ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012/13

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012/13

RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST · ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012/13

1 RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST 2013

The Trust publishes an Annual Report for four specific purposes:� to publish its Accounts;� to illustrate the projects to which its grants have been awarded;� to acknowledge the financial contribution made to projects by external partners;� to acknowledge the contribution made to the development and delivery of projects

by sponsors, consultants and contractors.

We have a wider purpose too. Britain’s railway heritage deserves every opportunitythat can be taken to make its quality and diversity better known. So our illustratedproject reports also serve to attract potential new partners to work with us in thisimportant and challenging field.

Front cover: Leatherhead Station HouseInside front & back covers: Network Rail Archives:Historic plansBack cover: Pitlochry Station: Macfarlanefountain

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Photography:Specially commissioned from Paul Childs atSpheroview Ltd, Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Other photographs as individually credited

The Trust is grateful to the following individualsand organisations for permission to publishphotographs:BRB (Residuary) LtdDavies Sutton ArchitectsClive GrewcockLondon Borough of SouthwarkAlastair MoseleyBenedict O’Looney Architects

Research and text by Andy Savage & MalcolmWood, with assistance from Claire PicktonDesign by Geoffrey WadsleyPrinted in England by Kingsley Print & Design Ltd,Egham, Surrey TW20 8RF

CONTENTSChairman’s Statement 3The Hon Sir William McAlpine Btintroduces the Report; notes theTrust’s continuing success indelivering improvements to therailway’s heritage infrastructure;welcomes the railway industry’s on-going good performance; reviews adiverse programme of projectssupported by the Trust across a widegeographical area, with severalattracting large grants; reflects on theimminent closure of BRB (Residuary)Ltd; notes the Trust’s input withregard to the recording andrenovation of railway war memorialsin the lead up to the centenary of thestart of the Great War; and looksahead to next year.

Review of Projects 4-29Reports on the Trust’s grant-aidedprojects, including: refurbishment ofthe station dubbed ‘the nation’sworst’; works to bridges, a goodsshed, a fountain, a statue andrailwaymen’s graves; conversions toprovide cycle facilities, communityuse and even a microbrewery;transfer of ownership of a disusedroute; and support for conservationmanagement plans and historicdrawings preservation.

National Railway Heritage Awards 29The Railway Heritage Trust Award for2012 is won by Pivovar Tap Ltdfor the creation of York Tap in theformer tea room at York Station.

Grants and ExternalContributions 30-31A detailed list of grants awarded andexternal partners’ contributions.

The Trust’s Accounts 32A summary of the audited accounts.

Brighton Station: Detail of refurbished window

RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST · OFFICERS AND ADVISORY PANEL 31st March 2013

RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST 2013 2

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Chairman: The Hon Sir William McAlpine BtExecutive Director: Andy Savage Director: Marcus Binney

ADMINISTRATION

Company Secretary: Malcolm WoodPersonal Assistant: Claire Pickton

ADVISORY PANEL

Robert Baldwin Sir Simon JenkinsGordon Biddle Bernard KaukasJohn Boyle David LawrenceTimothy Bryan Chris LeahAnthony Byrne Candida Lycett GreenProfessor Dugald Cameron Adrian LyonsJamie Coath * Geoff MannJim Cornell John MartinSir Neil Cossons Vernon MurphyPhilip Davies Frank PatersonIan Hay Davison Oliver PearceyPtolemy Dean * Dr John PrideauxDenis Dunstone * Malcolm ReedLord Faulkner of Worcester Simon RiggeDr William Fawcett Martin RobertsonChristopher Fildes Paul SimonsChris Green John SnellChris Heaps Sir James SwaffieldCharles Howeson Dame Margaret WestonStanley Hurn Adam Wilkinson *

* Appointed to the Advisory Panel during 2012/13

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ADVISORY PANEL

The Annual Meeting of the Advisory Panel took place on 11th October 2012, for the first time in our new building, 1 Eversholt Street. The revised cateringarrangements worked extremely well. Ken Taylor, Executive Director ofGroundwork Wakefield, gave a brief history of Wakefield Kirkgate Station, andhow restoration was about to start, with Railway Heritage Trust funding, leadingto some lively debate about the reuse of buildings.

Newcastle upon Tyne: George Stephenson statue

CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT


THE TRUST HAS NOW BEEN IN OPERATION

for twenty eight years, andcontinues to deliver improvements

to the railway’s heritage infrastructure.In 2012/13 the total value of workwhich we supported was £6.7 million,towards which we contributed grants of£2.1 million.

The industry has had anotherreasonable year operationally. Traindelay performance remains good, witharound 90% of trains meeting theirpunctuality targets. Staff and passengersafety remains at the high standard thatwe have seen for some years now, withno passenger fatality in a movementaccident (at the time of writing) sinceFebruary 2007.

its pigeon-infested dereliction. Becauseof these high rates of expenditure, andof matching funding, we have nowpassed the point where the Trust hassponsored projects over the £100million mark. This is somewhat earlierthan I predicted in the last Report. Ourtotal grant and match-funding figuresince the Trust was founded stood at£101 million at the financial year end.

Although we have seen more moneyspent, we actually awarded fewer, butlarger, grants during the year. Wefunded 37 grants from our Network Railsponsorship, and two each from BRB(Residuary) Ltd and the Maber legacy,making a total of 41 grants that weawarded, compared with 60 in2011/12.

A major reason why we gaverelatively few grants was that nine ofthem were for £100,000 or over. Eightof these projects alone have taken some£1.259 million of our Network Railfunding, leaving only £0.547 million forthe other projects across the network.However, the stunning work at theseeight projects has to be seen to bebelieved, whether it is the conversion ofthe historic station at Pollokshaws Westto a cycle maintenance workshop, therestored station master’s house atRibblehead, the newly-glazed footbridgeat Chester, or the restored station atCrystal Palace, with its new, RailwayHeritage Trust-funded, café for all to use.I am very satisfied that it was worthinvesting in these large-value projects.

Despite the lower number of projects,we have maintained our usual widegeographical spread, with work atDunrobin Castle in the far north ofScotland, Scarborough and Harwich on the east coast, Brighton andSouthampton in the south, andBethesda and Llanelli in Wales, plusmyriad sites in between. Our work scopehas been equally wide – as well as theprojects described above, others haveinvolved helping our friends at Pivovarto create a microbrewery (the output ofwhich I can thoroughly recommend),converting a locomotive water towerinto an office, repainting an originalLondon & Greenwich Railwayunderbridge, restoring a statue ofGeorge Stephenson, installing a much-needed toilet at Dunrobin Castle, as wellas feasibility studies and engineeringdesigns. Our largest grant in the yearwas for £270,000, to facilitate handing

The Chairman unveils the 2012 NRHA RailwayHeritage Trust Conservation Award plaque atYork Tap

Mal

colm

Woo

d

over the remainder of the long-closedBethesda branch from BRB (Residuary)Ltd ownership to that of the localcouncil, so that it can be converted to acycle route: our smallest was £300, tomove the fabric of a dismantledweighbridge office from Oxford toDidcot.

Apart from the work that we havefunded, we have given advice in anumber of areas: one particularlystands out, where we have helped withthe location and identification of warmemorials to railwaymen. In some caseswe have discovered memorials that werenot recorded on the Imperial WarMuseum’s War Memorials Archive.Some of these we have only recorded,but in other cases we have initiated thecreation of new memorials. Theseinclude a replica Stratford-upon-Avon &Midland Junction Railway Roll ofHonour, and a plaque to commemoratea Euston railwayman who won theVictoria Cross. We expect to see most ofthese projects completed next year, intime for the centenary of the outbreakof the Great War.

The final closure of BRB (Residuary)Ltd is now rapidly approaching,somewhat later than I anticipated. Itwill have transferred its ‘burdensome’estate to the Highways Agency by thetime this Report is published. We lookforward to working with that Agency infuture, and once more I thank all thosein BRB (Residuary) Ltd, and itspredecessors, who we have co-operatedwith in the past.

In concluding can I, as ever, thankAndy, Malcolm and Claire for theirdedication and determination inrunning the Trust. Without theircommitment we would not be able toachieve the results that we do. Finally,may I commend the twenty eighthAnnual Report and Accounts of theRailway Heritage Trust to you.

The Hon Sir William McAlpine BtChairmanLondonJuly 2013

The Trust’s total expenditure in2012/13 was up because we were oncemore able to get grants flowing on theBRB (Residuary) Ltd estate, after a two-year gap; additionally, the amount ofmatched funding we drew in wasparticularly high, mainly because of themassive Wakefield Kirkgate project,where we are contributing less than10% of the £4.6 million cost ofrestoring this wonderful building from

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


WAKEFIELD KIRKGATESTATION: REFURBISHMENT

Lord Adonis, when he was Secretary ofState for Transport, memorablydescribed Wakefield Kirkgate as ‘theworst station in Britain’ when he carriedout a tour of the Network Rail system.Few would dispute that description. Thestation dates from 1857, when it wasbuilt jointly by the Great Northern andthe Lancashire & Yorkshire Railways.Possibly designed by ThomasButterworth, who certainly designed thenearby Halifax Station, it consisted of along Italianate building on the northplatform, containing all the usualfacilities, with an island platform on thesouth side. The island was divided by along spine wall, which, along with themain building, supported an overall roof.There were also more conventionalcanopies, not only hung off thesouthernmost side of the spine wall, butalso free-standing to its east.The removal of the overall roof in the

1970s, and taking all the glazing fromthe remaining canopies on the islandplatform, meant that that side of thestation looked abandoned, and the spinewall meant that those using thesouthernmost platform were out of viewfrom the other two platforms, resultingin a very threatening environment. Onthe northern platform a short moderncanopy did provide some shelter, but itdid not reach the top of the subway to

the island platform, exposing passengersto whatever weather there was.Meanwhile, the main building had beentotally abandoned, leaving the stationunmanned, and, despite its Grade IIlisting, falling into dereliction.Inspection of the interior washeartbreaking, as roof leaks meant thatthere was substantial damage to theremaining architectural features.

waterproofing, and installed CCTV, thusimproving security. Then, in the lastfinancial year, it demolished theredundant spine wall, and used thebricks to build a new shelter over thesouthern ramp to the subway, whilstrenewing and extending the north sidecanopy to provide full shelter up to thetop of the ramp. Whilst these works were taking place

several interested parties, includingNetwork Rail, West Yorkshire andWakefield Councils, Metro, Northern

Above: The new island platform shelterRight: The derelict booking hallBelow: The new canopy on the main building

Following Lord Adonis’s visit a freebus service had started up, linking thetown and the station. The opening of theHepworth Gallery nearby also provided afurther stimulus to improve matters, andsince 2011 things have started to turnfor the better. Firstly, Network Railupgraded the subway lighting and

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


Rail, Grand Central and the RailwayHeritage Trust, worked together to find away to restore the main building. Thekeystone that joined the arch thesecompanies had so laboriouslyconstructed was the arrival of theWakefield branch of Groundwork, theenvironmental regeneration charity.Groundwork Wakefield offered to bothrestore and move into the station, andmanaged to raise enough money fromthe various parties to fund therefurbishment. The Trust eventuallycommitted one of its largest grants,£400,000, to this project, with half ofthis sum allocated in 2012/13. The painfully slow process of

accumulating sufficient funds to startthe work has meant that the contractwas only let at the end of February, and

MORPETH STATION:CONSERVATIONMANAGEMENT PLAN

Morpeth lies some 13 miles to the northof Newcastle, and the choice of a routefor the East Coast Main Line in that areawas subject to more than the usual levelof debate, with George Hudson’sNewcastle & Berwick Railway (N&BR),engineered by George and RobertStephenson, being in direct competition

with Lord Howick’s NorthumberlandRailway, which had Isambard KingdomBrunel as its engineer. Although thecompetition was mainly caused byargument over a short length of theroute at Howick, the two routes differedgreatly further south, and how Morpethwas served was a major issue. In the endthe Stephensons triumphed, and theN&BR was built, with a station atMorpeth, albeit at the edge of the townand on a sharp, right-angled bend.

Right: The forecourt elevation of WakefieldKirkgate

The whole of the N&BR was to beprovided with superb stations, andalthough Hudson’s financial downfallmeant that some were not built,Morpeth is an excellent example of thework of Benjamin Green, who designedmany of the earlier stations on the line.Green built the station to a Tudor design,albeit with gothic windows in theportico, and of Northumbrian freestone.It has survived well, despite manychanges to the layout, but is now largelyunused, although there is still a waitingroom and booking office.We have been trying to find a new use

for the disused part of the building forsome time. An attempt to place anIndian restaurant in it came to naught,but recently the Greater MorpethDevelopment Trust (GMDT) has shownan interest. This Trust has a fine recordin restoring buildings in the town, inparticular John Vanbrugh’s Town Hall.(Vanbrugh also designed BlenheimPalace and Castle Howard.) As a firststep towards what we hope will be asuccessful restoration and reopening ofthe building, the Trust has given GMDTa grant to help it develop a conservationmanagement and business developmentplan for the station. We hope that thiswill lead shortly to a restoration grant.

Sponsor: Greater Morpeth Development Trust,Morpeth, Northumberland

Consultant: Napper Architects Ltd, Newcastle

wonderfully restored station and officefacility in our 2014/15 Report.

Sponsor: Groundwork Wakefield, Normanton,West Yorkshire

Architect: SBS Architects, ManchesterContractor: G F Tomlinson Building Ltd, Derby

there is little to show on-site at the endof this financial year. However, we areall looking forward to what promises tobe a superb restoration over the next 18months, and we hope to be able tocontrast the dereliction of today with a

Benjamin Green's Morpeth Station frontage

KEIGHLEY STATION: WAITINGROOM

Like Sheffield Midland (see page 7),Keighley Station was the work of theMidland Railway (MR) architect, CharlesTrubshaw. Built in 1883, Keighley was atypical large MR station, with ridgedcanopies to all four platforms. Theplatforms all remain in use: the two tothe south-west are on the branch toOxenholme, now the Keighley & WorthValley Railway (K&WVR), whilst thenorth-easterly pair serve the main linefrom Leeds to Skipton, Settle andCarlisle, and carry heavy traffic, bothpassengers to Skipton and coal comingfrom Scottish ports.

condition as it is possible to do. This yearNetwork Rail carried out several projectsas part of the National StationsImprovement Programme, and, as partof this, the Trust funded heritage workin the waiting room on the up(southbound) platform. This meant thatthe original doors were retained andfitted with automatic door openers, andthe original wooden seat was also saved,with new disabled-compliant seating

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE:GEORGE STEPHENSONSTATUE

The Trust has looked somewhat askanceat the recent praise heaped upon Brunel,as if it was he that invented anddeveloped the railways of Great Britain.Whilst not wishing to denigrate Brunel’sachievements, there is a compellingargument that the work of George andRobert Stephenson far outweighs hiscontribution, and should be properlyrecognised.One place where the Stephensons are

fully appreciated is, of course, theirhome city of Newcastle. In particular,there is a statue of George at theintersection of Neville Street andWestgate Road, about 100 metres fromthe station frontage. The statue is ofbronze, and stands on a sandstoneplinth. Around the base of the plinth arefour seated figures, again cast in bronze,one of which is said to be Robert.The statue was in considerable need

of restoration, which the City could notfully fund, and the Trust contributed tothe work on both its stone and bronzesections, and also towards a lightingscheme so that it is now illuminated atnight: a fitting tribute to the father ofrailways.

Sponsor: Newcastle City Council Urban Design &Conservation

Project Management: Newcastle City CouncilArchitectural & Building Design Services

Contractors: Antique Bronze Ltd, London (statuerestoration) & SSE Contracting Ltd, Blaydon,Tyne & Wear (lighting)

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


The electrification of the Skiptonservice led to the removal of most of thecanopies on the main line platforms, but,despite this, the K&WVR and NetworkRail have co-operated to maintain thewhole station in as much of a 1950s

fixed to the opposite, trackside, wall,where it is not so visually obvious. This small scheme is a good example

of the Trust helping to retain and restoreoriginal features in a listed station,whilst at the same time facilitating itsupgrade to meet the needs of the 21stcentury, and of all passengers.

Sponsor: Network Rail London North Eastern,York

Architect: Owen Ellis Architects, LiverpoolContractor: Consortia Integrated Services Ltd,Liverpool

Left: Keighley waiting roomMain picture: Seating ancient & modernInset: Restored canopy support

SHEFFIELD MIDLANDSTATION: FIRST CLASSDINING ROOM

In our 2009/10 Report we described theconversion of the former bar onPlatform 1 of Charles Trubshaw’s 1904Sheffield Midland Station to the highly-successful Sheffield Tap. In 2011/12 wewere delighted to see this concept spreadto the wonderful York Tap, and we areequally happy to see Pivovar Tap Ltdonce more turn its attention to Sheffield,with an extension of the Sheffield Tapinto the former first class dining room.Immediately to the north of the rooms

that form the Sheffield Tap, the first classdining room had been a classic exampleof opulent Edwardian architecture. Fullytiled with gas lighting, and large areas ofmirrors, the space must have been aglorious sight when first opened.However, time, and British Rail, had notbeen kind to it after it ceased being usedfor catering: the room had been dividedup into a number of storage areas bycrude timber partitions, and was in afilthy state.Fortunately the original features

suffered very little damage, and theTrust was delighted to sponsor Pivovarin creating an extension to the SheffieldTap, including the installation of amicrobrewery. This incorporates threewonderful copper ‘kettles’ of varying

heights, which form a modern contrastto the restored tiles and mirrors. Pivovarhas chosen to leave some of the screwholes and other interruptions in thetiling, to show how the room wasdamaged and then brought back.However, compared with the cleanedand restored original walls and terrazzofloor this damage is not obvious: wecongratulate Pivovar on yet anothersuperb restoration project.

Sponsor, Designer & Project Management: PivovarTap Ltd, York

Contractors: Andy Thornton Ltd, Elland, WestYorkshire (specialist interior) & YorkshireDecorative Plasterers, Sheffield

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


Right: The first class dining roomBelow: The microbrewery 'kettles'Inset: Tiling & mirror after restoration

FRODSHAM STATION:FENCING

Frodsham Station lies between Chesterand Warrington, and was opened in1849 by the Birkenhead, Lancashire &Cheshire Junction Railway. Sometimelater the Great Western and the London& North Western Railways took jointownership of the line. It is a two-storeybuilding in the Tudor style, constructedin red brick, with sandstone dressingsoffsetting this, and with ogee gables atfront and rear. When the line waswidened in 1897/98 the whole buildingwas alleged to have been jacked up androlled back several feet.The station followed the usual cycle of

abandonment and being bricked up, butits Grade II listing saved it fromdemolition. Some years ago it was badlyvandalised, and burnt out, leaving littlebut a shell. Fortunately, Railtrackrestored a slated roof to the building,and boarded up the windows, keeping itweather-tight. In 2011/12 Network Railcarried out a first-stage restoration,renewing all the windows and doors,and providing new plastered walls,floors, ceilings and toilets. This projectwas carried out with advice, but nofinancial support, from the Trust.Further work is expected in 2013/14 fortenants, who have been provisionallyidentified, and the Trust will besupporting this work with a grant.However, as the station’s appearance

has improved, one small detail remainedoutstanding. Railway building historianGordon Biddle refers particularly to thefences behind both platforms, and theNorth Cheshire Rail Users’ Group wasconcerned that a small section of thefencing was missing, and approachedthe Trust for a grant towards reinstatingthis, with the Users’ Group funding thebalance of the work. This small projecthelps to improve the overall ambience ofa station that is rapidly returning fromthe dead – all the more impressive as ithas largely been done by Network Railand community groups, on their owninitiative, with the Trust only operatingin a light-touch advisory role.

Sponsor: North Cheshire Rail Users’ Group,Frodsham, Cheshire

Contractor: Joe Preston & Son Ltd, Widnes,Cheshire

LADYBANK: STATIONMASTER’S HOUSE

The stations of David Bell on theEdinburgh & Glasgow Railway haveregularly featured in these Reports inrecent years. Category B listedLadybank, with its simple Italianatemain building on the downside, andwith the large timber building and theornate Laird’s waiting room on the up, isa particularly excellent survivor, whichthe Trust wishes to see restored and usedto the maximum.In 2009/10 we reported on the

creation of an artist’s studio in theformer dining room. At that time thestation house was still occupied, but itsubsequently became vacant, andanother group of local artists has nowtaken it over. They have, with the Trust’ssupport, restored it for use as a studioand workshop, where a variety of local

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


artists offer classes in a range of media.The restoration has been done with afine eye to the original structure, soalthough clearly now a workshop it isobvious how the building was previouslya house, and many of the originalfeatures are still in place.This refurbishment was mainly of the

interior of the station master’s house,and the Trust hopes to be able to fundwork to some of the exterior heritagefeatures at a future date, along with therestoration of the Laird’s waiting roomas a community base. We anticipatemany more visits to Ladybank in thenext few years.

Sponsor & Designer: Off the Rails Arthouse,Ladybank, Fife

Contractor: DM Builders, Ladybank, Fife

Above: A restored room at LadybankLeft:What it’s about – bringing a room back into useBelow: Ladybank station house

up, and that project is now lost. On ahappier note, the proposed car park atthe west end of the station did not gainplanning approval. The Trust had beenmost concerned about this structure,and had objected to it at the planningstage. Whilst there remains a need formore parking at the station, we hopethat any future proposal will recognisethe need to relate to the historic station.Another piece of good news is that aproposal to develop the area to the eastof the station, off railway land, has beenrevised to restore many of the featuresaround the Queen Hotel arcade, withCheshire West and Chester Council(CWACC) consulting the Trust in thisdevelopment, and making significantalterations as a result.

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


CHESTER STATION:FOOTBRIDGE

Chester Station has featured regularly inthese Reports, with three entries in thelast four years. When we last reportedon it, in 2010/11, the long-standingseries of projects had reached a pointwhere the original Francis Thompsonbuildings on the street front had largelybeen restored, as had the matchingisland platform buildings. Moreover, newmodern subsidiary buildings had giventhe station a sense of functionality anddesign consistency that it had longlacked.

Since then we have had both bad andgood news. The Trust awarded a grantfor the restoration of heritage featureson the west wing of the main building,but in the end the grant was not taken

One area that remained untouchedwas the footbridge that linked the islandplatform to the Thompson building. Atraditional London & North WesternRailway lattice structure, the bridge wasin need of painting and strengthening tocarry the heaviest pedestrian loads thatarise on race days. In addition, itscorrugated-iron sides restricted the viewfrom the bridge, and made crossing itlike walking through an enclosedtunnel. Network Rail, in consultationwith the Trust and CWACC, developed avery carefully designed strengtheningpackage, that is largely invisible, andwith the help of two grants from theTrust, plus support from the HeritageLottery Fund, also glazed the sides of thebridge. This shows the original structurein all its finery, allows passengers to lookdown onto the railway, and also givesmuch better weather protection.One final job remains for the Trust at

Chester. The original arcade alongPlatform 3 is partly glazed and partlycovered in corrugated sheeting. TheTrust is now exploring with NetworkRail how to glaze the whole arcade, thusrevealing the original arches in all theirsplendour.

Sponsors: Network Rail London North Western,Manchester & Cheshire West and ChesterCouncil, Chester

Designer: Network Rail Infrastructure Projects,York

Contractor: J Murphy & Sons Ltd, Golborne,Greater Manchester

Top: Improved lighting & weather protection forpassengersCentre: A better view of the bridge from belowBottom: And you can see out as well

RIBBLEHEAD: STATIONMASTER’S HOUSE

Although many of the original buildingson the Settle & Carlisle (S&C) line remainin railway ownership, or are theproperty of sympathetic bodies andowners, it has not been possible torestore all the buildings along the routeto the standards of the Design Guide (seepage 21). The station masters’ housesare a particular problem, as British

REVIEW OF PROJECTS

NOTTINGHAM STATION:REFURBISHMENT

The Midland Railway (MR) undertookmajor overhauls of its three largest EastMidlands stations at the end of the 19thcentury and beginning of the 20th.Leicester was addressed in 1892, andSheffield and Nottingham in 1904, allunder the supervision of CharlesTrubshaw, the MR architect. Trubshawvisited the United States in 1897, andhis experience there influenced hisconcept of the concourse interior atNottingham, with the design reflectingthe Beaux Arts style. The details of thestation frontage have been attributed tolocal architect A E Lambert, whoincorporated many of Trubshaw’strademark features such as a dominantclock tower, terracotta façades and aporte-cochère structure spanning thetracks. Nottingham City Council, in

partnership with Network Rail andothers, has embarked on a majorredevelopment of the station which willsee a new southern concourse builtadjacent to the porte-cochère andalongside the British Transport Policeaccommodation fronting Queens Road.One of the main reasons for this changein the focus of the station facilities is theambitious extension of the NottinghamExpress Transit tram system, taking itfrom the current tram stop on StationRoad over the station on an immense,new tubular bridge, following the routeof the former Great Central Railway. Theextension will contain a new tram stop

serving the station directly, linking intothe southern concourse.The porte-cochère and the booking

hall are both being refurbished and theplatforms will see improvements to thecanopy glazing. The work encompasses,among many aspects, brick andterracotta cleaning and repairs,refurbishment of the Burmantoft tilingin the booking hall, adaptation of theformer travel centre area for retail use,and development of the former luggageentrance leading from the porte-cochèreas the new ticket office. The works arebeing supported by the Trust through asignificant grant towards therefurbishment of the heritage aspects ofthe station, but, as the majority of theworks are scheduled for 2013/14, amore comprehensive update will begiven in next year’s Annual Report.

Sponsor: Nottingham City CouncilArchitect: Pascall + Watson Architects Ltd,London

Contractor: Taylor Woodrow, Watford,Hertfordshire


Railways had sold most of them offbefore the line was put up for closure butthen reprieved.This was the case at Ribblehead,

where the house had become a youthhostel, but The Settle & Carlisle RailwayTrust has recently taken the opportunityto acquire the building and, withsupport from the Trust, and fromNetwork Rail, has carried out anexcellent restoration. This has included

Above left: A view of the porte-cochère area withdetails of windows (above right) and blind archesin terracotta (below)

BETHESDA BRANCH:TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP

The London & North Western Railwaybuilt a branch line from Bangor, on itsChester and Holyhead line, to serveBethesda, some five miles away at thenorth end of the Nant Ffrancon pass. Ifthe branch was supposed to serve thePenrhyn slate quarry, the world’s largestslate mine, it was a failure, as LordPenrhyn had had his own railway fromthe quarry to the coast for many years,and he saw no reason to transfer any ofits traffic to the new interloper. As aresult, the branch eked out a quietexistence, closing to passengers in 1953,and to goods ten years later. British Railways subsequently

recovered the track, and it and itssuccessors gradually sold off most of theland. In recent years the local authority(Gwynedd), in conjunction with Sustrans,the cycling charity, has developed one

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


cycle route from the Nant Ffrancon passdown the valley to Bethesda, and asecond from Bethesda’s northern edgedown the former railway to Bangor.Between these two cycle routes theformer railway runs through a tunneland over a viaduct. BRB (Residuary) Ltd,the owner of the land, was reluctant toopen this section to cycle use because ofpotential maintenance liabilities.However, the Trust was able to offer agrant to Gwynedd equivalent to itsestimates for overhauling the structuresand in exchange for this Gwynedd hastaken over title to these structures. As aresult of this transfer Gwynedd is nowable to join the two parts of the pathtogether, thus giving cyclists a routefrom Bangor to Nant Ffrancon separatefrom the Telford-built A5 – a heritageroad in its own right, but not acomfortable place to cycle.

Sponsors: Gwynedd Council, Caernarfon & BRB(Residuary) Ltd, London

new windows, barge boards and doors,and, most importantly, the restoration ofthe courtyard to the rear of the house.This well-designed feature, althoughfulfilling a modern use, has fully restoredthe original external appearance of thebuilding. No other station master’shouse on the S&C retains the courtyard. The use of lime mortar through all

the new work as well as the restorationis praiseworthy, especially at such adifficult site, and the restored building is

well insulated. Once fitted out, it will beused for holiday lets. Problems of accessand weather meant that the Trust had toincrease its grant for the project: butthen, overspending due to the awfulweather conditions is entirely in keepingwith the heritage of the S&C, and,indeed, of the Ribblehead location.

Sponsor: The Settle & Carlisle Railway Trust,Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria

Architect: PPIY Ltd, YorkContractor: DTA Construction Ltd, Widnes,Cheshire

Top: The restored building, with new windows &stoneworkCentre: Inside the dining room, with well-insulated wallsBottom: Detail of the new windows & bargeboards

LONDON WATERLOOSTATION: VICTORY ARCHSTEPS

The Victory Arch at London Waterloo ispart of the sweeping, curved frontage ofthe station which was opened in 1922 tothe design of architect J R Scott. Thisbuilding was constructed to replacewhat had become a confused andrambling terminus which had grownhaphazardly, by degrees, from itsinception in 1848. The arch forms theLondon & South Western Railway warmemorial, and has been described asImperial Baroque in style. It is flanked bysculptures representing War and Peacewith Britannia seated on the crown ofthe arch.Over time the broad steps and

associated bronze handrails have

GREAT YARMOUTH:VAUXHALL BRIDGE

As with so many other British towns,Great Yarmouth was cursed with anumber of unconnected stations servingdifferent railways; furthermore, in thisparticular case none of the stations wereactually in the docks, from where muchof the potential traffic arose. TheYarmouth & Norwich Railway stationopened in 1844, and within four yearswork was underway to build a newbridge over the River Bure, the VauxhallBridge, which connected the railway tothe docks and the other stations.Opening in the early 1850s, the bridgeconsisted of three wrought-iron girderscarrying two tracks and a roadway, witha span of 115 feet (35 metres). Thestructure was clearly limited in itscarrying capacity, and in 1886 it wasstrengthened by the construction ofthree lattice arches, which supported theoriginal beams by a hanger system. Theresultant change in structural form ismost unusual – indeed, the Trust is onlyaware of one other surviving bridge withthis degree of alteration in its structurewhilst retaining the original material,Torksey Viaduct over the River Trent.

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


suffered from the effects of perpetualheavy pedestrian traffic accessing thestation through this main approach.Whilst, over the years, some of the stonetreads have been lifted and turned, littlemore could be done to salvage them, andso, in 2012, Network Rail initiated aprogramme to replace them. As a resultof a current focus on railway warmemorials, it was deemed by the Trust tobe quite appropriate to give somesupport to this work, particularly withregard to the refurbishment of thebronze handrails, themselves anintrinsic part of the arch. The outcomeis a clean transformation, which willpreserve the quality of this memorial foryears to come.

Sponsor: Network Rail Wessex, LondonContractor: Spence, London

The bridge has provided a pedestrianlink to the station ever since itsconstruction, and from 1909 to 1928 itcarried trams as well as trains. Despitethe 1886 strengthening it continued torequire regular attention, and had heavyrepairs in 1909 and again in 1929.However, a weight restriction wasimposed in 1930, and a first,unsuccessful, attempt to removevehicular traffic took place in 1934,with a second ban imposed in 1945. Rail traffic continued, and clearly roadvehicles started to use the bridge again,as in 1959 the tracks were enclosed with

Above: Vauxhall Bridge as it was

General view of stairs with (inset) handrail detail

a timber surface on the upstream spanto allow both road and rail traffic, withthe downstream span being finallyclosed to all traffic. In 1975 rail trafficover the bridge ceased, and the secondspan was also blocked off to roadvehicles, although the deck and tracksremained in situ. At some point in itshistory a pedestrian side span had beencantilevered off the bridge, and thisremained open to foot and cycle traffic.The bridge dominates the view as

passengers leave Great YarmouthStation, but no-one had carried out anysubstantial maintenance or painting formany years, so it gave an appearance ofdereliction to the arriving visitor. Thestructure became the property of BRB(Residuary) Ltd, who in turn transferredtitle to Railway Paths Ltd (RPL), asubsidiary of the charity Sustrans. TheTrust and RPL have now worked withGreat Yarmouth Borough Council, thelocal Building Preservation Trust, andvarious charities to put together apackage to restore two of the main

beams, and install a new pedestrian andcycle route over the upstream span. Unfortunately, problems in the

administration of the contracts led to achange in both consultant andcontractor, and, inevitably, a down-scoping of the work that could beafforded. Although, by the end of thefinancial year, the strengthening workswere complete, and installation of thenew walkway was well advanced, it wasclear that there was not enough moneyto fully paint the structure. The Trust

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


therefore reluctantly agreed that it wasbest to focus the painting on the originalbeams and their connections to thelattice arches. Fortunately, the councilsubsequently found funds to paint two ofthe arches.The appearance of this bridge remains

a concern, and is the subject ofconsiderable local interest. As neitherSustrans nor the rail industry has anyimmediate local need for it, the Trustbelieves that it is best for it to be in theownership of a local authority.Accordingly, the Trust would be willingto make a substantial grant to GreatYarmouth Borough or Norfolk CountyCouncil, were either to take ownershipof, and responsibility for, the structure.

Sponsor: Railway Paths Ltd, ManchesterConsultant: The Morton Partnership Ltd,Halesworth, Suffolk

Contractor: DGT Structures Ltd, Norwich

Above: Flaking, untreated paintworkBelow: The cleaned & painted lower part of thestructure

BATTERSEA PARK STATION:BOOKING HALL

The London, Brighton & South CoastRailway (LB&SCR) opened York RoadStation on 1st May 1867, from whichtime the station went through a varietyof name changes combining BatterseaPark and York Road until 1885 when itbecame known simply as Battersea Park.This must have been very confusing fortravellers as the London, Chatham &Dover Railway had a nearby station ofits own, originally called Battersea Park(York Road). The LB&SCR station was designed by

Charles Henry Driver who wasresponsible for the architecture of

SCARBOROUGH STATION:FORMER PARCELS OFFICE

Scarborough Station opened in 1845,with a classic G T Andrews train shedforming its basis. Over the next 90 yearsever-increasing excursion traffic led torepeated enlargement of the station, butalways by adding more buildings andplatforms, rather than replacing older,small structures with a single, new, largeone. Since the peak of rail excursiontraffic in the 1930s to 1950s there hasbeen almost a repeat process in theopposite direction, with the furthest-outbuildings being abandoned and,generally, demolished: little more thanthe original train shed and stationbuilding are now in use.

repair the structure, including a grantfrom the Trust, and work started late in2012. To date the main priority has beenthe replacement of timber beams in theroof, and covering over the gaps in theroofing material. These two projectshave permitted both the removal of thelarge number of dead pigeons, and thescaffolding, both essential first steps tothe full restoration of the building. TheRailway Heritage Trust’s grant stretches

C H DRIVER WAS A PIONEER in the use ofornamental ironwork, and was an expertin casting and manufacture, workinglargely with Glasgow iron founder WalterMacfarlane. He was a consultant to JosephPaxton on the Crystal Palace project, aspart of the 1851 Great Exhibition, andwas responsible for the design of theAquarium and Orangery there.In the late 1850s he designed several

stations on the Midland Railway routefrom Leicester to Hitchin, of which onlyWellingborough Station buildings remainin railway use.Working with Joseph Bazalgette on the

London sewerage system he devised someextravagant cast-iron lighting columns,often incorporating vents or ‘stinkpipes’.He designed the pumping houses atCrossness and Abbey Mills, both wellknown as ‘palaces of engineering’ andemploying his distinctive cast-ironfittings and ceramic tiling.From 1865 he worked with R Jacomb-

Hood on many stations on the London,Brighton & South Coast Railway,including London Bridge, Battersea Park,Denmark Hill, Peckham Rye andLeatherhead (see pages 14-17). At theend of his career he produced the ‘Stationof Light’ in São Paulo, Brazil, and suchwas his prowess that, at the time of hisdeath in 1900, he had amassed a fortuneof around £1 million.

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


One structure that escaped thegeneral demolition was the formerparcels office, located on Platform 1, farout from the station. A conventionalbuilding, except for its roof structure, itnevertheless was listed Grade II. As therailway had no further use for thebuilding it was abandoned, and hadbecome home to a large colony of feralpigeons, making it a most unpleasantplace to visit. Furthermore, the rooftrusses had started to fail, so NetworkRail had to erect, and maintain, astructural scaffold to keep the roof up.Unsurprisingly, the building went ontoEnglish Heritage’s At Risk register, andwas a general problem for everyone.Fortunately, a group of local artists

was looking for premises, and theyformed Scarborough Studios Ltd. Withgreat dedication they spent several yearsfinding sufficient funds to be able to

over two years, 2012/13 and 2013/14,so it will be next year’s Report when wedescribe the finished job. However, it isgood to know that work is wellunderway on this long-delayed project.

Sponsor: Scarborough Studios Ltd, Scarborough,North Yorkshire

Architect: Salt Architects Ltd, Scarborough, NorthYorkshire

Contractor:Wilson Construction Services Ltd,Scarborough, North Yorkshire

Top: Interior dereliction in the parcels officeCentre: The parcels building from the stationBottom: A restored chimney, looking over thestation

CHARLES HENRY DRIVER(1832-1900)

grant funding from the Trust, has nowrefurbished the interior, with mouldingdetails reinstated to the blind arches atground floor level. Service runs havebeen appropriately concealed and a newlower flight to the staircase accessing theplatforms has been constructed, withbalustrades incorporated using thehighly-decorative pattern Driveroriginally produced for Peckham RyeStation (see page 16). The effect of this transformation has

been enormous, and, furthermore, theinterior has been lightened upconsiderably by the introduction of amuch more reflective and brightercolour scheme than that whichpreviously existed.

Sponsor: Southern, Croydon, Greater LondonDesigner: Frankham Consultancy Group,Haywards Heath, West Sussex

Contractor: B & M McHugh Ltd, New Eltham,London

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


several of that company’s stations in theSouth London area. A great championof decorative cast-iron structures, Driverlavished the station building with adistinctly Italianate style, giving the top-lit interior space the air of a stage set,divided by a proscenium formed by apair of large diameter arches sitting onpaired, decorated columns. Externally, the full impact of the

building was diminished some time agoby the removal of the original cast-ironridge and furrow canopy, but thestructure still retains an air of eleganceas a result of the incised floral details onthe keystones, and the contrasting brickcolours, both so typical of Driver’s style. Internally, a gloomy and tired

environment had developed, notimproved by water ingress which hadwreaked havoc with the detailed plastersurfaces. Network Rail undertookwaterproofing works to solve thisproblem, and also refurbished andreglazed the rooflight. Following on fromthis, train operator Southern, aided by

Above: The refurbished booking hall with (left) the restored rooflight and (below) the replacementDriver-designed balustrades

PECKHAM RYE STATION:SOUTH TOWER STAIRCASE

Opened in 1866, Peckham Rye is yetanother example of the decorative workof Victorian cast-iron supremo, CharlesHenry Driver, working on behalf of theLondon, Brighton & South CoastRailway (LB&SCR).The three-storey building is one of the

first of Driver’s station designs in the

French-Italianate style. Constructed inyellow brick, it is set between twoconverging viaducts, with two baysprojecting forward of the main bookinghall, and a façade detailed with cast-ironbalconies and round-headed windowswith foliated keystones. During the1930s the station was modified and anew access stair built at the rear of thebooking hall, which severely altered theinterior arrangements. Also at this time,the frontage was closed off to the outsideworld in general by the introduction of alarge shopping development into theonce grand forecourt area.


The 1866 building is capped at highlevel by a large convex roof, surmountedby a stylish French pavilion covered infish-scale tiles. Beneath this roof is avery large space stretching the width ofthe building, which originally had acurved ceiling and was, for many years,used as a billiard room, until iteventually fell into disuse. The space wasaccessed by a staircase which led fromthe forecourt and was mostlyconstructed in stone, with ornate cast-iron balustrades, but had an upper flightand landing built in timber. The upperflight and landing, together with part ofthe floor of the room, have now beendeemed unsafe and while structuralissues relating to the timber elements areinvestigated the stair has beenterminated short of the upper landing,with access to the room restricted to adoor at platform level.

REVIEW OF PROJECTS

Above: Refurbished windows & doors in forecourtRight: The scene beforehandBelow: Driver staircase through windowBelow left: Door & window details

The opportunity has been taken torestore the entrance door and windowsto the stair tower and renovation of thelower sections of the stair has also beeninitiated. Once engineering designinformation has been provided for itsreconstruction, the stair will be broughtback into use to access the upper floorwhich, it is anticipated, will become acommunity facility.This year the Trust provided a grant to

the London Borough of Southwark forthe works to the staircase and windows,together with a small grant to assist withthe associated structural engineeringassessment. The building is a finesurvivor and deserves to be seen by awider audience as an example of thebold design philosophy associated withboth Driver and the LB&SCR.

Staircase & WindowsSponsor: London Borough of SouthwarkArchitect: Benedict O’Looney Architects,Peckham, London

Contractor: CM Building Services UK Ltd, LondonStructural Engineering SupportStructural Engineer: Structure Workshop Ltd,London

Benedict O’Looney Architects

LEATHERHEAD: STATIONMASTER’S HOUSE

The Epsom & Leatherhead Railway(E&LR) opened the first station inLeatherhead in 1859, but only a yearlater this company was jointly takenover by the London & South WesternRailway (L&SWR) and the London,Brighton & South Coast Railway(LB&SCR). Having extended their lines in1867, these two companies reached anagreement to operate independentstations at Leatherhead. However, by1927 the L&SWR station had closed,and the LB&SCR facility had become thefocus of the railway services. The LB&SCR station was designed by

that company’s prolific architect,Charles Henry Driver, who maintainedhis penchant for the decorative bycreating an asymmetrical buildingflaunting a pyramid-capped turret, withcontrasting brick detailing including apolychromatic ‘zig-zag’ band and aLombard frieze. The window heads alsoexhibit the polychromatic detailing,which, together with the use of cast-irondetails, typify Driver’s work. Theplatform buildings have remained withonly minor alterations, but the once-ornate platform canopies have beenreplaced in more recent times by veryunsympathetic, functional structures.

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


Patent’, interlocking, red clay vault tilesdating from 1867, which had previouslybeen covered in an inappropriatebitumen coating, rendering them nolonger functional. Replacement vaulttiles have now been reproduced to theoriginal design, along with decorativeridge pieces to the main roofs, and acast- iron finial to the turret. A modest grant from the Trust has

supported the replacement of damagedand missing roof details, plus work toentrance doors and windows. Followingsome interest, it is hoped that a newtenant will soon be housed in thissplendid example of a small mid-19thcentury station building.

Sponsor: Network Rail Property, LondonDesigner: Network Rail Property Construction &Maintenance Team, London

Contractor: Geoffrey Osborne Ltd, Chichester,West SussexAbove: Details of roof & window

Inset:Window & balustrade detailBelow: Restored station house awaits a tenant

Additionally, the station house had beendeteriorating for some time, clearlyneeding repairs and also a new use toprevent further decline. Network Rail Property set about a

programme of repairs, aimed initially ataddressing the roof structure andundertaking brickwork repairs. The roofcovering was formed of ‘John Taylor

HUDDERSFIELD STATION:WATER TOWER

Huddersfield Station is one of thegrandest in the United Kingdom, andone of only six Grade I listed operationalstations in England, alongside StPancras, Kings Cross, Paddington,Bristol Temple Meads and NewcastleCentral. It was built between 1847 and1850, and Gordon Biddle considers itthe finest classical station in Britain,with its portico reminiscent of the lostHardwick portico at Euston.Huddersfield was on a joint line, servingboth the Manchester & Leeds and theHuddersfield & Manchester Railways.These later became parts of theLancashire & Yorkshire and the London& North Western Railways: Huddersfielddid not achieve a common ownershipuntil those lines merged in the early1920s.

The Association of Community RailPartnerships (ACoRP) had moved itsbase within the north of England severaltimes. Further expansion meant thatthey were looking for a new home, andthey put forward a convincing plan toreuse the water tank building as theirpermanent office. With sash windows

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


BROMSGROVE: LOCOMEN’SGRAVES

In our 2010/11 Report we describedhow two locomen lost their lives whenan experimental locomotive exploded onthe Lickey Bank, south of Birmingham,in November 1840. Both men, ThomasScaife and Joseph Rutherford, wereburied in St John’s Churchyard atBromsgrove, and their workmates paidfor headstones. In 2010/11 the Trustfunded a conservation plan for theheadstones, and this year we havecontributed a substantial percentage ofthe cost of their full restoration.We are very pleased at the way the

industry has rallied round to help fundthis work, with contributions fromCrossCountry, DB Schenker, ASLEF, andthe Institution of Mechanical Engineers(whose formation resulted directly fromthe 1840 accident). In addition, TheBromsgrove Society and the Len GilesTrust have supported the work.Whilst the work is progressing

satisfactorily, it was not completed by the

end of the financial year, and we arehappy to show Mike Ford at work on therestoration, which he is doing to amagnificent standard. We look forwardto the rededication of the graves during2013.

Sponsor: St John’s Church, Bromsgrove,Worcestershire

Contractor:Mike Ford, Bromsgrove,Worcestershire

restored, the ventilation equipmenthidden from view inside the water tankitself, and a lot of the surroundingstructures removed to open up the viewsof the building from the railway side,ACoRP has created a fine office. Wecongratulate them on their work, whichhas restored this long-vacant buildingand given it a sustainable purpose.

Sponsor: Association of Community RailPartnerships, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

Architect: PPIY Ltd, YorkContractor: Bermar Building Company Ltd,Bradford, West Yorkshire

A station that served so many linesobviously had a lot of trains running,and in the days of steam traction thatmeant a high demand for water. It wasthus inevitable that Huddersfield wouldhave a large water tower, and this wasbuilt at the north-eastern extremity ofthe station site, on a high retaining walloverlooking John William Street.The water tower, as with most of its

brethren, was a basic box-like brickstructure, albeit broken up by recessedpanels containing pairs of sashwindows. Unlike most other watertowers it was not demolished with theend of steam, although it has not beenused to hold water for many years. Eventhough it was clearly not included in thestation’s designation it has always beentreated as being listed, and demolitionwas never an option.

Top: The new meeting room, with a feed pipe tothe tank left in situLeft: The restored water tower – you would notknow its new use

Alastair Moseley

BERMONDSEY: ABBEY STREETBRIDGE

In the 2009/10 and 2010/11 Reportswe described how the Trust had workedwith the London Borough of Southwarkto improve the underbridge at Spa Roadin Bermondsey: the Trust has nowturned its attention to the nearby, andvery similar, Abbey Street Bridge.The London & Greenwich was the first

railway line to open in London, in 1836.It ran on a three-and-a-half-mile longviaduct from, initially, Spa Road toDeptford. The viaduct, designed by Col G T Landmann, was later extendedin length, to London Bridge, and inwidth, as more tracks were added onboth sides, but the historic originalstructure remains with little alteration.Most of the viaduct is of conventionalarches: there are 878 of them, each of18 feet (five metres) span and 22 feet(seven metres) high. However, the three-span bridges at Spa Road and Abbey

HELSBY STATION: ROOF WORKS

Helsby Station opened in 1852, but thepresent buildings probably date to theopening of the branch line to EllesmerePort and Birkenhead 11 years later, asthey are very similar in design toEllesmere Port Station. The style islargely Tudor, and the ogee gables andball finials follow that style.Although the station remains open,

and a junction, the main building is nolonger used for railway purposes. As aresult it has fallen into disrepair inrecent years. However, Network Rail hasrecently been involved in restoring it as apossible commercial let, and the Trusthas given a small grant towards thereinstatement of the ball finials, and torenew a sandstone course in theotherwise brick chimneys. We lookforward to making a furthercontribution, towards the interiorrestoration, in 2013/14.

Sponsor: Network Rail London North Western,Manchester

Architect: Capita Symonds, Cheadle Hulme,Cheshire

Contractor: CPMS Ltd, Manchester

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


Street are most unusual, with each archsupported by fourteen cast-iron, fluteddoric columns on each side. This featurealone justifies their Grade II listing. The columns separate cars and

pedestrians, but, whilst an excellentpiece of engineering, they created a darkenvironment, which emphasised theway the railway splits the area boundingthe Thames between Tower Bridge andGreenwich from its hinterland. Therepainting and illumination of Spa Roadmade this environment much morewelcoming, and the Trust and theLondon Borough of Southwarksubsequently intended to carry out asimilar programme with Abbey Street.

London Borough of Southwark

Budgetary limitations on the Boroughmeant that this project only started atthe end of the 2012/13 financial year,and carried over into the 2013/14financial year. Although nowsubstantially complete, Network Rail hasto carry our repairs to some of thecolumns before they can be given theirfinal coat of paint.

Sponsor: London Borough of SouthwarkDesigner:Mouchel, LondonContractor: F M Conway Ltd, Dartford, Kent

Above: The restored Abbey Street BridgeInset: Cast-iron columnsBelow: The original Abbey Street Bridge beforewidening

The roof & a restored chimney at Helsby

POLLOKSHAWS WESTSTATION: CYCLING FACILITY

In our 2011/12 Report we describedhow the Category B listed PollokshawsWest Station, built in 1848 andGlasgow’s oldest surviving rail passengerfacility, was to be restored by theGlasgow Building Preservation Trust(GBPT) to provide a cycle workshop andoffices on the east platform and acommunity room and café on the west.The work, supported by the Trust,commenced at the start of the financialyear, and was completed, despiteconsiderable problems regarding thewater supply, by the end of February2013.The work on the station has been of a

very high quality, and extremely welldesigned. As the main building had beenstripped back to a shell GBPT was able tofit it with insulation to the best modernstandards, and also to address the issuesof accessibility, providing a lift to the first

NEWCASTLE CENTRALSTATION: CONSERVATIONMANAGEMENT PLAN

Gordon Biddle describes the Grade Ilisted Newcastle Central Station as ‘thefinest of Britain’s grand stations’, withits wonderful combination of the porte-cochère, the classical buildings and theamazing quadruple-barrelled train shedroof. John Dobson, who designed theoriginal station, was a Newcastlearchitect who opened out much of thecity. There is no doubt as to why thestation holds the highest listing gradethere is, one of only six such stations inEngland.

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


floor (and the southbound platform).GBPT has also restored doors andwindows that had been bricked up orboarded over, all to the original designsand using original material so far aspossible.GBPT is to be congratulated on its

considerable efforts to raise the financefor this project, with a multitude ofsponsors necessitating careful co-ordination of the (often contradictory)requirements of all the grant-givingbodies. The project was also a first in the

Central Station has been subject tomany changes over the years, somegood, some less so, with the awful 1950sBritish Railways-installed signallingscheme showing how badly even themost historic station can be vandalised.Happily, more recent times have seen agreat improvement, and the worstdamage has been made good. The Trusthas invested over £1 million into thestation, on a wide variety of projectsfrom removing the signalling centre tonew cast-iron railings.It is clear that Newcastle is about to go

through another round of change, andalso that much detailed knowledge ofthe station’s history is being lost

through retirement. Following on fromthe successful development of the YorkStation conservation management planlast year, train operating company EastCoast saw the benefit of a similar reportfor Newcastle, and gathered a group offunders, including the Railway HeritageTrust, so it could commission PPIY Ltd,who last year produced such plans forboth York and Carlisle, to carry out thework. This report is now complete, andavailable to all who want to makealterations to the station, in order toensure a consistent approach to itsunique heritage in all future changes.

Sponsor: East Coast, YorkConsultant: PPIY Ltd, York

development of a tripartite leasebetween GBPT, Network Rail and FirstScotRail, and we hope that the legalwork on this will be available for reuse infuture Scottish projects.

Sponsor: Glasgow Building Preservation Trust,Glasgow

Architect: Richard Shorter, EdinburghContractor: Elmwood, Glasgow

Above: The business centre on the first floorLeft: The ground floor before the workFar left: The cycle workshop in the ground floorBelow: The restored exterior of the station

SETTLE & CARLISLE LINE:DESIGN GUIDE

Ever since the route’s reprieve fromclosure in 1989 the Trust has had aclose interest in the Settle & Carlisle(S&C) line: we have invested well over £1 million in grants towards its upkeep.A key part of the restoration of the

line was the introduction of the DesignGuide, partially funded by the Trust,which laid down how the stations andother buildings should be designed and

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


NETWORK RAIL ARCHIVES

The Trust has continued its regularsupport for the restoration of historicdrawings and records in Network Rail’sarchives. Very excitingly, this year thearchive staff have found two drawings

from the York & North Midland Railwaydated circa 1838 and showing track andpoints – one of these is signed by GeorgeStephenson himself. Network Rail’s

archivists have conserved thesedrawings using part of the RailwayHeritage Trust grant.In addition, the Trust’s grant has

supported the conservation of newly-accessed drawings relating to Euston,Stratford and Waterloo. These were thendisplayed on Network Rail’s website in asection relating to the railway’sinvolvement in the Olympics of 1908,1948 and 2012.Finally, our grant has helped fund the

preparation of three large plans insupport of a privately-organised study ofthe railway archaeology of the YorkSouth area. The individuals behind thisproject, who are well known to theTrust, are planning to create an onlineexhibition of York, and our grant hasenabled Network Rail to release materialthat would not otherwise be available.Network Rail’s online archive is

available atwww.networkrail.co.uk/VirtualArchive.

Sponsor: Network Rail National Records Group,York

maintained, with the aim of achieving a1950s feel for the route. This has beenamazingly successful, and has provedpopular for other stations not on theS&C: Llandudno is currently beingpainted in the S&C ‘blood and custard’colour scheme. However, the actualguide is now getting on in years itself,and the Trust has made a small granttowards updating it, and making it web-

publishable, so that it continues to beavailable for the 21st century. The newguide can be found at www.settle-carlisle.co.uk/design-guide.

Sponsor: The Settle-Carlisle Railway DevelopmentCompany (on behalf of The Settle-CarlislePartnership), Settle, North Yorkshire

Author:Martin Firth, Hebden Bridge, WestYorkshire

Below & right: Application of the Design Guideprinciples is now evident on a wide scale

Network Rail Archivist, Vicky Stretch, at work onhistoric drawings in York

BRIGHTON STATION:CONCOURSE

The London, Brighton & South CoastRailway (LB&SCR) constructed its routefrom London to Brighton in 1841,terminating with a grand stationbuilding overlooking the town, designedby noted architect David Mocatta. Thisstructure, commonly described as theMocatta building, was executed in aPalladian style with a three-bay pavilionat each end and a stucco-finished, two-storey frontage which featured aprojecting arcade of nine Roman archesto the ground floor and a large clockabove its centre.In 1845 Queens Road was

constructed, with partial funding from

the LB&SCR, to access the stationforecourt by spanning over the lowerlevel of Trafalgar Street, an arrangementthat still exists today. Later, a three-spanpitched roof over the platforms wasdesigned by the LB&SCR engineer J URastrick and this was then extendedwith the addition of a fourth span in1861. Subsequently, the ground floor ofthe Mocatta building was also extendedalong its length facing the platform area.In 1883 the Rastrick roof was replacedby the present train shed designed byengineer H E Wallis, with constructiontaking place over the original roof,before its eventual removal. During this

period, the frontage of the Mocattabuilding was not only altered, with theunfortunate removal of the arcade, butalso substantially hidden from view, bythe erection of a large porte-cochèrewhich spanned the forecourt area.The station has seen many other

changes over the years, to addressincreasing passenger demands, and trainoperator Southern has recentlyembarked on a programme to improvethe concourse - to give a more open feelto the area and to open up views of theimposing, curved, train shed. This hasbeen achieved initially by realigning theticket barrier line and removing thelarge train indicator board. A 1970soffice building will also be removed fromthe east side of the central concoursearea.Further improvements include the

refurbishment of the range of laterbuildings to the east of the concourse,formerly known as the ‘milk dock’,which will contain retail, waiting andtoilet facilities. A building from theEdwardian period located in the south-east corner of the station is also beingrefurbished to provide a new ticket officealthough this element proved achallenge due to structural issues relatedto the coffered roof. This structure, withlarge, curved, plasterwork coving details,had been adversely affected by theinsertion of modern tie-rods whichbroke up the clean space at high level,but this problem has now been resolvedby the design of a more appropriateperimeter support system, enabling thetie-rods to be removed.The Mocatta building, which had

been significantly altered internally overthe years, has also been opened up bythe removal of later partitions, whereappropriate, in order to provide newretail facilities. Some interestingdetailing to beams and ceilings havebeen exposed as a result of this work. The Trust has given a grant this year

to deal with initial works to the easternrange and south-east corner and also tothe Mocatta building. A second grantnext year will support the continuingworks which will greatly improve thefunction and accessibility of the station,whilst preserving and enhancingexisting historic details.

Sponsor: Southern, Croydon, Greater LondonArchitect: The Trevor Patrick Partnership, LondonContractor:Walker Construction (UK) Ltd,Folkestone, Kent


REVIEW OF PROJECTS

Top & bottom: Interior views of Mocatta buildingLeft: Stripped interior of Edwardian building roof

PITLOCHRY STATION:DRINKING FOUNTAIN

Pitlochry Station has featured in theseReports before, but always in connectionwith the station buildings, a wonderfullycomplete Highland Railway station thathas seen few changes over its long life.The railway and the station buildingsboth celebrated their sesquicentenarythis year, having opened in 1863. A feature of this historic station is a

cast-iron drinking fountain, located onthe upside (southbound) platform. Thefountain is a standard 1880s design ofWalter Macfarlane & Co, from theSaracen Foundry in Glasgow, with aheron and flowers as part of the casting;examples are found all round the UK,often with an equally florate cast-ironpagoda over them, although there is noevidence of a pagoda ever beingassociated with this particular item. Thefountain was probably provided by theHighland Railway. Although GordonBiddle has said it was installed atPitlochry in 1969, and a similar

LLANELLI GOODS SHED:CONSERVATIONMANAGEMENT PLAN

The South Wales Railway (SWR), later aconstituent of the Great WesternRailway (GWR), opened Llanelly Station(sic) on 11th October 1852, the stationlater sharing its site with a modest goodsshed of standard GWR design. Therewas an even earlier station serving aroute from Llanelli to Llanelli Dock,opened by the Llanelly Railway (sic) in1839, but that closed in 1879, at whichtime some significant changes were

made to the SWR station. The originalgoods shed was swept away by the GWR,with a new redeveloped stationconstructed over its footprint, and a new,much larger, stone goods shedconstructed on a site to the east of thelevel crossing.This new goods shed dominated the

skyline and became a significantstructure in the town, even acquiring aprovenance linking it to Brunel.However, the Grade II listed shed wasclosed in October 1965 and deterioratedto such an extent that its conditiongenerated an Improvement Notice fromthe local authority, although detailedinvestigation confirmed that thebuilding’s construction actually datedfrom a period some time after Brunel’s

fountain survives in a garden atStrathyre, moved from the station thereon the Caledonian Railway’s Callenderto Oban line, recently discoveredphotographic evidence clearly showsthat the Pitlochry heron was present atleast as early as 1911. Repainting had obscured much of the

fine casting detail, and the black andwhite colour scheme did the fountain nofavours. The ‘Pitlochry in Bloom’campaign therefore raised funds,including a grant from the Trust, toremove and repaint the ornament. Thisinvolved stripping it back to bare metaland then repainting it in a much moreornate colour scheme of greens, red,cream and gold, which has resulted in aglorious restoration. First ScotRailreinstalled the fountain in May 2013,ready for the sesquicentennialcelebrations of Pitlochry Station’sopening on June 1st.

Sponsor: Pitlochry in Bloom, Pitlochry, Perth &Kinross

Artist & Contractor:Mohsinah Underwood,Edinburgh

REVIEW OF PROJECTS

death. Despite this, the goods shedretains its significance within thecontext of both railway and town, mostnotably in that it was the location for thelast reading of the Riot Act in mainlandBritain – during the tragic Llanelli Riotsof 1911.Following receipt of the Improvement

Notice, Network Rail undertooknecessary repairs to the roof andguttering, and local interest has beengalvanised through the formation of theLlanelli Railway Goods Shed Trust(LRGST). In order to develop proposalsand begin the arduous process ofsecuring necessary funding and a futurenew use, the LRGST commissioned aconservation management plan towhich the Railway Heritage Trust lentsupport through the award of a modestgrant. We are now awaiting the outcome of

the study which will determine thefuture of this historic structure, and lookforward to supporting the physicalworks to bring the building back intouse.

Sponsor: Llanelli Railway Goods Shed Trust,Llanelli, Carmarthenshire

Architect: Davies Sutton Architects, Grangetown,Cardiff


Above left: A general view of the goods shed and(below) its expansive interior

Davies Sutton Architects

Davies Sutton Architects

LOUGHBOROUGH STATION:RELOCATION OF LISTEDFOOTBRIDGE TO BUTTERLEY

The Department for Transport’s Accessfor All scheme is opening up stations byprovision of lifts and ramps. In manycases this inevitably involves providing anew footbridge as the originals cannotmeet today’s needs. At Loughborough the Access for All

scheme tied in with a need to extend thelength of the station, which was badlyrestricted by the lack of clearance underthe A60 road bridge at its south end,and also with the need to improveclearance under the footbridge forelectrification. This left no choice but toremove the footbridge, a classic MidlandRailway lattice structure. The bridge wasGrade II listed, and the local


SOUTHAMPTON CENTRALSTATION: REFURBISHMENT

Last year we reported on works carriedout under the National StationsImprovement Programme to this 1935Art Deco-style building, in conjunctionwith South West Trains andSouthampton City Council. The Trustspread its grant funding to cover notonly the last financial year but also thecurrent year, and the downside buildinghas now finally been completed withexternal refurbishment of the centralarea, removing earlier incompatiblerepair work carried out some time agofollowing war-time bomb damage.Windows and doors have been broughtto a consistent style reflecting the

original architecture of the building.The station is now functioning well,

particularly with the open space of thenew booking hall attracting customersvia a redefined and greatly-improvedapproach. This example of a successfulpartnership has given Southampton afacility to be proud of, and one which hasthe ability to cope with both present andanticipated future passenger capacity.

Sponsor: South West Trains, LondonArchitect: Robinson Kenning & Gallagher,Croydon, Greater London

Contractor: Geoffrey Osborne Ltd, Chichester,West Sussex

Left: Interior of waiting room Below: Exterior view of waiting room building

REVIEW OF PROJECTS

General view showing bridge columns in place at Butterley

DUNROBIN CASTLE STATION:PROVISION OF TOILET

Dunrobin, situated on the Far North linefrom Inverness to Wick and Thurso, isone of the more unusual stations on thenetwork, or rather not on it, as thestation building belongs to theSutherland Estate, and not to Network

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


Conservation Officer made it clear thatwhilst he could live with the removal ofthe bridge, he would not accept thatproposal unless Network Rail found anew use for it.After some discussion, the Midland

Railway Trust (MRT) agreed to installthe bridge at the end of ButterleyStation, on the former Ambergate to PyeBridge line, appropriately part of theMidland Railway system. The Trustagreed a contribution towards the re-erection, and the bridge was removedand relocated to Butterley early in 2012,in time to clear the Loughborough site

before the Olympics. The MRT thenstarted to re-erect the footbridge, andhad erected the columns, whenDerbyshire County Council decided thatit needed the site where the steps were tobe placed for a temporary road, to gainaccess to a construction job. As a resultwork is at a halt, and the Trust isholding the balance of the grant until

Clive Grewcock

Rail. This is because the then Duke ofSutherland built this section of the lineback in 1870, with a station at theentrance to his castle, so when theHighland Railway took over the line thefollowing year he retained ownership ofthe station. (Thereafter the Duke had hisown engine and carriage so he could

drive himself along the railway – bothvehicles survive.)The present station building dates

from 1902, and was designed by a localarchitect in the Cottage Orné style, withtimber framing. The station was labelledprivate right through until 1965, whenit closed, but in practice the public coulduse it. Subsequently British Railwaysreopened it in 1985, and the Estate letthe building out to BBC correspondentDaniel Brittain-Catlin some years ago.The station was by then in a sorry state,but has gradually been restored.However, the toilet facilities had neverbeen reinstated, and this omission wasparticularly noticeable when specialtrains stopped at the station. The Trusthas given a grant to restore the toilets,and Michael Portillo reopened them,with due ceremony, when he visited thestation as part of his Great BritishRailway Journeys programme.

Sponsor: Daniel Brittain-Catlin, LondonContractor: Ian Chambers (Plumbing & Heating),Golspie, Highland Region

the MRT can regain control of its siteand complete the footbridge, hopefullylater in 2013.

Sponsor: Network Rail East Midlands, DerbyProject Management & Footbridge Design:MidlandRailway Trust, Butterley, Derbyshire

Designer (foundations):William Saunders LLP,Newark on Trent, Nottinghamshire

Contractor (groundworks): Rexco UK Ltd, ClayCross, Chesterfield, Derbyshire

Supports in situ

Staircase awaiting attention

CRYSTAL PALACE STATION:REFURBISHMENT & CAFÉ

Crystal Palace Station was opened by theLondon, Brighton & South CoastRailway (LB&SCR) in 1854 to serveJoseph Paxton’s magnificent CrystalPalace which had been relocated fromHyde Park to Sydenham. Constructionwas supervised by R Jacomb-Hood,engineer of the LB&SCR, and the keyfeature of the design was a platformstructure set low into the adjoiningtopography, accessed by a pair ofstaircases from an upper entrancestructure. By 1877 the line had beenextended from Crystal Palace toWandsworth and the station entrancewas reconstructed under the supervisionof LB&SCR chief engineer Frederick DaleBanister and his assistant Whitney HMannering, reputedly with design bynoted ecclesiastical architect HughRoumieu Gough.The building has a large booking hall

with a high roof carried on decorative,pierced, iron ribs and topped by a glazedrooflight, very much in the style of theLB&SCR’s other favoured architect,Charles Henry Driver. At either end of thebuilding are two towers with mansardroofs in French Chateau style. Thebuilding is constructed in yellow brickwith stone window details, and originallythe booking hall had a patterned Mintonencaustic tiled floor.

which opened up the whole of theupper concourse, which now serves anew ticket office, toilets and automaticticket gates. Sadly, owing to loadingissues with the jack-arched floorstructure, it was decided not to install areplication of the Minton tiled floor.Further works to improve accessibility

in the inner train shed and works to theplatform buildings, all supported by afurther grant from the Trust, will bereported next year.One redundant area on the fringes of

the booking hall had lain fallow formany years. This was the location of theoriginal station restaurant and issignificant in that it contains the onlyremaining portion of the attractively-patterned red and black Minton floor.The restaurant was incorporated ontothe sloped surface originally leading tothe Park, and it must have been a ratherstrange experience for those using theroom, faced with such a gradient, andone can only wonder how tables andchairs were incorporated within thespace. As part of the development of the

booking hall this redundant space wasleased to the Brown & Green Café. Itsenthusiastic proprietors already had anestablished outlet at Gipsy Hill Station,

and the prospect of another branch atCrystal Palace was an opportunity not tobe missed, as well as a challenge. The work has resulted in a remarkable

transformation of the space, with theremaining Minton floor area expertlyrefurbished, and the problem of theincline addressed by a raised-levelstaging, to provide a café with acontemporary atmosphere linking boththe requirements of a modern outlet andthe retention of those features whichgive Crystal Palace Station its character.The scheme has achieved one of our keyaims, which is to bring new life toredundant areas of our historic stations,and we wish the Brown & Green Caféevery success as the station becomeseven more popular.

RefurbishmentSponsor: Transport for LondonArchitect: John McAslan + Partners, LondonDesigner:WSP UK Ltd, LondonContractor:Mansell Construction Services Ltd,London

CaféSponsor: Brown & Green Café, Gipsy Hill, LondonContractors: 360 Degrees Property Solutions Ltd,London & Palace Victorian Tiling andRestoration, London


Above: Refurbished booking hallInset: Restored south façadeBelow: Interior of Brown & Green Café

Transport for London embarked on amajor programme to upgrade CrystalPalace Station in 2009, supported by theTrust. The scheme for the entrance hallresulted in the removal of the redundanttimber booking office structure, whichwas fortunately preserved and relocatedto the East Anglian Railway Museum.This year the Trust gave a grant for work

REVIEW OF PROJECTS

LONDON MARYLEBONESTATION: HAREWOODAVENUE ENTRANCE

Completed in 1903 by the Great CentralRailway, Marylebone Station and itsapproaches cut a great swathe throughthe predominantly residential areaimmediately north of Marylebone Road.The site was developed with a largeFlemish-style building in red brick withbuff terracotta details, and incorporateda substantial goods facility. Passengersentered the station beneath a porte-cochère linking the station and the GreatCentral Hotel opposite.

The goods facility was accessedthrough three arched gateways leadinginto delivery bays off Harewood Avenue.Later development of the station in the1990s saw the bays heavily modified,with the creation of a public bar in thetwo bays nearest to the station frontage,whilst the third became a pedestrianaccess into the concourse.The flooring of these bays was

originally constructed using blocks ofjarrah, a particularly durable Australianhardwood used in the United Kingdomat that time as a road-building material.

REVIEW OF PROJECTS

MARCH STATION:REFURBISHMENT

In our Report for 2010/11 we describedhow March Station, where the line toSpalding, Lincoln and Doncaster oncediverged from the Peterborough to Elyline, had, like so many other stations,suffered from the neglect resulting fromreduced usage by the rail industry. Wealso described the formation of theFriends of March Railway Station(FoMRS), with initial support from thelocal authority, and how we had fundeda conservation management plan (CMP)for the island platform buildings. We are pleased to see that since then

FoMRS has developed into a small, butvery successful, self-standing group. Itsregular presence on the station hasmade it a much more welcoming place,and controlled an incipient vandalismproblem. With help from Network Railthe Friends have cleared and restoredthe trackbed in the former Spaldingplatforms, and installed tracks in them.

They have also generally cleared andtidied the formerly semi-derelict fourthplatform, and painted the footbridgespan over the Spalding bay: as a resultthe station now looks much better thanit has done for some years.The Friends have also gained funding,

including a Trust grant, for therestoration of three rooms that theyoccupy on the island platform. Thisproject is the first stage of delivering the

recommendations of the CMP.Organisational delays have held the startof work back until 2013/14, but it isnow underway.

Sponsor: Friends of March Railway Station,March, Cambridgeshire

Designer & Contractor: Mark Hufford, March,Cambridgeshire

However, central sections, where horseswould have drawn in, were latterlyfinished with granolithic surfacing. Thishad broken up, making it unsuitable forpedestrian traffic. Chiltern Railwaysincluded the Trust in discussionsregarding the restoration of this area,and, after the project teamrecommended the introduction of Yorkstone paving and a low-key restorationof the jarrah blocks, the Trust washappy to support the work with a smallgrant.

Sponsor: Chiltern Railways, AylesburyContractor:Walker Construction (UK) Ltd,Folkestone, Kent


Below: Interior view of March Station beforerestoration

Above: Replacement York stone pavingLeft: Jarrah floor blocks refurbished

HARWICH TOWN STATION:REFURBISHMENT FORTRAINING CENTRE

In our Report for 2011/12 we describedthe Great Eastern Railway’s (GER)development of Harwich Town Station,and how the railway facilities theregradually fell into disuse, until TheHarwich Mayflower Project (HMP) tookover the goods shed as a base for its ship-building and training project. Weconcluded with the hope that HMPwould be able to take over and restorethe main station building, and a yearlater they are well on the way tocompleting that project.The station building is a fairly typical,

single-storey, GER structure. Built inyellow brick, with a hipped, slated, roof,the station is divided physically into twoportions, with a passageway betweenthem giving today’s passengers access tothe trains. The platform canopy has beencut back, but sufficient remains to see

how it was built. On the street face, twosmall bay windows produce an effectsomewhat reminiscent of a MidlandRailway design, with a canopy betweenthem over the entrance to the formerbooking office. However, all the buildinghad been abandoned, and the southernblock vandalised and set on fire,although Network Rail had partiallyrestored the roof.Having taken a lease of the station in

November 2011, HMP initially used thenorthern section as an apprentice-training facility. In consultation with the

Trust they agreed a plan to alter andrestore the southern section, into whichthe apprentices would move whilst thenorthern building was restored. With agrant from the Trust, completion of thesouthern section took place late in2012, and by March 2013 work on thenorthern portion was well advanced.Restoration has maintained the exteriorappearance of the building, and originalfeatures have been kept whereverpossible. We are particularly pleasedwith the restoration of the sashwindows, carried out by the apprentices.However, the station is now a workingbuilding, is not listed, and some of theinstallation of central heating is perhapsmore reflective of this than we mighthave hoped. Despite this, HMP has, in avery short time, brought three buildings(the goods shed and the two parts of thestation building) from abandonmentback into use, and thus ensured theirsurvival. In addition, it is providing avaluable apprentice-training facility in asomewhat deprived area: for both ofthese achievements they are to becongratulated.

Sponsor: The Harwich Mayflower Project,Harwich, Essex

Contractor: The Harwich Mayflower Projectvolunteers & apprentices

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


OXFORD: FORMER GOODSYARD WEIGHBRIDGE OFFICE

The Great Western Railway (GWR)opened its first station at Oxford on 12thJune 1844 – a terminus located to thesouth-west of the city centre inGrandpont. In 1845 the Oxford & RugbyRailway (O&RR) began construction of aline from New Hinksey to the south ofthe GWR station, and a service openedas far as Banbury on 2nd September1850, although this was run by the

GWR who had, by then, taken over theO&RR. The operating arrangement wasconvoluted in that trains had to reverseout of the terminus southwards over ajunction before heading north on theline to Banbury, and undertake thereverse manoeuvre on the returnjourney.This arrangement did not last long,

and in 1852 the Grandpont terminusclosed to passenger traffic and thepresent through station opened on ParkStreet. However, the Grandpont

terminus continued to be used as agoods depot until November 1872, and,indeed, the level of goods traffic wassuch that the area between Grandpontand Park Street was eventually extendedto become Oxford South Goods Yard. Theyard entrance, located at the end ofBeckett Street, featured, as would beexpected, a weighbridge and itsassociated office building. Followingclosure of the goods yard, this buildinggradually deteriorated but was neverremoved.

Above: The station seen from outsideLeft: A restored room as a classroomInset: Derelict windows before restorationBelow: The new skylight over the former Gents

BRADING STATION: STATIONMASTER’S & PORTERS’ROOMS

Brading is a typical example of a smallcountry station. It is located on the Isleof Wight, and was the junction for thelong-closed Bembridge branch. Despitethe closure of this branch and the morerecent singling of the Ryde to Shanklinline through the station, the actualbuildings remain remarkably unspoiltand Brading Town Council has leasedthem all, on both platforms, as well asthe now-disused signal box. In 2005/06, and again in 2009/10,

the Trust gave grants to the Counciltowards the restoration of the station.The first grant enabled the opening upof the booking hall and waiting area forcommunity use, whilst the secondcontributed to the restoration of thebuildings on the disused platform, andthe signal box. This year a third, small, grant has

enabled the Council to restore thestation master’s office and the porters’room, located at the south end of themain building, thus completing the

REVIEW OF PROJECTS


restoration of the whole station.Although a small job, this project hasbeen done to the usual high standardsthat we expect here, with conservationof the dado rails, door and window

architraves, and repainting of the cast-iron fireplace, all being particularlynoteworthy.

Sponsor: Brading Town Council, Isle of WightArchitect: R M Associates, Bembridge, Isle ofWight

Contractor: John Martin Building & Groundworks,Wootton Bridge, Isle of Wight

NATIONAL RAILWAY HERITAGE AWARDS

The Railway Heritage Trust Conservation Award for 2012 was won by Pivovar TapLtd for the restoration of the Art Nouveau former tea room at York, creating theYork Tap. The works were described in the Trust’s Report for 2011/12.Additionally, the project to restore the former platform building at Burntisland (Fife Historic Buildings Trust), to which the Trust gave a grant, was also a recipientof a National Railway Heritage Award.

As BRB (Residuary) Ltd had decided tomarket the portion of the former yard onwhich the weighbridge was located,interest was generated through theGreat Western Society Ltd (GWSL) forthe weighbridge office to be rescued andused at Didcot Railway Centre. Thebuilding is a standard GWR structure inblue and red engineering brick, with asimple, gabled, slated roof, with slateroll-top ridge tiles, and a small chimneystack originally serving a ‘Tortoise’stove. The building was furnished with adoor at one end, a window at the other,and a larger observation window facingthe weighbridge, with the Pooley scaleslocated inside, at one end. The GWSLhad previously obtained a weighbridgetable and mechanism from Martock onthe former GWR Yeovil branch line, andthe Oxford building will be re-erected at

Didcot to complement the mechanism,and provide a demonstration feature.The Trust gave two small grants

towards the relocation of this building,one to BRB (Residuary) Ltd towards thedismantling of the building on behalf ofGWSL, and a second to GWSL fortransportation to Didcot. Although small,both of these grants are significant inthat they represent the first paid fromthe recent legacy to the Trust from theestate of the late Henry Basil Maber.

DismantlingSponsor: BRB (Residuary) Ltd, LondonContractor: Times Construction (Southern) Ltd,Salisbury, Wiltshire

TransportationSponsor: Great Western Society Ltd, Didcot,Oxfordshire

Contractor: John Werrell & Son Ltd, Wootton,OxfordshireThe weighbridge building presents a sorry picture

before removal

Left: Exterior view of the station buildingBelow: Interior view of the station master's room

BRB (Residuary) Ltd

GRANTS AND EXTERNAL CONTRIBUTIONS: 2012/13


NETWORK RAILThe Trust has supported 36 projects (2011/12: 60) with 37 grants, which totalled £1,802,336 (2011/12: £1,837,459). The grants funded repairand restoration work carried out on the heritage aspects of buildings and structures in Network Rail’s ownership. A total of nine grants werecancelled, brought forward or deferred.

BRB (RESIDUARY) LTDThe Trust has supported two projects (2011/12: nil) with two grants, which totalled £320,000 (2011/12: nil). The grants assisted BRB(Residuary) Ltd in its management of non-operational buildings and structures remaining in its ownership.

MABER LEGACYThe Trust has supported one project with two grants, which totalled £6,300, from the bequest of Henry Basil Maber. This project met the Trust’sobjectives and also reflected Mr Maber’s sphere of railway heritage interest.

The projects were:NETWORK RAIL BRB (R) & EXTERNAL EXTERNAL

GRANT MABER CONTR’B’N CONTR’B’NBEQUEST NETWORK BRB (R) &GRANT RAIL MABER

BEQUESTPage £ £ £ £ENGLAND14 Battersea Park Station: Interior restoration work 45,000 18,548 (1)

19 Bermondsey: Abbey Street Bridge: Environmental upgrade 150,000 225,000 (2)

29 Brading Station: Station master’s & porters’ rooms restoration 2,000 2,000 (3)

22 Brighton Station: Heritage works as part of station redevelopment 25,000 018 Bromsgrove: Locomen’s Graves: Restoration 4,500 0

Carlisle: Victoria Street Overbridge: Colour scheme & improved parapet DEFERREDscreen (£25,000)

9 Chester Station: Footbridge:– Strengthening works & masonry repairs plus new glazing 36,251 100,000 (4)

– Replacement of corrugated cladding with glazing 163,749 026 Crystal Palace Station:

– Heritage works in conjunction with station regeneration 250,000 366,172 (5)

– Conversion of former restaurant to café 23,000 20,000 (6)

8 Frodsham Station: Installation of heritage fencing 771 771 (7)

12 Great Yarmouth: Vauxhall Bridge: Repairs & repainting 50,000 341,700 (8)

BRB (R)28 Harwich Town Station:

– Restoration works for training centre 100,000 142,853 (9)

– Restoration of goods shed (£20,000) BROUGHT FORWARD19 Helsby Station: New stone finials & string course for chimneys 4,793 018 Huddersfield Station: Water Tower: Refurbishment for reuse as offices 55,000 345,000 (10)

6 Keighley Station: Restoration of platform waiting room 39,000 22,531 (11)

17 Leatherhead: Station Master’s House: Works to windows, doors, masonry, 10,000 0roof & cast-iron details

London Kings Cross Station: Replacement of OHL structures BROUGHT FORWARDin train shed with headspan wires (£150,000)

27 London Marylebone Station: Renovation of heritage paving 8,560 9,685 (12)

at Harewood Avenue entrance12 London Waterloo Station: Refurbishment of bronze balustrades & 18,500 0

installation of new treads to Victory Arch steps24 Loughborough Station: Relocation of footbridge to the Midland 13,500 9,937 (13)

Railway at Butterley Station27 March Station: Refurbishment of three rooms 9,000 13,500 (14)

5 Morpeth Station: Production of a conservation management plan 4,000 4,000 (15)

21 Network Rail Archives: Conservation of historic drawings 10,000 020 Newcastle Central Station: Production of a conservation management plan 5,000 10,000 (16)

6 Newcastle upon Tyne: George Stephenson Statue: Restoration 19,200 28,800 (17)

10 Nottingham Station: Alterations & refurbishment as part of the HUB project 100,000 198,555 (18)

28 Oxford: Former Goods Yard Weighbridge Office:– Dismantling for eventual re-erection 6,000 0

MABER– Transport of dismantled office to Didcot Railway Centre 300 0

MABEROxford: Rewley Road Swing Bridge: Restoration (£75,000) DEFERRED

16 Peckham Rye Station:– Repair & restoration of windows & doors 4,500 1,795 (19)

– Engineering support to scheme to restore & extend cast-iron & stone stair 1,500 5,000 (20)

GRANTS AND EXTERNAL CONTRIBUTIONS: 2012/13


External contributions were from:(1) Battersea Park Station: Southern(2) Bermondsey: Abbey Street Bridge: London Borough of Southwark(3) Brading Station: Association of Community Rail Partnerships, South West

Trains(4) Chester Station: Footbridge: Cheshire West and Chester Council, Heritage

Lottery Fund(5) Crystal Palace Station: Transport for London(6) Crystal Palace Station: Laura Thomas & Jess Allen(7) Frodsham Station: North Cheshire Rail Users’ Group(8) Great Yarmouth: Vauxhall Bridge: Asda, Fair Share Trust, Great Yarmouth

Borough Council, Railway Paths Ltd plus others(9) Harwich Town Station: The Harwich Mayflower Project, Harwich Town

Council(10) Huddersfield Station: Water Tower: Association of Community Rail

Partnerships, ERDF(11) Keighley Station: West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive(12) London Marylebone Station: Chiltern Railways(13) Loughborough Station: Midland Railway Trust Ltd including voluntary

labour(14) March Station: Friends of March Railway Station(15) Morpeth Station: Greater Morpeth Development Trust, Northumberland

County Council(16) Newcastle Central Station: East Coast(17) Newcastle upon Tyne: George Stephenson Statue: Newcastle City Council(18) Nottingham Station: Nottingham City Council(19) Peckham Rye Station: London Borough of Southwark Cleaner Greener

Safer Fund

(20) Peckham Rye Station: London Borough of Southwark(21) Ribblehead: Station Master’s House: The Settle & Carlisle Railway Trust(22) Scarborough Station: Arts Council England, Coastal Communities, English

Heritage(23) Settle & Carlisle Line: Design Guide: Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line,

Northern Rail, The Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company(24) Sheffield Midland Station: Pivovar Tap Ltd(25) Southampton Central Station: Department for Transport (NSIP), South

West Trains, Southampton City Council(26) Wakefield Kirkgate Station: Eggborough Power Ltd, ERDF, Garfield

Weston Foundation, Grand Central, Groundwork, Metro, Northern Rail,Wakefield Metropolitan District Council

(27) Dunrobin Castle Station: Daniel Brittain-Catlin(28) Ladybank: Station Master’s House: Fife Council, Off The Rails Arthouse(29) Pitlochry Station: First ScotRail, Perth & Kinross Council(30) Pollokshaws West Station: The Architectural Heritage Fund Project

Development Grant, Better Glasgow Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation,Glasgow City Heritage Trust, Glasgow Housing Association, GlasgowSouth West Regeneration Agency, The Hugh Fraser Foundation, LandfillTax, Merchants House: Dean of Guild Charitable Trust, The RobertsonTrust, The Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, Scottish Power Green EnergyTrust, South West Community Cycles, The Steel Charitable Trust, TheTrades House of Glasgow, Transport Scotland, Trusthouse CharitableFoundation

(31) Bethesda Branch: Gwynedd Council, Railway Paths Ltd(32) Llanelli Goods Shed: The Architectural Heritage Fund, Carmarthenshire

County Council, Communities First Trust Fund, Llanelli Town Council

NETWORK RAIL BRB (R) & EXTERNAL EXTERNALGRANT MABER CONTR’B’N CONTR’B’N

BEQUEST NETWORK BRB (R) &GRANT RAIL MABER

BEQUESTPage £ £ £ £10 Ribblehead: Station Master’s House: Works to return building to a typical 105,000 88,000 (21)

Midland Railway conditionSalisbury Station: Water Tower: Relocation to Swanage Railway (£26,500) DEFERRED

14 Scarborough Station: Restoration of former parcels office as an art studio 50,000 93,500 (22)

21 Settle & Carlisle Line: Design Guide: Updating document & making it 1,000 2,500 (23)

web-publishable7 Sheffield Midland Station: Refurbishment of former dining room to include 67,000 98,720 (24)

a meeting room & showcase microbrewery24 Southampton Central Station: Heritage refurbishment as part of major 65,000 186,425 (25)

development scheme4 Wakefield Kirkgate Station: Refurbishment for reuse 200,000 1,363,333 (26)

York Station: Refurbishment of former tea room & conversion BROUGHT FORWARDto a bar (£33,000)

SCOTLANDAberdour Signal Box: Conversion to a café (£75,000) DEFERRED

25 Dunrobin Castle Station: Restoration of toilet facilities 2,404 3,000 (27)

Helmsdale: Station Master’s House: Refurbishment for reuse (£35,000) DEFERRED8 Ladybank: Station Master’s House: Refurbishment for use as artists’ 7,340 10,864 (28)

studio & workshopLaurencekirk Station: Fitting out of store room for reuse as a CANCELLEDlocal museum (£4,000)

23 Pitlochry Station: Restoration of Victorian drinking fountain 1,268 1,902 (29)

20 Pollokshaws West Station: Restoration & conversion to cycle business & 190,000 542,674 (30)

community facilityWALES11 Bethesda Branch: Transfer of ownership allowing for creation of cycle route 270,000 250,737 (31)

BRB (R)23 Llanelli Goods Shed: Preparation of a conservation management plan 10,500 15,109 (32)

1,802,336 320,000 3,930,174 592,437BRB (R) BRB (R)6,300

MABER

COMBINED NETWORK RAIL, BRB (RESIDUARY) LTD AND 2,128,636MABER BEQUEST GRANT TOTAL

COMBINED NETWORK RAIL, BRB (RESIDUARY) LTD AND MABER BEQUEST 4,522,611EXTERNAL CONTRIBUTIONS TOTAL

FINANCIAL REPORT

The Trust’s financial activities in 2012/13 are summarised as follows:

FUNDING ALLOCATED TO PROJECTS £By Network Rail 1,799,600By BRB (Residuary) Ltd 320,000By Maber Bequest 6,300

2,125,900

EXPENDED ON PROJECTS

37 Grants to Network Rail projects 1,802,3362 Grants to BRB (Residuary) Ltd projects 320,0002 Grants to Maber bequest projects 6,300

2,128,636

FUNDING FOR TRUST’S OPERATIONS

From Network Rail 220,099From BRB (Residuary) Ltd 20,000

Total Income 240,099

Total Expenditure – Administration 240,099

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S COMMENTARY

As the Report shows, we have dealt with fewer projects in the last year. However, thesize of individual projects has generally been greater. This has meant that we have had todeal with considerable complexity, particularly as several projects were delayed so thatthey only started at the very end of the financial year. We would not have been able tocomplete our grant-giving programme without considerable efforts by Malcolm andClaire, and, as ever, I am most grateful for their on-going help.Last year I mentioned the difficulties we faced with changes in train operating company(TOC) franchises. The subsequent collapse of the West Coast rebid process has been, forus, a blessing in disguise as we now have longer periods to develop projects with mostTOCs. However, despite my concerns about the risks that the prototype 99-year lease toGreater Anglia could give, I am pleased to report that the model is working successfully,and we are seeing more projects developing in East Anglia.We relocated our office twice in the year covered by this Report. As a result we are nowlocated next to Network Rail’s Town Planning Team, and both of us are findingconsiderable benefits from this, as we generally are aware of developments at listedstations earlier, and can feed in our comments at the concept stage. Another benefit ofthe move was that we finally had to address what to do with 28 years of filing, and as aresult we have managed to send vast amounts of paperwork for archiving.During the last two years we have had considerable problems in getting adequatefinancial information from Network Rail. Happily, new personnel at Manchester and attheir London headquarters have now resolved this, and we are able to follow ourexpenditure more simply than had been the case in the past.There is a final, pleasant, duty for me to report on: we have become involved in thediscussions about the recreation of a doric portico at Euston (the Euston Arch). Whilst weremain broadly neutral on whether or not the portico should be rebuilt, we have strongviews on the location of the structure if it is recreated. We have argued that it must notdetract from the listed lodges and war memorial at the front of the station, and my letterto The Times to this effect seems to have raised more debate on the subject. The EustonArch Trust is discussing options with us, and its website shows both our and their currentproposals.

Andy Savage

Executive Director

London

July 2013

THE TRUST’S ACCOUNTS: 2012/13


The Trust is registered in England and Wales as company number 1876790.

The Annual Report and Accounts coversthe operations of the Railway HeritageTrust during the period 1st April 2012 to31st March 2013.Established in 1985, the Trust is an

independent registered company limitedby guarantee, supported by Network Rail

� the conservation and enhancement ofbuildings and structures owned bythese organisations that are listed orscheduled, or of special architecturalor historical interest; and

� to act as a catalyst between outsideparties and these owners on theconservation and alternative use ofnon-operational property, includingthe possible transfer of responsibilityto local trusts or other interestedorganisations.

In 2012/13, the Trust awarded 41 grantstowards the costs of 39 restoration andother projects. Nine grants werecancelled, deferred or brought forward.

AUDITED ACCOUNTSPrice Firman, London, audited andapproved the Trust’s Accounts for2012/13. At the Trust’s Annual GeneralMeeting in July 2013 the Executive Boardconsidered, approved, adopted and signedthe audited Accounts and, as required bylaw, then deposited the signed Accountswith Companies House, accompanyingthe Trust’s Annual Return. Copies of theAccounts will also be presented to theBoards of both our sponsors.In their Report and Financial

Statements, 31st March 2013, theAuditors stated: ‘In our opinion thefinancial statements give a true and fairview of the state of the company’s affairsas at 31st March 2013 and of its profitfor the year then ended; have beenproperly prepared in accordance withUnited Kingdom Generally AcceptedAccounting Practice; and have beenprepared in accordance with therequirements of the Companies Act2006’. They further stated: ‘In ouropinion the information given in theDirectors’ Report for the financial year forwhich the financial statements areprepared is consistent with the financialstatements’.

Price FirmanChartered AccountantsRegistered AuditorLondonJuly 2013

Railway Heritage Trust1 Eversholt Street London NW1 2DN

020 7904 [email protected]

Documents

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012/13