The Lord Mayors of Leeds and Bradford were on hand at Middleton Railway on Saturday (26 October 2024) for the formal handing over of Leeds-built locomotive ‘Hawarden’.
As we previously reported when the locomotive arrived in January this year, Hawarden was built in 1899 by Hudswell Clarke & Co in Hunslet and spent its working life in Stalybridge. The Lord Mayor of Tameside was due to attend the ceremony, but was unable to due to ill health.
In 1964 John Summers, the owner of Globe Iron Works, saved the engine from the scrapyard and gifted it to National Trust’s railway collection at Penryn Castle. Whilst their it was repaired and preserved by the Bahamas Locomotive Society (named after a loco, not the islands).
Ceri Williams, General Manager at Penryn Castle, explained that:
“Because these locomotives didn’t tell part of Penryn’s history, we should be rehoming them and giving them to organisations who can then care for them and help tell their story in a much more connective way to their locality. She just looks as if she’s always been here which is amazing.”
Hon Ald Keith Whitmore, Chair of the Bahamas Locomotive Society, added:
“Our intention was always to make sure these locomotives had a secure future, which is why we wanted to work with the National Trust to find appropriate homes for them. This is a very appropriate home for this locomotive. Our intention is that we have the custodianship of these locomotives for three years, I can announce that we will be gifting Hawarden to Middleton Railway after that period on loan.”
Charles Milner, chair of Middleton Railway Trust set the addition of Hawarden to the museum in context, saying:
“This will help us tell the story of Leeds locomotive building industry. Physical items that grandparents saw working, touched and were part of. Hawarden is a fine example of Victorian industrial railway locomotives and with others in our collections shows the evolution of designs taking account of technical innovation and social change.”
Leeds built more locomotives than any other city in England with manufacturers clustered in Hunslet. This was in part due to Matthew Murray and John Blenkinsop’s pioneering work in deveopling the first steam engines to operate on the Middleton railway.
The Middleton Railway was built in 1758 and is the first railway authorised by an Act of Parliament; the first to have commercially successful steam locomotives, in June 1812; and also the first standard gauge preserved railway, opening in June 1960. It has operated trains every year since opening in 1758.
Hawarden can be viewed as part of the Middleton Railway’s museum. Entry to the museum is free. The railway will be closed in November as they prepare for the Santa Specials running throughout December. For full details go to: middletonrailway.org.uk
Photo: Ceri Williams (National Trust), Hon Ald Keith Whitmore (Bahamas Locomotive Society), Councillors Emma Pogson-Golden and Rob Chesterfield (SDP, Middleton Park), Councillor Paul Wray (Labour, Hunslet & Riverside) and members of Middleton Railway Trust joined the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Cllr Abigail Marshall Katung and the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Cllr Beverely Mullaney for the handover of Hawarden.
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