Commemorative lectern at Handforth’s historic “tank track” ….

Handforth Town Council and the Friends of Handforth Station have installed a commemorative lectern to recognise a significant piece of Handforth’s history.

From the Second World War until the mid 1950s, trains delivered armoured fighting vehicles (tanks) to Handforth, which then trundled down Brereton Road to the Handforth Tank Repair Depot (near what is now Welland Road). Remains of the route used are still visible, with some of it known locally as “the tank track”.

Handforth Exchange Railway Sidings and their controlling signal box were constructed during the Second World War. These railway sidings and their signal box were located in the north of the village – between Handforth Station and the bridge carrying Stanley Road over the railway.

The Railway Sidings gave rise to two branch lines. One of these ran eastwards to service an RAF maintenance depot. The second, an army branch line, ran south to terminate in a dock at Hall Road. Tanks were brought by rail to the Hall Road dock, for driving down Brereton Road and onward to the tank repair depot.

The tank repair depot closed in late 1957 and the army branch line tracks were lifted in the 1970’s/1980’s.Thereafter the branch line route became known locally as “the tank track’’, but gradually deteriorated to become a muddy footpath through the woods.

Determined that the footpath should not deteriorate further, the chair of Handforth Town Council (HTC), Mrs Susan Moore, subsequently campaigned for the use of funds from the Jones Homes Sanctuary development to be used for the provision of (a) a weather-resistant surface for the “tank track” and (b) a pair of commemorative lecterns. Thanks to her efforts, the tank track was resurfaced in late 2023 and now provides a woodland path between Hall Road and Lower Meadow Road.

Under the guidance of their president, Mike Bishop, the Friends of Handforth Station (FoHS) provided the photographs and composed the text for the commemorative lecterns, the first of which was installed at the Hall Road end of the track on Thursday 22nd February.