A memorial to the first man killed in a railway accident in the UK has been restored.

The stone tablet marks the spot where the legendary 'Rocket' locomotive ran over the Rt Hon William Huskisson more than 150 years ago.

He was hit by the train during the opening of the Liverpool to Manchester railway when he stepped on to the line.

Vandals and the passage of time had taken its toll on the original memorial and a ceremony marked the unveiling of a new stone.

The monument stands alongside the railway line on the site of the former Parkside station near Newton-Le-Willows.



This is a monument to an unfortunate accident which rightly claims its place in British railway history

Mike Cowman,

Railtrack

The original marble tablet bearing a tribute to the memory of Mr Huskisson was crumbling to pieces. Mike Cowman, Railtrack North West zone director, said: "This is a monument to an unfortunate accident which rightly claims its place in British railway history. "As such it is fitting that it should be restored and maintained in the same way as any other memorial to a major event in our history." Sir William McAlpine, chairman of the Railway Heritage Trust, said: "The Railway Heritage Trust has been involved from the start in the lengthy campaign to restore this monument. "We are delighted that the lead we took in funding a feasibility study in 1998 has resulted in the magnificent restoration work." Thousands cheered Mr Huskisson, a well-known MP in Liverpool, was killed on 15 September 1830. The line's opening was being marked by a procession of eight locomotives, all built by George Stephenson.



