Wingfield Station opened on 11th May 1840 as part of the new North Midland Railway from Derby to Leeds and was England’s first mainline railway to the north.

The North Midland Railway Company was formed in 1835 by investors who planned to build the new railway and then generate profit from the bulk movement of coal from the Derbyshire and South Yorkshire coalfields. George Stephenson (the “Father of World railways”) was appointed Chief Engineer, and he personally surveyed the route of the proposed new line between October 1835 and May 1836. George then hand-drew the plans for the new line, which were then submitted for parliamentary approval in the Summer of 1836.

Following approval, George appointed his son, Robert Stephenson, to oversee construction of the new railway, which involved:

• Building of 72.5 miles of new mainline railway

• Building of over 200 bridges

• Excavation of 7 large tunnels

• Huge earthworks

• Building of 16 new railway stations

10,000 workers were involved in the construction of the new railway, which took a little over 3 years to complete. The southern half of the route from Derby to Rotherham Masborough opened on 30th June 1840, and the full route to Leeds opened 2 months later in July 1840.