Information

Brunswick Station opened as the western terminus of the Garston and Liverpool Railway which extended the St. Helens Railway from Garston Dock to a point nearer to the city at Brunswick. This line was opened on 01.06.1864 but just over a year later on the 05.07.1865 the line was absorbed by the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC).

The CLC had wanted a route into the important maritime city of Liverpool from the important manufacturing city of Manchester that could compete with the LNWR. By obtaining running powers over the St. Helens Railway and the Stockport and Warrington Railway they were able to achieve this. The problem was that both of these lines were taken over by the LNWR and that company was not particularly inclined to be helpful towards the CLC.

The CLC therefore obtained powers to build their own line from a point just to the north west of Garston Dock Station, to Manchester. On 01.08.1873 the CLC opened its new line. They now had their own express route linking the two cities.

Brunswick Station did have extensive facilities including a three story brick built booking office with 2 platforms. However the station was a mile away from the city centre. At the same time as the CLC had obtained powers for its main line to Manchester it had also obtained powers to build an extension into Liverpool city centre.

On 02.03.1874 the extension complete with a new terminus called Liverpool Central was opened. Brunswick closed the next day. However the station was then developed into an extensive goods facility including a large warehouse that stood right next to the original station building.

It is known that troop trains used Brunswick Station during the Liverpool General Transport Strike of 1911. This was presumably to avoid the mass demonstrations that would have been present outside of Liverpool Central Station. It was probably also easier to unload the horses of the Cavalry detachments at the extensive goods facilities that Brunswick had at that time, and the men could use the disused passanger platforms that were last used in 1874.

The goods facility remained in use until it closed and the tracks lifted by late 1978.

Today the site is occupied by a large car dealership but the base of one of the original station gate posts can still be seen also goods station walls and bricked up railway arches at the back of the site and under road.