Exchange Station, Liverpool

Front of Station in Tithebarn Street in 1920s

Originally opened as Tithebarn Street railway station on 13 May 1850, as the terminus of the Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway, Liverpool and Bury Railway and Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway. Extensively rebuilt and enlarged between 1886 and 1888, being renamed Liverpool Exchange on 2 July 1888. Became the Liverpool terminus of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Under four extremely long roofs lay ten platforms, providing long distance services to destinations such as Manchester Victoria, Blackpool North the Lake District, Whitehaven and Glasgow Central. Bradford Exchange and Leeds Central. Electric trains replaced steam hauled trains in the to Southport Chapel Street (1904) and Ormskirk (1911).

Station Concourse 1934

Closed on 30 April 1977. The replacement Moorfields station opened the following Monday, 2nd May. Old station was demolished. However, the frontage of the station building was preserved and incorporated into a new office building built behind, called Mercury Court.

Liverpool Exchange Station, 7 August 1918

Approach to Liverpool Exchange Station, 1921

Liverpool Exchange Station, 1927

Liverpool Exchange station, about 1925

Lowry refers in his short story 'Hotel Room In Chartres' to the bosun's starting his rail journey from Exchange Station to Preston to join his ship. This is based on a similar journey made by Lowry to Preston to join the S.S. Fagervik en route to Norway in 1931.

Images courtesy of NMSI