The Ghost on the Coast

Holywell Junction

Well what a surprise! We turn into Station Road, Greenfield, past terrace houses and industrial premises, along a driveway and find the station has been converted into a substantial house with well-kept garden and childrens toys outside. From the outside it looks to have been sympathetically renovated, but then its a listed building so the new owners would have had no choice! No sign of ghosts here.

The big advantage of exploring by bike is that you can cover quite a large distance at a speed conducive to exploration and arrive at places like this without attracting attention. We took a quick photo from the gateway then retraced our path to a road bridge over the line.

From the other side of the bridge a track leads down to the line, at the far end of which a car was parked opposite the signalbox.

We may have been trespassing here but there was no gate and no warning signs and after taking a good look at us and seeing that we were armed only with a camera the signalman seemed content to allow us to take a couple of pictures.

Sixteen of the 32 intermediate stations on the line have closed. Curiously most of these are on the more populated eastern half. Holywell Junction station was opened and closed on the same dates as Mostyn.

Holywell Junction signal box was built by the LNWR in 1902 and also controlled the short branch to Holywell Town, only one and a half miles but with a gradient of 1 in 27! This branch was opened in 1912 in response to bus competition and was operated by a "motor train" consisting of a small tank engine and two converted picnic saloons. Motor trains could be driven from the front compartment of the far coach, the controls being connected by rodding to the locomotive.

The branch closed in 1954.

We take our leave of Holywell Junction in search of the remains of Bagillt Station