Hadlow Road railway station

The Birkenhead Railway, owned jointly by the Great Western Railway (GWR) and London and North Western Railway (LNWR), opened a single-track branch line from Hooton to Parkgate on 1 October 1866, which included a station at Willaston with a train passing place. An extension to West Kirby was completed twenty years later. It was named Hadlow Road Station because there are two villages named Willaston in Cheshire and the name Willaston railway station had already been taken by the time of Hadlow Road's opening. The main station building is on the eastbound platform towards , whereas a smaller waiting shelter stands on the westbound platform towards . At the western end of both platforms was a level crossing with rather large gates; this was due to the angle at which the road crossed the railway lines. Hadlow Road railway station closed to passengers on 17 September 1956. The track continued to be used for freight transportation and driver training for another six years, closing on 7 May 1962. The tracks were lifted two years later. ==Wirral Country Park==

The station is on the Wirral Way footpath and part of Wirral Country Park. The country park lies both in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and in the borough of Cheshire West and Chester, it was the first designated country park in Britain opening in 1973. The footpath follows the track bed of part of the former Birkenhead Railway route from West Kirby to Hooton and is used by cyclists, walkers, joggers and horse riders. A second visitor centre is present on the Wirral Way at Thurstaston; however, Thurstaston railway station was removed and all that remains are its platforms. ==Museum==

The station is now a small free museum that is open to the public. It was created to have the look and feel of the day it closed, with a ticket office, telephone box, vintage signs and luggage carriers. All of the station (excluding the westbound platform) has been preserved The station is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. The facilities available are car parking, seating and public toilets. ==Friends of Hadlow Railway Station==

The station is owned by the council, but Friends of Hadlow Road Station, a community organisation, == Gallery ==

Image:Hadlow Road station 2018.jpg|Ticket office and stationmaster's house Image:Waiting room, Hadlow Road station.jpg|The ticket office (at left) and waiting room image:Hadlow Road Station, Willaston - geograph.org.uk - 1431681.jpg|The platform with a luggage trolley Image:K6 Phone box at Hadlow Road station.jpg|Preserved K6 phone box, with original telephone equipment with A/B push buttons Image:Signal box, Hadlow Road station 2018.jpg|The signal box, on the eastbound platform Image:Hadlow Road Signal Hut.JPG|Signal box interior Image:Rain shelter, Hadlow Road railway station.JPG|The rain shelter on the westbound platform ==See also==