotland services will run via Wigan (North Western) rather than via Bolton, as that route is now fully electrified and new Class 350 electric trains will be phased in shortly.



Glimpsed one evening at Oxford Road, one of the 'Rail Head Treatment Trains' which have run nightly in autumn to keep the rails free of leaves.

5 December 2013

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Northern Rail is supporting the 'Movember' campaign by applying moustaches to the front of its trains, as shown on 156 438 on 15 November working the 10:30 Hazel Grove - Preston. A far cry from the 'speed whiskers' worn by the DMUs of the 1950s...

18 November 2013

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A Chip off the Old Block

Currently for sale through the Gumtree website as a framed print, set in a mirror,  by local artist Frederick 'Davenport' Bates (1867-1943) whose life and times are chronicled elsewhere on our site. The picture is entitled 'A Chip off the Old Block'.  If you live in one of Davenport's fine Edwardan houses, this might be just the thing to complement your decor.

Bates lived on Mile End Lane, and his in-laws James and Elizabeth Shepherd lived at 'Shird Fold'  on The Crescent;  he was patronised by several local residents, but is seldom remembered today.

18 November 2013

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Anyone for Snooker?

Not many buildings in the Davenport area can boast a 'blue plaque' but one that does, awarded by the Socety for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, is No. 12 Flowery Field in Woodsmoor, a Victorian 'gentleman's residence' which is currently on the market, through Gascoigne Halman. Recently used as a the base of a business specialising in historic textile patterns, it is certainly one of the more unusual buildings we have, as well as being across the road from the cottage which is one of the oldest. It's reall selling point, according to the board outside, is the '40-foot long snooker room.'

The sale details are on the Gascoigne Halman website. Described as Edwardian, it appears to date from around 1892 when the land was sold by the Freeholders Company to Henry Lomas.

3 November 2013

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Vandalism...

From Twitter:

Charlie Hulme @Altfelden
@Northernrailorg Who is responsible for cleaning the mass of graffiti from the path down to Davenport Station car park (railway property)?
04:20 PM - 29 Oct 13

Northern Rail @northernrailorg
@Altfelden we are aware of this and our contractors will come to clean or pass to council or @networkrail if not in our lease area.
04:38 PM - 29 Oct 13

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Leaf Fall Season

Sunday 7 October is the the first day of the railway's official autumn, when trains from Buxton (and Chester via Northwich) are given extra time to allow for any 'leaves on the line' problems which may occur, although these are not rare since Network Rail run a special train which applies a special sand mixture to the rails.

From Monday 7 October, some trains from Davenport towards Manchester will depart up to three minutes earlier than normal.  New timetable leaflets are available at the station or as a PDF download from Northern Rail.

2 October 2013

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Old and New revisited

Our 2006 feature Old and New Homes contrasted the cottage at 2 Flowery Field, possibly the oldest building in the Davenport area, with the Southlands development on Bramhall Lane, then new. Ironically perhaps, we now find that the current 'newest house in the area' is being built right next door to the oldest; two are being created on the site of a former bungalow, as our picture from 21 September shows.



The Estate Agent's digital impression shows how one is being built to resemble the old cottage adjacent to it, and the other is a pastiche of the Victorian building on the other side. Curiously, they have already been given names by the agent - 'April Cottage' and 'Walmsley House' respectively.

22 September 2013

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Little house by the garages

Planining permission has been requested for a small detached house to be fitted between No.2 Oakfield Road and the access alongsde the Oakfield Road industrial units. Details and plans can be found on the Stockport Planning Database under ref. DC052731. It seems no space is too small to have a house in it...

29 August 2013

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Knotweed (again)

Letter sent to Network Rail Community Relations Advisor:

I'd like to raise with you again the matter of the Japanese Knotweed infestation at Davenport station up platform. Although you wrote in May that the treatment you organised could not have failed, it seems to me that the stuff is flourishing better than ever. I took a picture yesterday which attach and am also copying to www.davenportstation.org.uk.

Ever more concerning, I noticed yesterday that contractors had been attacking it with strimmers or similar equipment, leaving residue lying about, which can only have the effect of spreading it even further, including over the fence into neighbouring gardens. I understand there are laws about such matters.

The situation continues that this is preventing friends of the station from doing work to improve the station garden, for fear of accidentally introducing the plant at home or otherwise spreading it. Now that the Buxton line is designated as a Community Rail line this must be considered even more important.

See also Knotweed and the Law.

When you write that treatment takes time to take effect, is this time measured in years?

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Woodsmoor Classic Car Rally

The third Woodsmoor Classic Car Rally takes place at the playing fields adjacent to Flowery Field on Bank Holiday Monday 26 August 2013. As well as the cars, over 15 stalls selling gifts, crafts and delicacies will be there including a food pod caterer, ice cream van, candy floss and, most exciting, 'Radio Controlled Cars for kids and Dads alike'! Two local charities will be supported by the event.

Let's hope the weather is better than last year. Full details on the WCCR website.

10 August 2013

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Community Rail

Passengers in the north west will have more say on how local rail services are run after the designation of the Glossop line and the Buxton line each as a Community Rail Service, Rail Minister Norman Baker announced  on 25 July.

The Government press release tells us that designation of the line[s] between Glossop and Hadfield to Manchester and Buxton to Manchester will enable train companies to work more closely with the community rail partnership to better design services to meet local needs. Says Mr Baker: I want to encourage communities to become more closely involved with their railways to help create the services and stations passengers deserve. That's why I am delighted to announce these 2 latest community rail service designations. Today’s designations are a major step towards helping the High Peak and Hope Valley Community Rail Partnership work closely with local groups to provide innovative and more cost effective rail services for their community..

Alan Chaplin, Interim Managing Director for Northern Rail, which runs services on the route, said: 'We welcome the designation of the Glossop line and the Buxton line as community rail services. These routes are integral to the area and the designation will help them to prosper, benefiting local people and visitors to the region.

What this means in practice for Davenport passengers, and we will be represented in the Community Rail Partnership remains to be seen. Will we get our hourly Sunday trains to Middlewood restored, for example, or will the views passengers further up the line still dominate decision making?

9 August 2013

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Stockport 170

Sunday 4 August saw two events of great interest in our area. At Stockport railway station the annual 'Rail Day' celebrated the 170th anniversary of Stockport station, and included the naming of Virgin Pendolino train 390 156 'Stockport 170' by media celebrity Peter Waterman, seen above in full flow, watched by Virgin Trains staff member Niki Abnett who is the driving force behind these events. (Our pictures from the Stockport event are kindly provided by Chris Tasker).



There were sales and charity stands, a visiting locomotive - with cab visits permitted - provided for the day by the DB Schenker freight company in the shape of 60 020, between duties on the Peak District stone trains. These locos have a Stockport connection, as their disel engines were built at the Mirrlees works.



The event was enlivened by the the arrival and departure of the steam-hauled 'North Wales Coast Express' to Holyhead, scheduled for 11:00, hauled by a 'Black 5' steam loco, a type once very familiar in our area. This excursion runs again on 18 August and 1 September from Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport and Altrincham: bookings are open at the Railway Touring Company website.

8 August 2013.

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On Mirrlees Fields

Also on Sunday 4 August, the Mirrlees Fields Action Group were offering guided Nature Walks in the Fields, with a guide from the Cheshire Wildlife Trust. Cakes and other refreshments were available, and members of the Group and the Trust were on hand to explain their campaign to assure the future of the former Mirrlees playing fields and golf course as a natural amenity area for the community.  See the Group Website.

The afternoon was clearly a great success, with many people of all ages turning up for the walks which were full of interest. The plan is that the Cheshire Wildlife Trust will care for the fields on behalf of the owners, MAN Diesel (Successors to Mirrlees) and develop their use as a nature-friendly public resource. It is to be hoped that this goes ahead, as it is a wonderful area. While there we were able to raise with the Group the matter of officially allowing cycling along the track acrfoss the fields from Woodsmoor to Bramhall Moor Lane, and the members there, some of whom had brought their bikes, appeared very supportive of our campaign.



At present, demolition of redundant factory buildings on the Mirrlees site is taking place: outline planning permission has been given for a housing development on this area, but the Fields are not included in this and will be preserved.

08 August 2013

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Mind the Step

Regular passengers will have noticed that 'Mind the Step' has been very neatly stencilled all the way along both our platforms. Very nice, but a rather poor substitute for platforms of a sensible height that don't require mountaineering ability. A tip for less-able travellers travelling to Davenport from the from Manchester direction: travel in the very front of the the train, especially if it has four coaches and you will find that there is less of a drop than at the rear.

Note also that the rails on the Manchester-bound line through Woodsmoor and Davenport have received their annual summer coat of white paint. A few years ago, this line was re-laid using the then-new idea of steel sleepers, and it was later realised that these early installations might not protect against buckling movements if the rails were heated by the sun and expand; the white is an attempt to reduce the risk.

Among all this white paint, there is a distinct lack of a white line and tactile surface along the platform edges, as required by Railway Group Standard RGS GI/RT7016 section 11.2.3.1: 'Platform edges shall be clearly identified by visible marking and provision of a tactile surface.'

26 July 2013

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Right-of-Way improvement

New Woodsmoor - Bramhall cycle link open: see our Cycling pages.

5 July 2013

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No steam: The steam excursion which was planned (after several postponments) to pass through Davenport on 27 June has - again - been cancelled 'due to engineering works'.

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Tweeting the Manager

Our contribution to a Virgin 'Tweet the Manager' session about station facilities:

@VirginTrains What I'd like to see: outside seats on 'Platform Zero' at 
Stockport as well as in the poky waiting room. 09:04 AM - 25 Jun 13

@NWrail1 It is on our to do list and will get round to it as quickly 
as we can! 09:05 AM - 25 Jun 13

Maybe they should just visit a local garden centre?

26 June 2013

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Busking in the Park - 30 June

On Sunday, 30 June from 1 pm until 5 pm, the Friends of Cale Green Park are hosting a "Busking in the Park" event, featuring a variety of acoustic performers raising money for Cancer Research UK and SPARC (Stockport Progress and Recovery Centre). The latter being the nominated charity of the Cale Green Park Residents' Association.
 
In addition to the performers, there will be a number of stalls including Keith Howard (local wood turner), Judith Howard (local jam maker), the Residents' Association craft stall, Pure Studios (hand made products),  Jody Appleton (Higgledy Piggledy China Shop), Karen Spencer (hand crafted jewellery), the 24th Stockport Guides (operating a hands on craft stall), and DogWorx (dog grooming and doggie related sales).
 
But that's not all! Therer's also a Hog Roast, Sivoris Ice Cream, Face Painting, Ferret Races, Rockahula, a Dog Sled Racing display, Body Zorbing, Magenta Hairdressers, and two Punch and Judy shows (at 2 pm and 3 pm). To top it all off,  Donkey rides for the little children.
 
One of the highlights of the event is sure to be "The Big Din". After the raffle, and to bring everything to a LOUD end,  everyone is asked to bring their musical instruments (homemade or otherwise) for a big group crescendo at the end of the event. It doesn't matter if you can play the instrument, we just want everyone to make some noise.

17 June 2013

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Bramhall Festival

Over the weekend of 29-30 June there is this year's Bramhall Festival, with events around Bramhall village including a parade at 11am on Saturday, an 'Artisan Market' from 10am to 4pm both days, a variety of musical entertainment, and a record/CD fair in Centre Point.

16 June 2013

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Oakfield Road

Residents may have seen a recent letter from the Libreral council candidates regarding parking restrictions on Oakfield Road. For enyone interested in the history of this situation, we have found in our the letter sent to residents about the situation in that area back in 1991 and a copy in PDF can be downloaded here.

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Metrolink openings ... and a closure

The Metrolink line beyond St Werburgh's Road to East Didsbury, with intermediate stops at Withington, Burton Road, West Didsbury, and Didsbury Village, opens to passengers on Thursday 23 May. The route lies on the trackbed of what was once a main line from Manchester Central to London St Pancras, with expresses suach as the 'Palatine' and later the famous 'Midland Pullman' passing through before joining the line which still exists as a goods line running along the Davenport / Bramhall border and as a passenger line south of Hazel Grove. The 'Disused stations' website has some interesting pictures of the 'Old' Didsbury station.



This picture by Greg Mape shows trams on test at East Didsbury station on 14 May. On the left is the Trans-Pennine Trail cycleway, which continues on the trackbed under the bridge in the distance and then down to the side of the Mersey river which it follows to Stockport town centre. This section of the Trail has been closed off for some time, hopefully it will be open again soon.

Trams to East Didsbury run via Manchester Victoria and do not serve Manchester Piccadilly, so the best wasy to catch one is to travel by a train which is running through towards Bolton and change at Deansgate. East Didsbury (Metrolink) is not adjacent to the Network Rail station on the Airport line, it's few minutes' walk away across a major crossroads and on a higher level.

Less welcome to some people is that Mosley Street tram-stop will close permanently after the last tram on 17 May, now that the real-time indicators on the other stations in the city centre are finally working again, along with the new signalling system. Hopefully future passengers will be spared the long signal stops and other hold-ups which have been prevalent recently.

14 May 2013

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Knotweed again

Needless to say the Japanese Knotweed is growing again despite the 'treatment' by Network Rail. We have fired off another email to Mr Rankin.

14 May 2013

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Upcoming engineering work

On Sunday 19 May, and also Saturday and Sunday 25-26 May, the line between Furness Vale and Buxton will be closed for engineering work, with replacement buses in operation. As far as we can see, train times at Davenport are the same as normal, but do check before travelling.

Also note that a new timetable period starts on 19 May: there do not seem to be any dramatic changes. The leaflet can be downloaded or you can get a copy from the station during opening hours Monday - Saturday mornings.

25 April 2013

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Save our Parks

Stockport Council, still desperate to cut costs, is proposing to cut the costs of looking after our parks, including Cale Green Park and Hallam Gardens. There is a Consultation on the Council website in the form of an on-line questionnare which will be live until 31 May. We would encourage everyone to complete this, as if some of the plans are carried out the parks would start to look very shabby and unwelcoming. Already, flower displays have been abandoned, although the Friends of Cale Green Park are doing their best to remedy this and would appreciate help.

In future, planned measures for the parks include 'Graffiti deemed to be non‐offensive would be removed as and when resources allow' and 'Most parks and open spaces will be litter picked no more than once a week.' Trained gardeners will be replaced by 'Multi-tasking operatives.'

See the Friends of Cale Green Park website for more information.

25 April 2013

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Buxton Fringe

Michael Cain writes: 'I am a committee member of the Buxton Fringe and am trying to foster busking and train entertainment so that the journey and the town feel festive. Details are on the website: www.buxtonfringe.org.uk/. '

Over 100 events have already been entered for this year's Fringe which runs from Wednesday July 3 to Sunday July 21. If you would like to be part of the Fringe, there is still time so - see the information for entrants. The strict and final deadline for the printed programme is April 21.

9 April 2013

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Buxton station, Sunday 7 April, with trains awaiting the Monday morning peak. How nice it would be if the ocasional Sunday special ran over the goods lines to Chinley and Dowlow...

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Knotweed, pt 2.

We've received a reply from Mr Rankin, Network Rail's Community Relations Advisor, who writes: 'We have recently been to site and and treated the Japanese Knotweed. I trust this is helpful.'

Will it return? Time will tell...

5 April 2013

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Bus changes

The following bus route changes affecting Davenport take place from 7 or 8 April:

Route 372 Mondays - Saturdays, Stockport - Woodsmoor and North Park Road, run by Stagecoach.  Until early afternoon, journeys are extended to Hazel Grove, Fiveways via Stepping Hill and Torkington, partly replacing bus 390. An interesting feature of this is that to reach Stepping Hill Hospital it runs along a section of Bramhall Moor Lane past the former Mirrlees factory which has not been served by buses in recent times. It also provides a useful link from the Davenport and Woodsmoor areas to the Sainsbury's 'Superstore' in Hazel Grove. Here is the timetable leaflet.
 
Route 378 Stockport - Wilmslow. From Sunday 8 April evening, Sunday and public holiday journeys will be run by Stagecoach and are changed to run between Grove Lane and Stockport only. Monday to Saturday evening journeys also run Grove Lane only, due to financial cutbacks by Cheshire East council. Timetable leaflet.

The weekday evening 378 will be run by Manchester Community Transport, who are also taking over the 307/308 Stockport - Bramhall circular routes, with changes to the route and timetables. This again raises the irritating issue of non-availability of Stagecoach bus 'Dayrider' and 'Megarider' tickets on other operators' services. 



Above: On 7 March, one of the last 372 journeys by BakerBus of Biddulph, who have now pulled out of Stockport area operations, passes Davenport station. Stagecoach now operate this route.

5 April 2013

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Cale Green Park Farmers' Market

On Easter Monday 2013 (1 April) from 11 am until 3pm, the Friends of Cale Green Park are hosting a Farmers Market. There will be about 20 stalls, an Easter Egg Hunt, some egg and spoon races, a magician [for the children], clog dancers, and much much more.

27 March 2013

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No trains Sunday 31 March

A bus replacement service will operate all day between Hazel Grove and Manchester on Sunday 31 March. See the Journey Planner for details.

Also, engineering works connected with the enlargement of the station at Salford Crescent will block the line through Salford Crescent all day on 30 and 31 March. On 30 March the trains which normallly run between Hazel Grove and Preston will run between Hazel Grove and Manchester Oxford Road at the normal times.

27 March 2013

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The Wallace Sutherland Collection

We have been given permission by Mrs Sutherland to present a collection of colour slides taken by her late husband J.W.Sutherland, including many of Davenport and the Buxton line. Follow this link to explore the collection.

27 March 2013

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Knotweed

We've sent the following email to Network Rail. If it generates any response we'll let you know:

'Davenport station  has been infested with Japanese Knotweed all along the back of the up platform for several years. This is a threat to neighbours' property, and is also a great disincentive to Friends Group members from gardening at the station due to the risk of transferring it to our own gardens. You say on your website that it is your policy to remove this invasive plant, but nothing has been done. Please can something be done soon? It is not close to the track and will not require any precautions regarding passing trains.'

15 March 2013

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150 years Whaley Bridge to Buxton

June 2013 marks 150 years of the opening of the line from Whaley Bridge to Buxton, which took place some years after the opening of the original Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge line in 1857. We understand that there will be events along the line to commemorate this, including at Chapel-en-le-Frith Carnival on 15 June. More details when we can find them.

5 March 2013

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More bus changes

Following on from the changes to bus service mentioned earlier, there are some other alterations in forthcoming weeks. Cuts in subsidy by Cheshire East Council have resulted in changes (from 4 March) in the Stockport - Poynton - Macclesfield / Middewood services which have been operated recently by Potteries-based BakerBus. These will now be run by High Peak (Macclesfield service 392/3) and GHA (Middlewood service P1). The Middlewood service no longer serves Stockport, running instead from Hazel Grove railway station and calling at Poynton Railway station en route. Unfortunately, departures from Hazel Grove station at 37 minutes pass the hour are not a particularly good match with trains from Manchester which arrive at 13 and 45 minutes past.

As a result of the above, BakerBus no longer wish to run 'our' 372 service Stockport - Davenport - Woodsmoor - North Park Road, and their bright yellow buses will disappear from the scene, replaced by Stagecoach buses. This is in fact a benefit to Davenport passengers as Stagecoach day and monthly passes can be used on any bus to/from Stockport during the day.

5 March 2013

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Bus service changes

Good news on the bus service front is that the contract for the evening journeys on Route 374, connecting Stockport and Hazel Grove via Davenport and the New House Farm estate, which had been given to small local firm 'M Travel' has been returned to Stagecoach Manchester who run the route for the rest of the day. This not only means that more modern buses are used, but also that Day Saver tickets bought on Stagecoach buses earlier in the day can be used for the return journey.

Less good news for some, however, is that the 23:00 bus from Stockport to Grove Lane, which had also been entrusted to M Travel, has now been withdrawn completely. The last buses from Stockport Bus Station to the Davenport station area are now the 22:30 which continues towards Bramhall, and the 22:45 on route 309 which continues along Garners Lane. However, the 192 along the A6 to Hazel Grove has much later departures from Stockport, until after midnight.

The timetable booklets are available as a PDF file from the TfGM bus leaflet finder.

31 January 2013

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Greengrocery news

We reported previously on the closure of the 'Garden of Eden' greengrocery on Bramhall Lane. Following this, customers found that the nearby 'Spar' shop does have a good selection of fruit and vegetables, and makes a point of proudly labelling those which produced in the UK, a matter which some customers consider important.

We are pleased to say that the 'Garden of Eden' has now re-opened under new management. We wish them good luck with their venture. Recently the baker next door to the 'Garden' had begun to include fruit and veg in its range, but has agreed to cease.

Down the road at what used to be called Charlestown, the 'Best One' store remains closed and shuttered, and is now advertised for lease or sale.

Updated 31 January 2013

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Middlewood Sundays (update)

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Timetable notes

Extra departures from Davenport towards Manchester on Sundays are at 09:16, 13:16, 15:11, 17:17, 19:11 and 21:11. Note the variable times and the gap in the morning service. Return from Manchester Piccadilly is more regular at 12:22, 14:22, 16:22, 18:22, 20:22 and 22:22.  All these trains use Platforms 13/14 at Piccadilly and also serve Oxford Road, Deansgate and Salford Crescent stations, which is useful. However, from 6 January to 10 February they will run between Hazel Grove and Piccadilly only.

Less welcome news about the new timetable is that the policy of running buses to Buxton in place of the last trains of the day, Monday - Thursday,  to allow engineering work, has now been included in the timetable, and will happen every Monday - Thursday from the New Year until 31 March. However, it's not too bad for us in that the 21:52 and 23:10 trains from Manchester will run as far as Hazel Grove before handing over passengers to a bus. In the downhill direction, the 21:29 Buxton - Manchester (Davenport 22:04) runs as normal, and there will still be a train starting at 23:32 from Hazel Grove (Davenport 23:36) to Manchester, but passengers wanting the last train from Buxton (22:56) will need to travel all the way by bus, arriving at Davenport at 00:01. Days to be avoided if planning a trip to the Buxton Opera House, perhaps.

Another change is that - with exceptions in the early morning and late evening - trains from our line towards Manchester on Mondays to Saturdays, even the ones from Buxton, do not stop at Heaton Chapel or Levenshulme. However, it has not been possible to make this change in the reverse direction, and most trains do continue to call, so we will have to continue to compete for seats at Manchester.

3 January 2013

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Metrolink Matters

Metrolink trams are now running beyond Oldham Mumps to Shaw & Crompton, calling at Derker. The line is served by trams from St Werburgh's Road (Chorlton) via Victoria, so it is necessary to change if travelling from Piccadilly, either at St Peter's Square or by walking from Piccadilly Gardens to Market Street. The line to Droylsden, which leaves Piccadilly station in the opposite direction from other routes, is now scheduled to open on 11 February.

For a story about the ongoing fiasco with the new tram signalling system which has led to much inconvenience, and is likely to prove expensive, see the Manchester Evening News.

3 January 2013