Breadsall Greenway News

This afternoon a small group of invited guests attended the official opening of the Great Northern Greenway at Breadsall Station. They were mostly Local and District Councillors, DCC Staff, local residents and the press.
Due to the inclement weather, the ceremony was short and the planned walk minimised, no doubt to the relief of the lady in the white court shoes.
There were only two cyclists, Lucy Care and me.
The path had been smartened up for the occasion, after a litter pick and a mechanical brushing of the surface. Without any grit, the surface looks remarkably hard, and due to the various slopes, appears to be self draining.
Most noticeable finishing touches were the replica level crossing gates (see photo above). Being painted authentic white, these may give us a problem with graffiti.
Also the various repaired walls of the station and signal box now have nameplates.
The main approach from Breadsall village, Station Road, has been re-laid with tarmac, and of course, all entrances now have locked gates with horse boxes and the latest design of "A" frames.
Amongst the small crowd was a lady who used to live in the station house after the station closed, but before trains ceased to run. She told us that the building was burned down after they left, and it was subsequently demolished. Her husband has left an inscription in the wet concrete with his wife's initials and the dates of occupancy. See above photos.
Many readers will be familiar with the book "The Friargate Line" which details the history of the Great Northern Railway on both sides of Friargate Station. This excellent book is currently out of print and has become a collectors item.
We understand that the author, Mark Higginson is proposing to update the book to include some aspects of the line's conversion to Greenways. It will then be re-published.