Spath

Human settlement in England

Region

52°54′54″N 1°52′23″W / 52.915°N 1.873°W / 52.915; -1.873

Spath, is a small village north of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England. The village is on the River Tean and is separated from Uttoxeter by the A50 road. For population details as taken at the 2011 census see Uttoxeter Rural.

History

In UK railway history, Spath was on the now-disused Churnet Valley Line, owned and operated by North Staffordshire Railway (NSR). The village is notable as the site of the first automatic half barrier crossing (AHBC) in the United Kingdom, which came into operation on 5 February 1961.^[1]^[2]^[3] The railway closed four years later and the road which crossed it via the automatic crossing is now gated. There is no remaining visible sign of the crossing.

Spath was the original home of Stevensons of Uttoxeter, a bus company that celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2007.

^ "News Summary: Automatic 'Gates'". Practical Motorist. 7 (81): 957. May 1961. Britain's first automatically operated level crossing barriers are now in operation at Spath Level Crossing near Uttoxeter. The barriers, electronically operated by an approaching train, consist of poles fixed each side of the road only, and are conspicuously marked with red and white bands. Additional warning is given by flashing red lights & gongs.
^ Unnamed 1961 publication quoted at "First BR Automatic Level Crossing Barriers". Rail Blue. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016.
^ "Spath Level Crossing, the First Automatic Level Crossing in Britain: The Behind the Scenes Story of its Development". Derby Signalling History.