Disused rail-lines as public rights of way 16

Above the last of a short run of views (s.p.b.s.) of/from Hall Garth Park, Hornsea, here showing a glimpse of the parish church’s east window /taken from just inside the Park’s perimeter wall/churchyard’s retaining wall near to the moated manor-house site within the Park (south-west corner).

Only a short distance from Ellerby station (s.p.b.), on the disused Hull – Hornsea rail-line public right of way, was a small station named on early O.S. maps as Burton Constable station, although it was two miles from Burton Constable Hall and much nearer to the village of Marton. Whether this means that the Constable family and their estate had a special status here I do not know, but if so it would be an interesting line of thought.

Next stop Whitedale station, a mile east of Rise Hall, and standing in an isolated location. The next station was identified on old O.S. maps as Sigglesthorne station although it was sited three miles south-east of Sigglesthorne village and much nearer to the hamlet of Great Hatfield. Sigglesthorne village was one mile west of Wassand Hall. The penultimate station to the two in Hornsea served the hamlet of Goxhill and its surrounding farmland, the line then passing through Southorpe Hill cutting. Southorpe was/is the site of a medieval deserted village just south of Hornsea Mere and in the parish of Hornsea.

Hornsea from the map evidence, had two stations although I know nothing of the one serving the southern half of the town, an area traditionally known as Hornsea Burton. The terminus building, station-master’s house, waiting room, ticket office etc., survives, now converted to houses/flats in a pleasant location and conveniently close to the sea-front for day-trippers back in the day.

To travel on this rail-line must have been rather like travelling on the London Underground today with the train slowing down for the next station as soon as it had got speed-up from the last.

(to be continued – Hull to Withernsea line).