DURHAM railway station, with its stupendous elevated views over the city to the cathedral, is one of the most famous stations in the world.

It, though, is a newcomer, first opened in 1857 on the west side of the city. But on the east side, Durham had three other stations – including Elvet, the station which may, or may not, have handled a circus shortly before it closed in 1954.

The first railway to reach Durham came from the east, from Sunderland. It reached Pittington in 1836, Sherburn House in 1837 and Shincliffe in 1839 – the closest it came to the city itself. This line was rope-worked, with the wagons and carriages hauled along the tracks by stationary winding engines, for 20 years before new-fangled locomotives were introduced.

The second railway to reach Durham was the Newcastle and Darlington Junction Railway which pieced its way from Tees to Tyne in the 1840s. It was the East Coast Mainline, running to the east of Durham City, until 1872 when the line to the west of the city replaced it. It is now known as the Leamside Line, although it is largely lifted.

This mainline ran a little spur into the city to a station at Gilesgate, just before the land drops down to the Wear. It was the city's main station from 1844 until 1857 when the one with the stupendous views opened. Gilesgate then became a goods station, a role it fulfilled until 1966. Today, the A690 link road from the A1 motorway uses part of its trackbed, and much of the station is incorporated into the Travelodge hotel.

Elvet, therefore, was Durham's fourth station. It opened in 1893 when Shincliffe was closed and the Sunderland railway was rerouted towards the city centre. Elvet was at the top of Old Elvet, near the crown court. For such a minor station, it was surprisingly long, although it was unroofed.

The passenger service out of Elvet was not a great success, so it was withdrawn on January 1, 1931 and the station concentrated on goods.

But on one day every year, Elvet reopened to the public: Durham Miners Gala day. Because of its proximity to the racecourse, it was ideally located for the special excursions which brought in whole communities for the festivities.

The last gala that the station served was on July 18, 1953, and it closed to all traffic on January 11, 1954.

Yet the story persists that one of the last trains it handled, probably in the second half of 1953, was a circus train, bringing in all performers which were to appear in the Big Top, presumably pitched on the racecourse.

===================

THE arrival of the circus train at Elvet station must have been an extraordinary sight: lions, tigers, jugglers and clowns all stepping down onto the platform at the top of Old Elvet.
Such an extraordinary sight, in fact, that it has inspired a poem and a piece of music that will be premiered at this year’s Brass festival.
Yet, for all the folkloric references to the arrival of the circus train in 1953, no one knows precisely when it happened – even, if we are honest, whether it really did happen.
Can you help?
Work on the poem, by Barnsley poet Ian McMillan, and the music, by Olympic composer Luke Carver Goss, has already begun, but on Wednesday, January 28, between 2.30pm and 3.30pm, they will be at Clayport library, in Millennium Place, hoping to meet anyone who has memories, information or any story connected to the day the circus came to town.
Anyone who can help with the story is welcome to this “memory gathering workshop”, but you must book a place by calling 03000-265524. 
Colin Robson, Durham County Council arts officer, said: “The colourful story of the circus train has almost passed into legend. This project gives us the chance to find out the truth behind the rumour, but it should also result in a memorable mixture of brass music, words and live cartoon drawing.
“We hope people get involved in keeping the story alive.”
You can email your memories to brassfestival@durham.gov.uk, or write to Arts Team, Culture and Sport, Neighbourhood Services, Durham County Council, County Hall, Durham DH1 5UL. Or send them to the Memories addresses at the top of this page. It would be fantastic if we could discover someone who was actually there when the circus pulled into Elvet in 1953.
In Memories 207, we told the astonishing story of the world’s greatest lion-tamer, Fred Bostock, who was born in Darlington in 1866 and who toured the world with his travelling menagerie, which finished in 1932.
This left only circuses on tour, and we believe the only one that was still using trains to get around in 1953 was Bertram Mills’ Circus – so perhaps that was the one that pulled into Elvet.
All information gathered will go into the work, which is being illustrated by Tony Hubbard, a former Cartoonist of the Year, whose initial drawing of the event can be seen on these pages.
The whole project is a collaboration between the council, the National Railway Museum, York Theatre Royal and UK Touring.
The show will be performed with the Tredegar Town Band on July 18 at Elvet Methodist Chapel, Durham, as part of the Brass 2015 festival, and on August 9 at the National Railway Museum, York.