On numerous occasions, Wales Parish Church had put their case for a station at Wales to first the Great Central and in later years the L.N.E.R. but all to no avail until 1928. A traffic committee meeting on November 29th of the year was informed that Wales Parish had a population of 5,000 and 452 houses had been built in the last year. It was also brought to their attention that the nearest station was Kiveton Park, 1 ½ miles away.

The Kiveton Park Coal Company had undertaken a verbal agreement with the L.N.E.R. that if receipts from the new station were not sufficient to cover outlay they would divert traffic now passing by the competing route (the former Midland Railway branch, now L. M. S. R.). They added that as soon as the station opened they would also transfer 50% of the pit prop and mining timber traffic onto the L.N.E.R. as well. The committee was told that this traffic would gross £1,500 per year. It was estimated that the station would cost £2,507 to build.

The L.N.E.R. were obviously swayed by the above submissions and the works committee asked for tenders to be invited for the building of the new station. It was decided that it would come under the control of the station master at Kiveton Park and the staff would consist of one 5th class clerk at £200 maximum and one porter including uniform and holiday relief at £114. Stores, lighting and maintenance were estimated at £35 per year. A profit of £750 per year was calculated.

Kiveton Bridge Station was opened to both passengers and parcels on the 8th July 1929. Situated one mile fifteen chains from Kiveton Park Station and one mile forty-eight chains from Waleswood Station, it consisted of two 300 feet-long wooden platforms linked by an over bridge, access to which was gained from the booking office. Set at road level and adjacent to the main road, the booking office was, like the platforms, gas lit. Each platform had a wooden waiting room.

And so after 30 years of lobbying the people of Kiveton at last had a railway station. The Worksop Guardian of July 12th reported that the station was informally opened when, before a large crowd of spectators, the 9am from Sheffield steamed in. There was lots of competition for the first ticket. District Inspector Mr. E. H. Cause from Lincoln gave the aforementioned ticket to Mr. E. P. Hall and the second to Mr. H. S. Turner, both of the Kiveton Park Coal Company. Few would argue, for the KPCC had worked tirelessly to have the station built.

There was some dissatisfaction that on the timetable no trains were scheduled to stop at Kiveton Bridge before 9am. What particularly annoyed people was that a train to Sheffield passed through at 8.28am and would been ideal for large numbers of secondary scholars who attended Woodhouse Grammar School, as well as business people working in Sheffield. There was also no Sunday service. On a more positive note, weekday services after 9am were noted as being both frequent and convenient, and the lack of early stopping trains was addressed soon afterwards.

Kiveton Bridge Station with the wooden waiting rooms. In the background Kiveton Park coal mine.

Little changed at Kiveton Park for the next four decades, indeed the station remained gas lit until the early 1970s. At around this time concrete platforms replaced the aging wooden ones and the wooden waiting rooms were demolished to be succeeded by bland brick shelters. The booking hall went when the station became destaffed the following year.

Along with Kiveton Park, the station was completely rebuilt in the 1990s. The work included modern platforms, shelters and waiting shelters, the work being funded by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive.

On completion of the work the station received new signs, unfortunately with the name KIVERTON BRIDGE. These were replaced by the correct spelling on May 21st 1993. As residents of Kiveton were well aware, this was not the first such spelling mistake, nor will it be the last. Indeed, British Railways made the same blunder in the late 1950s when workmen spent two whole days fitting two huge enamel signs reading – you guessed it – KIVERTON BRIDGE.

The completed station with correct signs, and no trace of Kiveton Park pit.