A Vision for the Future

The existing railway network of the East Riding, some of it the product of the George Hudson scramble, was expanded with the opening of the Market Weighton to Driffield branch line on 11 April 1890. At the time, it was thought that this section, which linked up with the existing lines from the West Riding, would eventually boost the prosperity of Driffield and Bridlington. Bridlington, which already had a thriving holiday trade, was poised for expansion as a port in connection with the fishing industry and as a potential trade link with Scandinavia and Hamburg.

Local Efforts in Railway Construction

Construction commenced in October 1888 and was carried out by John Fraser and Sons of Leeds at a cost of £230,000. It was a double track line and was taken over upon opening by the North Eastern Railway Company. There were four stations on the section: Enthorpe, Middleton-on-the-Wolds, Bainton, and Southburn. Despite some heavy cuttings and extensive embankments, the engineering difficulties were not onerous, with no tunnelling required. It is said that a family involved in the construction work resided in part of the property now known as “Quackers” near the pond. Another construction worker was David Bradley Soanes, born in North Dalton in 1859. He served as a carrier in his father’s business, bought a grocer’s and draper’s shop in 1891, and later opened a sand pit and sold sand. He died in September 1960 at the age of 101.

Possible Iron Age Chariot Unearthed

During the excavations between Enthorpe and Middleton, bones and rusted iron were found in a deep cutting, which were considered to be part of an Iron Age chariot burial. It is believed that only one of the items found, a linch pin, was preserved.

History of Middleton on the Wolds Railway Station

Middleton on the Wolds Railway Station was opened on 21st April 1890. The first Station Master at Middleton was George Julian of Lund. It was part of the North Eastern Region and ran from Market Weighton to Driffield.

Sources unknown, Date unknown

The coming of the steam trains had a major impact on village life, as testified by Mrs. T Smith, speaking in the 1950s at the age of 70.

“Before we had the railway, all the coals, bricks, cement, etc., had to be carted from Kiplingcotes, Driffield, or Lockington stations. My father used to fetch a crate of crockery for Miss Wright twice a year from Kiplingcotes station. When the railway was opened and the first train ran to Market Weighton, a few people went on it. Mrs. Harry Sims’s grandmother, her mother, and aunties went on it. My dad would not let me go. Dad used to work on the line with our horse, and she was the last horse to work on that line. We have some of her gearing hung up in our stable now.”

By the time of the death of the Rector in 1904, a local newspaper reflected on the changes that had occurred in Middleton in the last forty years:

“Forty years ago Middleton had no means of communication with the outside world, except by a carrier’s cart which went once a week to Driffield ten miles distant. It is perfectly true that Mrs. Blanchard (the Rector’s wife) being apparently at the point of death, and the carrier’s cart being about to start, orders were sent by it for a coffin, funeral cards, and other paraphernalia of mourning. The lady did not die, but the coffin and other things arrived, and were long kept as an example of the isolation of the place before the railway. Now that there is a train service between Driffield and Market Weighton and a telegraph office in the village, two posts daily and an evening newspaper, nobody can deny that progress has been made.”

The Demise of the Railway

Older people in Middleton look back on the railway with affection and probably took it for granted as a permanent local facility. However, as far as the management was concerned, it did not fulfil its early promise and was closed to goods traffic in 1954. The passenger side clung on precariously for a few more years, finally closing in 1965.

Written by K. Kaye

June 2025