Mansfield Station Master

My Grandfather John James Nicholson was Station Master at Mansfield Central Station.  I do not know the exact dates but he was there in 1947 when my mother was married, and in the early 1950’s when my brother was born. He lived over the top of the station.

John James was born in Bishop Auckland, Durham in 1891, and this is where I believe he married Mahalah Daffin (born Stavely Derbyshire) in 1909. He is said to have been in the Merchant Navy during the first World War, I recall seeing letters he wrote my Gran.

Just when he started work on the railway and came to Mansfield is unknown.

He was a tall man around six foot, he was very gentle and a Methodist. He also enjoyed painting in water colours and is said to be in a Water Colour Painters Book!

My grandma was quite the opposite in size as she was only four foot eleven inch’s, and very stern. She used to deliver babies for the mums like they did in them days.

In the 1960’s they lived in the bungalows on Goodacre Street, Mansfield, and were living there in 1966 when he died.  My grandmother died in 1970/71.

Maybe someone will  recall the old station, and my granddad as station master.

Comments about this page

  • Hi Pauleen I can remember John very well, as you say a very gentle man.and he loved his grand children very much. Love bill

    By billwarsop (09/01/2017)
  • My grandfather was the manager of W.H.Smiths shop on the station from 1899-1915?? My grandfather and my father (6 yrs old) were both infected with the Spanish Flu in 1918. My father survived but my grandfather died, which put my grandmother and her six children in dire straights. One memory my father had, his father had told him that when he first came to Mansfield to either open or manage the shop one of his paper boys brought his elderly grandfather with him, to meet my grandfather. This old man said he was 92 yrs old and could remember the Royal Scots Greys leaving their barracks to go to join Wellington prior to the battle of Waterloo. The barracks were situated oposite Titchfield Park where the stone fronted Georgian style buildings are. Does anyone know anything about the barracks?  I can’t verify the above. 

    By Richard Hughes (19/07/2015)
  • I remember Mansfield Central railway station which, even after nationalisation, I always referred to as the LNER Station. Sadly, I rarely used it, as most of our rail travel was from the more conveniently situated Town (LMS/Midland) station. The only occasions I can remember were, October 1948 when my Father, Mother and I (5 years old) travelled to Mablethorpe for a week to visit an aunt and, sometime in the 50s for an excursion to Cleethorpes. I remember the tiled walls in the entrance and up the stairs to the platforms which were wooden planking. Sadly, I cannot remember ever travelling in the opposite direction to Nottingham Victoria. Ironically, in the late 50s/early60s when I visited Mansfield from Cambridgeshire I could only get as far as Nottingham Victoria as the scheduled passenger services to Mansfield had ceased by then.

    By Martin Gorner (30/04/2013)

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