Portpatrick Harbour

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Portpatrick Harbour (1863-1868)

Opened on the Portpatrick Railway.

Description

The harbour station was reached by reversal at Portpatrick - the line extended beyond the platform there to a reversing spur and the branch dropped down to the harbour.

The harbour station had a single platform and two loops. It was located above the north end of the harbour. By continuing onto a reversing spur on the shore a train could reach a quayside line on the north side of the harbour and, by turnplates, lines down the west and east side of the inner harbour. Further, a siding continued onto the northern breakwater.

Portpatrick was intended to be a port for Ireland but the harbour proved unsuitable and from an early date ships operated preferentially to Stranraer Harbour.

Nothing obvious remains of the station or harbour lines. There are two bridge parapets by Main Street. The station site is now a tennis court and bowling green.

Tags

Station terminus

External links

Canmore site record
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67


Chronology Dates

  /  /1865Portpatrick Railway
Portpatrick Harbour - before the railway even opens, the harbour suffers storm damage.
11/09/1868Portpatrick Railway
Portpatrick Harbour station and branch opened.
  /11/1868Portpatrick Railway
Portpatrick Harbour station and branch closed.
  /  /1874Portpatrick Railway
Portpatrick to Donaghadee boat stops running. This is in part due to the unsuitability of Portpatrick Harbour. The Stranraer Harbour to Larne Harbour [1st] service replaces the abandoned service. Portpatrick to Stranraer remains open.

Books


Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Railways (Library of Railway History)
Rails to Portpatrick (Local History Series)
The Port Road: Dumfries to Stranraer, Portpatrick, Kirkcudbright and Whithorn