Did you know, a railway station once existed near Guisborough which was for the sole use of a rich landowning family nearby?

The well-known Pease family were Quakers and had business interests all over the Teesside and County Durham region, especially in Darlington.

Sir Joseph Whitworth Pease

Hutton Hall, near Guisborough, was owned by Sir Joseph Whitwell Pease, son of Joseph Pease who was a major proponent of the Stockton & Darlington Railway.

According to Wikipedia, he was a banker, owner of coal and ironstone mines, a director of the Henry Pease & Co woollen mill, and of the Owners of the Middlesbrough Estate.

He also sat in the House of Commons as a Liberal politician, and had the title 1^st Baronet.

Private Station

The Pease home of Hutton Hall sits close to the town of Guisborough. It was built in 1866 for Joseph and became his family home.

However, with the need to be regularly out and about tending to his various business and political interests, including trips to London, better access was necessary for him.

Joseph Pease senior had been involved in the creation of the Middlesbrough & Guisborough Railway, which opened in 1853 to provide access to the mines in the area, as well as for passengers along the route. It brought rail travel to Guisborough, Ormesby and Nunthorpe.

The line also passed incredibly close to Hutton Hall and, thanks to the family interest, it was arranged for a private station to be built there for Pease use. It opened in 1854, before the current Hall was completed.

This was known as Hutton Gate, and was close to another station named Hutton Junction, where the line split off to Guisborough.

The Fate of Hutton Gate Station

Use of the private station was sporadic, and its facilities were not always manned. In fact, between 1864 and 1881 the station was closed completely.

By the early 1900s times had become tough for Joseph Whitworth Pease.

A banking crash in 1902 led to financial crisis for the family, and he was forced to sell off the Hutton Hall estate.

As a result, Hutton Gate station was purchased from the family and opened for public use in 1904; it would now receive regular rail service along the route. This was particularly useful for Hutton village.

By this time the Middlesbrough & Guisborough line was owned by the North Eastern Railway (NER), and modifications were made to the station to allow longer trains and more passengers to be accommodated.

However, as many of you will know, rural and little-used railway lines were subject to widespread cuts during the 1960s. The line to Guisborough was no exception, and in 1964 the line was closed completely.

Some stations along the route had already closed in the 1950s.

The station buildings are now a private house.

Following the closures, the track along the route was removed, and slowly over the years it has been redeveloped and built over. Sections are also incorporated into footpaths, such as the Guisborough Forest And Walkway Country Park, which starts at the former Pinchinthorpe Station.

As for Hutton Gate, it also lies on a part which is now a walking route, and the former station building survives as a private house.  Outside of its grounds you can still see the old platforms.

Do you remember travelling along the railway line between Middlesbrough and Guisborough? Did you ever alight at Hutton Gate Station? Leave a comment below!