I've started this thread to continue the discussion describing the historical developments of Leek station because we seem to have inadvertently bombed out Mr Porters thread and changed the topic... so apologies in advance to yourself Mr Porter realising our mistake. Anther reason I'd like to develop this topic is that there is a real possibility that in the not too distant future a new Leek station will be build serving the Churnet Valley on land formerly occupied by a concrete works on the industrial estate, so it will be good for Platform 1 to stay abreast of developments as they happen. I've also got ideas to construct aspects of the old station area in scenic diorama form and would like to post updates of my research here too. First will be a collection of schematic drawings So to continue as add on to the photographic collections we are discussing back in 1971 after the tracks had been lifted I took quite a few B&W pictures of the site myself (need to find this material and post up) but more importantly several artifacts turned up and a few were removed from their surroundings too and thankfully all are saved forming a part of my collection of NSR memorabilia. Firstly the large enamel No Smoking sign from the office end of the goods warehouse survives as does the cast iron signalbox staircase tread plate... a photograph of one which exists in the NSRC museum collection. I also found a loco lamp in the paraffin room next to the signalbox. I wonder if this lamp was once worn by one of Stoke's allocation of BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0 locos and discarded because the inner reservoir was missing ? The "put penny in the slot" enamel door sign came off one of the cubicles in the Ladies Toilets, oh how I wish I'd had the foresight to recover the actual door mechanism and cast iron money box. The cast hand Izal toilet roll holder came from the Gents lavatory cubicle next door and an NSR horse brass was found quite by chance near the old stable block which existed in front of the stop block of the paper unloading siding, presumably this little relic was brought to the surface when the siding was lifted.
Now even more interestingly I found a metal canister marked NSRly inside the Parcels Office, this canister was used to decant a ball of hemp string via a blade and hole mounted on top of the lid, the base was partially filled with lead to help maintain a balance when the clerk needed some to attach luggage destination tags. Most of the plaster ceiling in the Parcels Office had fallen in due to the roof deteriorating and the whole place stunk of damp but again it was another lucky find buried under the debris. This picture also shows a better shot of the horse brass. somewhere I've also got some thick card printed inward receipt parcel destination markers with wire hook attachments worded LMR 52 Leek. 52 was the ares sorting code for inward goods to Leek and Stoke on Trent, these markers would hang in the parcels office to denote the inward delivery consignments. The parcels office ceiling had been a very ornate affair with deep Plaster of Paris combed cornices which had castellated decorative blocks inserted every 12 inches or so around the circumference of the room. I should have taken some unbroken fallen ones for posterity but again never though and now its all long gone.
