ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2011/12

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2011/12



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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2011/12

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 opportunity that can be taken to make its quality and diversity better known. So our illustrated project reports also serve to attract potential new partners to work with us in this important and challenging field.

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2011/12

CONTENTS

Front cover: York Tap, York Station Inside front cover: Deptford Station Inside back cover: Clapham Junction Station: St John’s Hill building Back cover: York Tap, York Station: Rooflight detail

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Photography: Specially commissioned from Paul Childs at Spheroview Ltd, Tunbridge Wells, Kent Other photographs as individually credited The Trust is grateful to the following for permission to publish photographs: Chris Geeson, South Kirkby & Moorthorpe Town Council Gillian Wright, Heart of Wales Line Development Company Ltd Research and text by Andy Savage & Malcolm Wood, with assistance from Claire Pickton Design by Geoffrey Wadsley Printed in England by Kingsley Print & Design Ltd, Egham, Surrey TW20 8RF

The Trust would like to take this opportunity to thank the Directors and staff of Ian Allan (Printing) Ltd which ceased trading on 31st July 2012. Their skill and professionalism has helped produce the Annual Report for many years.

Chairman’s Statement 3 The Hon Sir William McAlpine Bt introduces the Report; notes another successful year for the Trust; commends the railway industry’s achievement in meeting demands on increased performance and cost reduction; describes the Trust’s varied programme of physical projects, including schemes within the major Kings Cross development; confirms Trust support for conservation management plans, Network Rail’s restoration of archive drawings, and Gordon Biddle’s reference book; touches on the current situation regarding BRB (Residuary) Ltd; and looks ahead to next year.

Middlesbrough Station: Platform Arts Gallery

Review of Projects 4-29 Reports on the Trust’s grant-aided projects, including: works to a historic London viaduct and Grade I terminus; conversions, including goods sheds and signal boxes, to community use, art gallery and café; restoration of a floral clock and a statue; provision of plaques and traditional fencing; and conservation management plans. National Railway Heritage Awards 29 The Railway Heritage Trust Award for 2011 is won by Chiltern Railways for the refurbishment of Leamington Spa Station waiting rooms. Grants and External Contributions 30-31 A detailed list of grants awarded and external partners’ contributions. The Trust’s Accounts 32 A summary of the audited accounts.

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RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST 2012


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OFFICERS AND ADVISORY PANEL 31st March 2012

EXECUTIVE BOARD Chairman: The Hon Sir William McAlpine Bt Executive Director: Andy Savage Director: Marcus Binney

ADMINISTRATION Company Secretary: Malcolm Wood Personal Assistant: Claire Pickton

ADVISORY PANEL

The Handyside Bridge from London Kings Cross Station being unloaded at Ropley Station on the Mid Hants Railway

Robert Baldwin Gordon Biddle John Boyle Timothy Bryan Anthony Byrne Professor Dugald Cameron Jim Cornell Sir Neil Cossons Philip Davies * Ian Hay Davison Lord Faulkner of Worcester Dr William Fawcett Christopher Fildes Chris Green Christopher Heaps Charles Howeson Stanley Hurn Sir Simon Jenkins

Bernard Kaukas David Lawrence Chris Leah Candida Lycett Green Adrian Lyons * Geoff Mann John Martin Vernon Murphy Frank Paterson Oliver Pearcey Dr John Prideaux Malcolm Reed Simon Rigge Martin Robertson Paul Simons John Snell Sir James Swaffield Dame Margaret Weston

* Appointed to the Advisory Panel during 2011/12

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ADVISORY PANEL The Annual Meeting of the Advisory Panel took place on 11th October 2011. Members were given presentations on ‘An Overview of the Operating Strategy’ by Steve Knight, Head of Operational Development, Network Rail, ‘The Heritage Approach (or What Do We Do With 800 Signal Boxes?)’ by Jamie Trigg, Business Change Manager, Network Rail, and ‘Thameslink: The Rebirth of London Bridge’ by Simon Blanchflower, Principal Programme Sponsor (Thameslink), Network Rail.

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CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT

We continue our programme to find new uses for redundant buildings with, amongst others, a new coffee shop in the Laird’s waiting room at Inverurie, a model railway club at Fort Matilda, the upgraded museum at Glenfinnan, an art studio at Kinghorn, and the wonderful Tap bar in the former North Eastern Railway’s Art Nouveau tea room at York. Although strictly out of our scope, we were also able to support the restoration of the vandalised Barnham Signal Box with a small grant. Our most enjoyable projects are those where we have seen derelict stations brought back into use: Moorthorpe, Burntisland low level and Littleborough were three very satisfying restorations of partially or totally derelict buildings to

thus fully opening up the vista along the station. There has been little progress with the future of BRB (Residuary) Ltd in this year, and the one grant that we had hoped to give on its estate, at Great Yarmouth, ended up being postponed to 2012/13 because of contractual problems, to the frustration of both the Trust and our sponsor. Looking ahead we have a wide range of schemes for 2012/13, including, hopefully, a start of work at Wakefield Kirkgate. We also have to decide what we will do with an unexpected legacy that we received from the late Mr H Maber, for which we are most grateful. Finally, the Trust also has to relocate its office out of 40 Melton Street, an

Malcolm Wood

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of the Trust’s existence saw the value of work to which the Trust has given grants go past the £90 million mark, with the Trust’s own grants reaching a value of nearly £42 million. Thus, for every pound that the Trust has awarded, it has attracted another £1.23 in external funding, a record of which we are proud, and which justifies the support that the industry has given us. We look forward to having sponsored £100 million worth of work, a point we will probably reach in 2013/14. The industry has had a testing year, but come out of it well. Passenger train timekeeping dropped in late 2011, but has since recovered, helped by the reasonable winter. The industry continues to reduce its unit costs, which are now back to the levels of privatisation. Although this does not sound much of an achievement, it is a major triumph, given the extra costs that were built in during the post-Hatfield period. All this has been done at a time of a continuing growth in traffic, and it is an on-going challenge to the industry to balance increasing performance and demand with reducing cost. The Trust has had another good year. The number of grants that it gave to projects is the same as last year, which was itself our second highest total. The grants covered a range of projects, even though sponsors had difficulty in finding matching funding as the amount available from external funding partners steadily decreases. We continued to support Network Rail’s restoration of its archive drawings, and were delighted when it placed some of the drawings on its website. We also supported conservation management plans at York and Carlisle and, in a new venture, sponsored a second edition of Gordon Biddle’s wonderful gazetteer ‘Britain’s Historic Railway Buildings’, which is already almost sold out. We have maintained our usual range of physical projects and have funded heritage features on operational stations, including, amongst others, reinstalling windows at Peckham Rye, providing new stair banisters at Harrow & Wealdstone, multiple improvements to Brunel’s Bath Spa Station, and the installation of a modern, glazed station at Deptford that has brought out and highlighted the original 1836 viaduct, long hidden from view. HE TWENTY SEVENTH YEAR

The Chairman at Deptford Station with Alisdair Dale, Project Manager, London Borough of Lewisham

an extremely high standard. We look forward to seeing whether the Wakefield Kirkgate project will get off the ground in the new financial year – currently it justifies Lord Adonis’ epithet of being the worst station in Great Britain. Lastly, on Network Rail schemes, we have played our part in the Kings Cross project – we gave grants towards the restoration of the Handyside footbridge in its new home on the Mid Hants Railway, and the re-erection of the clock from it over Platform 8. Perhaps our most satisfying job in the whole year was to give a grant that made possible the removal of the overhead line gantries from underneath Cubitt’s 1852 roofs,

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exercise which has given a lot of concern to the team. Despite this, Andy, Malcolm and Claire have continued to manage the Trust’s activities well, for which I thank them. I commend the twenty seventh Annual Report and Accounts of the Railway Heritage Trust to you.

The Hon Sir William McAlpine Bt Chairman London July 2012

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REVIEW OF PROJECTS

Left: The floral clock & station frontage

KILMARNOCK STATION Kilmarnock is the principal town of East Ayrshire, and was also the principal intermediate location between Glasgow and Dumfries on the Glasgow & South Western Railway’s (GSWR) main line to Carlisle. With a secondary route turning

BEDALE SIGNAL BOX The Wensleydale branch was opened from Northallerton to Bedale in 1855, and extended to Hawes (now Garsdale) on the Settle & Carlisle line in 1878, at which stage a standard North Eastern Railway brick signal box was installed to control the level crossing at the north end of Bedale Station. Although the branch closed to passenger traffic long ago, it remained in use for freight until 1999, although British Rail had long since abandoned the box and boarded it up. After the cessation of freight traffic occasional trains ran to serve the military garrison at Catterick, and in 2003 Network Rail leased the branch to the Wensleydale Railway (WR), which now operates trains from Leeming Bar to Redmire. The WR developed a project, with local authority support, to recreate the signal box, but on commencement of the scheme discovered that more work was needed on the foundations of the box, where the expansion of a rail lintel

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off to Ayr and, eventually, Stranraer, it remains a major railway junction to this day, and, with Wabtec’s works, the last Scottish location that still handles construction and overhaul of rolling stock. Kilmarnock Station has a strength and size to match its past glories, with the original 1843 terminating building

of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock & Ayr Railway adjoining the later 1878 GSWR main building. The 1843 structure is listed Category C(S), whilst the later building has a Category B listing. The station is built high above the town on an embankment, which is supported by a red sandstone boundary wall. Above the wall an embankment slope sits prominently over the site, and in the 1980s British Rail installed a large floral clock on this slope. Over the years the clock has ceased to work properly, and after many attempts to solve the problem the Trust has been able to work with East Ayrshire Council to fund a new clock face, landscaping, lighting and a water feature. The Trust has explored several possible schemes with First ScotRail and East Ayrshire Council for bringing more activity into the station. Although none have yet come to fruition, the Trust hopes that one day it will be able to see more of the station in community or commercial use. Sponsor: East Ayrshire Council, Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire Architect: David Wilson Associates, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire Contractor: Landscapes & Contracts Ltd, Glasgow

had cracked the The splendidly refurbished building, and on the signal box chimney. As the WR route is still Network Rail property, operated by the WR under a lease, the box is in scope for the Railway Heritage Trust, and we were happy to give a grant to these elements. The standard of work carried out by the WR is very high. Although outside the scope of Railway Heritage Trustfunded work, we were impressed to see that window bars were cracking, a very sensible approach to being recreated in the correct design, sorting out the cause of a problem as even though this meant making new well as the symptoms, which the Trust routers. We also noted the excellent use commends. of lime mortar, and particularly the creation of expansion gaps at the ends of the rail lintel so that future expansion in hot weather will not recreate the

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Sponsor: Wensleydale Railway Trust Ltd, Leeming Bar, Northallerton, North Yorkshire Contractor: David Dalton, Bedale, North Yorkshire


REVIEW OF PROJECTS

BATH SPA STATION Having addressed the south side canopy and historic lift in 2010/11, the Trust has again supported train operator First Great Western at Bath Spa Station, this year with refurbishment works. These have addressed a series of long-overdue items of varying scale, and have generally improved both the appearance and the historical ambience of the station. The works have included replacement of plastic rooflight structures with new glazed units and improvements to the toilet facilities and waiting rooms, all with the emphasis on achieving a

consistent and appropriate style. The entrance and staircases within the upside frontage building have, in connection with the Southgate Development, been addressed in an unashamedly modern style and the developer has installed new passenger lifts and a new steel staircase, and also reopened the south side entrance with new automatic gates, giving a fine facility within the historic envelope. The main frontage canopy, dating from the late 1870s, has also been refurbished with opaque glazing and a full redecoration.

Above: Refurbished downside waiting room Left: Newly-installed access stair Below: Refurbished entrance canopy

Sponsor: First Great Western, Swindon Architect: Oxford Architects, Bristol Contractor: Strategic Team Group, Bristol

SCARBOROUGH: FALSGRAVE SIGNAL GANTRY The Trust has had a long involvement with the Grade II listed Falsgrave Signal Box, on the approaches to Scarborough Station, particularly supporting its restoration in 2007/08. However, the modernisation of the railway rolls on, and the box was taken out of operational use in the autumn of 2010. The Trust is working with Network Rail and a private individual to find a new use for the structure of the signal box, and hopes to report on this in the future. Near the box was a large gantry signal, spanning all the tracks. This

gantry, which had been erected in 1911, was one of the last such structures on the Network Rail system, and had itself been Grade II listed in 1990. Once the signalling was decommissioned and the semaphore arms removed (a necessary safety measure) it was no longer possible to understand the gantry’s role, and Network Rail was naturally keen to remove it so it did not have an on-going maintenance liability. After discussion between all parties, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) agreed to take over the gantry and reinstall it, in a modified form, at its Grosmont terminus. This is an ideal solution, as the gantry remains in the Scarborough Borough

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Council area, is visible to the public, and will be in use for its original role of controlling the movement of trains. Network Rail has funded the relocation and re-erection of the gantry to Grosmont, where working signalling is to be reinstated in 2013. To mark the structure’s historic links with Falsgrave, the Trust has funded a small plaque which the NYMR will mount on the platform at Grosmont to explain its history to the public. Sponsors: Network Rail London North Eastern, York & North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Pickering, North Yorkshire

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REVIEW OF PROJECTS Interior of waiting room & community café

MOORTHORPE STATION Moorthorpe Station was opened by the Swinton & Knottingley Joint Railway (S&KJR) in May 1879. Although the S&KJR was jointly owned by the Midland and the North Eastern Railways, there is no doubt that the station’s parentage is Midland, with the H-shaped building reflecting the design still seen on the Settle & Carlisle line and elsewhere on the former Midland system. Completed platform elevation

YORK STATION The present station at York replaced G T Andrews’ original station, located inside the city walls and now being restored as council offices, in 1877, and provided a through route to the north for the first time. The new station was designed by a series of North Eastern Railway architects, with T E Harrison starting the work, but being replaced by Benjamin Burleigh in 1874, and then by William Peachey in 1876, after Burleigh’s death. This change of architects may have contributed to the design weakness of the station frontage, although this is totally overshadowed by the magnificent curving roof, and by areas of excellence such as Tea Room Square. Overall there can be no question that the station deserves its Grade II* listing.

The building before restoration

day that the brickwork under the arcade was demolished, revealing the original cast-iron columns still in situ. With the assistance of a Trust grant, the Council has restored the building to a high standard, with excellent work on doors and windows, modern glazing to reveal the cast-iron columns, and new barge boards. The extensions have been either removed or incorporated into the structure so that they look like they belong, and a wonderful double archway in the former booking hall is now revealed in all its glory. With a community café, meeting rooms and starter offices, the conversion is a superb exemplar of how a derelict station can be restored to community use. Sponsor: South Kirkby & Moorthorpe Town Council, South Kirkby, Pontefract, West Yorkshire Architect: Cadital Ltd, Pontefract, West Yorkshire Contractor: D J Allen (Builders) Ltd, Mapplewell, Barnsley, South Yorkshire

Chris Geeson

Time had not treated Moorthorpe Station well. The building closed in the 1960s, although the station has remained open to traffic, with an hourly service to Leeds and to Sheffield, as well as a twice-daily service to York. The redundant building was leased out as a public house, and the new tenants added extensions at the rear and at both ends, and closed off the awning area. All the work was most unsympathetically carried out, and the subsequent failure of the business left the building to deteriorate. With large holes in the roof,

the general decrepit nature of the structure, and no obvious use for it, the then owner, Railtrack, took the decision to clear the site. Despite this, Moorthorpe was one of the last two S&KJR stations left, so the Trust was delighted when the Town Council got involved in the restoration of the building and the decision to demolish was suspended. The Council was very open to suggestions from the Trust, and a visit by the Executive Director fortunately coincided with the

The station front to the south of the porte-cochère was badly damaged in a Second World War bombing raid. Although most of the bombed-out areas have been rebuilt, two of Peachey’s original pilasters on the eastern train shed wall survived the bombing, and remain in situ. Whether because of the effect of age, or from being in the blast area, the condition of the pilasters, and particularly the mid-east one, had deteriorated badly. To ensure that the heritage aspects were correctly dealt with the Trust gave Network Rail a grant towards a new stone cap for this pilaster, along with reinstating the original flashing and additional work to strengthen the pilaster internally. Sponsor: Network Rail London North Eastern, York Contractor: Skill-Stone Ltd, Leicester Refurbished pilaster

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REVIEW OF PROJECTS Refurbishment well advanced

SCRUTON STATION In our 2010/11 Report we described the unique survival of Scruton station buildings, and how the volunteers of the Wensleydale Railway were restoring the station to its original condition, with the help of a grant from the Trust. During 2011/12 this project has continued to completion, with the group of volunteers sticking to the job through all varieties of weather. A particularly noteworthy piece of work has been the re-erection of the timber screen at the platform side of the station. The new screen was built by students at Darlington College, and has not only completed the external appearance of the station, but also improved the support to the station roof, which had been sagging before the volunteers got involved. Sponsor: Wensleydale Railway Trust Ltd, Leeming Bar, Northallerton, North Yorkshire Architect: PPIY Ltd, York Contractor: Wensleydale Railway volunteers

SHEFFIELD MIDLAND STATION In previous Reports the Trust has described the conversion of the former bar on Platform 1 of Sheffield Station to form the ‘Sheffield Tap’ pub. In 2012/13 we have awarded a grant to convert the adjacent former first class dining room to extend the facility. In 2011/12 the Trust observed that a

redundant signalling location cabinet was blocking a window in front of the extension, and was able to give a small grant to Network Rail to enable the cabinet’s removal – a small project that nevertheless improves the environment of the station. Sponsor & Contractor: Network Rail London North Eastern, York

windows have been restored and repaired as necessary. The bay window has also been reroofed and a replica station clock has been installed. The facilities will eventually house the archives and artefacts of the LHAS, and be used as a meeting centre. The Trust is delighted to have been associated with this particular scheme which exemplifies the benefits which can be brought by rejuvenating unused historic buildings through sheer determination and hard work. Sponsor: Littleborough Historical and Archaeological Society, Littleborough, Greater Manchester Architect: Burr Design Associates Ltd, Rochdale, Greater Manchester Contractors: Dean Murphy Builders, Littleborough, Greater Manchester & Ashwood (Rochdale) Ltd, Rochdale, Greater Manchester (specialist joinery)

LITTLEBOROUGH STATION Littleborough Station was originally opened by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) in 1839. The station building, which dates from a later period, retains much of its rugged character, despite having lost its platform canopy many years ago. Last year we briefly reported on works to commence restoration of the interior of

Above: Interior of refurbished former booking hall Right: Trackside elevation

this building. This year the Trust is pleased to report that the Littleborough Historical and Archaeological Society (LHAS) has made huge strides in bringing the structure back into full use. Basing the works on L&YR styling, the society has recreated a fine waiting room space, with timber wainscots and banquette seating, whilst the doors and

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REVIEW OF PROJECTS

STROUD GOODS SHED The on-going saga of the 1840s Stroud goods shed has appeared many times in our Reports, usually with a hint of frustration that nothing much was happening. Last year was different, and we saw the building made weather tight. However, neither the Trust nor the main tenant was able to resolve the ‘Catch 22’

situation, where the other grant-giving bodies would not support grants for a power supply without a sub-tenant in situ, and prospective sub-tenants were not interested in the building unless there was a power supply. Happily this has now been resolved. Below: Goods shed interior Inset: Exterior view of secured building

The Trust made a major contribution towards the new mains feed into the shed, and subsequently The Gloucestershire Environmental Trust made a further grant of £30,000 towards the electrical fit-out within the building. This news broke the log-jam, and was soon followed by the longawaited announcement that The Stroud Preservation Trust (SPT) had found a tenant. In May 2011, the SPT signed an initial five year sub-lease to Stroud Valleys Artspace, who will use this spacious, historic building for artistic and educational projects such as carnival preparations and art installations. The Trust is delighted that there is to be a permanent use of this building, 26 years after the SPT first leased the structure, and congratulates it, and its officers, for their dedication and persistence, which has finally paid off. Sponsors: The Stroud Preservation Trust Ltd, Stroud, Gloucestershire & The Gloucestershire Environmental Trust, Gloucester Contractors: Western Power Distribution, Bristol (supply) & Mike Turner Ltd, Stroud, Gloucestershire (internal wiring)

RIDGMONT STATION Last year we featured the excellent work carried out to refurbish the Cottage Orné-style station building at Ridgmont, on the line between Bletchley and Bedford. This was one of a series of similarly-detailed buildings erected on this line by the London & Birmingham Railway in 1846, to comply with the wishes of the Duke of Bedford, through whose estate the route passed. Last year’s grant went towards completing the trackside and side elevations, and a further grant in 2011/12 has assisted the Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity in completing the restoration of the external fabric and commencing internal renovations. The Trust hopes that this initial work will be the catalyst for subsequent proposals anticipated for

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Above: Refurbished west elevation Left: Chimney detail Right: Refurbished former Ladies Waiting Room

the creation of a community facility, a small museum and an educational space. Sponsor: Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity, Cardington, Bedfordshire Architect: Simic Associates, Bedford Contractor: Michael Sheppard, Stagsden, Bedfordshire

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REVIEW OF PROJECTS

Main: Front elevation of refurbished building Inset: Moulded ceiling cornice detail Right: Chimney detail

DERBY STATION Francis Thompson’s great 1840s station building at Derby suffered badly from bombing in the Second World War, and was largely demolished in the 1950s. The southern end of the building had survived largely unscathed, but unsympathetic alterations, and a subsequent period of disuse, had left it in an appalling condition.

Newly installed GWR-style fencing

YATTON STATION Last year we reported on the Strawberry Line Café Project CIC’s excellent regeneration of the 1841 former Great Western Railway (GWR) downside building at Yatton Station. Following on from this work, the Trust has this year given a small grant to enable the Strawberry Line Café team to install a section of GWR-style speartop fencing to the Taunton end of the building. This has greatly improved the setting of the downside elevation. Sponsor: Strawberry Line Café Project CIC, Yatton, Somerset Contractor: Kingston Seymour Forge, Kingston Seymour, Clevedon, North Somerset

As we noted in last year’s Report, in partnership with the East Midlands Regional Development Agency, the Trust sponsored Network Rail Commercial Property’s restoration of this building over a period of two years. Last year’s Report described the improvements that we hoped to see in the structure, and the completion of the project has not disappointed us. The fire escape that so blighted the front of the building has

SOLIHULL STATION Opened by the Great Western Railway (GWR) in October 1852 as part of the Birmingham & Oxford Junction Railway, the original station at Solihull was constructed as a brick version of the Italianate design favoured by I K Brunel. In 1933 the route was quadrupled and several stations, including that at Solihull, were remodelled. A subway replaced the original GWR bridge and an entrance building, a simple brick structure with a hipped roof and gabled façade offset with stone quoins, was built at street level. In the style of the era, individual lettering was incorporated on the entrance building façade with the legend ‘GWR Solihull Station’ but this was removed some time ago and replaced with a bland, modern totem sign. As part of current improvements, Chiltern Railways approached the Trust with a proposal to install some suitable heritage-pattern signing in the same spirit as that carried out recently at Birmingham Moor Street Station. The

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gone, at last there is a proper brick skin on the face where the portion of the original structure had been longdemolished, and Thompson’s original design is now much more clearly visible. Internally, the building has been transformed: the dereliction that surrounded any visitor has vanished. The complex cornice around the top of the new stairwell, and the few pieces of surviving panelling below some of the original windows indicate the historic nature of the building, and both features have been superbly conserved, whilst new sash windows throughout, and some excellent brickwork detail, all contribute to the restoration (although we would have liked a bit more effort to have matched the new bricks with the old). The refurbished premises are now an attractive and well-located office, which we hope to see let and in use shortly. Sponsor: Network Rail Commercial Property, London Architect: Maber, Derby Contractor: Osborne Rail, Bristol

Period-style name sign

Trust was pleased to take the opportunity to support this minor but, nonetheless, important installation. Sponsor: Chiltern Railways, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire Contractor: Steelway, Wolverhampton, West Midlands

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REVIEW OF PROJECTS

YORK STATION: FORMER TEA ROOMS In 1906 the North Eastern Railway (NER) built a new tea room between York Station and the Royal Station Hotel. Designed by the company’s architect, William Bell, the tea room was in Art Nouveau style and its basic dimensions were set by the spacing of the platform canopies, with the columns remaining in the new building, disguised by oriental-style filigree work. The curved bay windows incorporated stained glass Art Nouveau designs, although the combination of the curved shape with the flowing designs introduced stresses that have destroyed most of the original glass. Interestingly, what remains shows that there were major errors in the original installation, with some panels put in back to front. The tea room was not a commercial success, and soon closed. It saw a variety of uses through the 20th century, ending up as a model railway museum, which was open to the public for some 25 years. The end of this lease offered the opportunity to bring the building into a more relevant use, and the Trust suggested to East Coast, the train operator, that Pivovar Tap, which had restored the Sheffield Station bar, was a potential tenant. This suggestion became

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reality and Pivovar has refreshed the building, at a cost of some £250,000. The new York Tap opened to the public in November 2011. The quality of the restoration is outstanding. The original ceiling was in poor condition, and Pivovar removed it and rebuilt it like-for-like, taking the opportunity to move all the service routes into the space between ceiling and roof, but restoring all Bell’s original mouldings. The two fireplaces have been brilliantly restored, and new stained glass was installed to those fanlights where it was missing, and also to the two domes in the ceiling, where only two

Top: The York Tap, sumptuously restored Above: The platform frontage Below left: Bay window detail

segments remained of the original glass. The restoration of the mahogany woodwork and the original terrazzo floor has also been of the highest quality, and the insertion of a new, circular bar is entirely in keeping with the original layout. The chosen colour scheme also reflects that used by the NER. Lastly, the replacement, for fire precaution reasons, of the rotating door to the platforms with a pair of swing doors has been carried out in an extremely sympathetic way. The York Tap is well worth a visit to see its architecture. Additionally the beer’s pretty good as well! Sponsor, Design & Project Management: Pivovar Tap Ltd, York Contractors: Andy Thornton Ltd, Elland, West Yorkshire (interior design & joinery) & Hodkin & Jones, Dronfield, Sheffield (fibrous plasterwork)

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REVIEW OF PROJECTS

ANFIELD CEMETERY GATES One of the more unusual structures on the railway network in the north west is the bridge which carries the freight line between Edge Hill and Bootle over the entrance gates to Liverpool Cemetery in Cherry Lane, Anfield. The cemetery was laid out under the direction of Edward Kemp (1817-1891), one of the foremost landscape designers of mid-Victorian England and a pupil of Joseph Paxton. He appointed Liverpool architects Lucy and Littler to undertake the design of structures within the cemetery, which included the entrance gates beneath the railway. The style adopted is very much decorative Gothic. The bridge parapets, in a combination of local red sandstone and St Bees stone, are adorned with twin turrets with grotesques and crockets, and both faces bear relief sculptures of the arms of Liverpool. Over the years this unique structure had suffered from major deterioration and works were proposed by Network

KYLE OF LOCHALSH SIGNAL BOX Kyle of Lochalsh came to the railway network relatively late, with the Highland Railway not opening the line until 1897, twenty seven years after the Dingwall & Skye Railway had reached Strome Ferry, only 10½ miles away. Although the high cost of construction held back building of this line, Kyle Station was the natural terminus to serve Skye, only a mile away across the water, and the North British Railway’s advance to Mallaig finally made the extension inevitable. The new Kyle terminus was well equipped, and, of course, had a signal box, which continued in use until the line was converted to Radio Electric Token Block in 1984. Thereafter the box was used as a staff hut for some time, until a fire in the 1990s brought that to an end. The box is of traditional wooden construction, with a sloping roof, sheeted in corrugated iron rather than the more usual slate. Its location, just

Above: Gateway viewed from cemetery Left: Detail of relief sculptures of arms of Liverpool

Rail to prevent further decline, with the Trust supporting the restoration of various missing elements of stone in order that the repairs undertaken were more than just basic weather protection. The intention was to also reintroduce some of the more decorative detailing but the area in which this structure is located has been particularly prone to vandalism and anti-social behaviour and persistent attacks have made this additional work almost impossible to

justify. Indeed, in order to undertake the initial works, quite exceptional security measures were required. However, the structure has been sympathetically repaired and, despite graffiti attacks, retains much of its charm as an example of romantic ruin. It is to be hoped that some cleaning of the graffiti-covered parapets can still be undertaken in the future. Sponsor: Network Rail London North Western, Manchester Contractor: A.P.B. Group Ltd, Cheadle, Stoke-onTrent, Staffordshire

short of the station throat, was ideal in terms of railway operations, as it enabled the signalman to overlook all the points, and the loco shed. However, this position is particularly inaccessible today, as the box is deep in a cutting, with the adjacent road at roof level. Despite these difficulties, the Skye & Kyle Rail Development Company, a local support group who already operate a shop and museum in Kyle Station, was determined to save the box. Its intention is to use it as an exhibition area and selfcatering unit. To achieve funding and agreement from all parties has been a long process – it is six years since discussions started. However, all issues are now agreed, including a new ramped access from the road behind the box, and the company has let a contract for the work, which is to be completed by September 2012, although funded from the Trust’s 2011/12 allocation. Sponsor: Skye & Kyle Rail Development Company Ltd, Kyle of Lochalsh, Ross-shire Architect: LDN Architects, Forres, Moray Contractor: David Fraser, Beauly, Inverness-shire Kyle of Lochalsh Signal Box awaits start of work

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REVIEW OF PROJECTS

Platform with new waiting room

SKIPTON STATION Skipton Station lies on the former Midland Railway (MR) main line from Leeds to the north, somewhat to the south of Settle. It was built in 1876 to the designs of Charles Trubshaw (better known for his later work at Leicester,

Nottingham and Sheffield). Trubshaw’s station replaced an earlier, 1847-built structure, and is typical of a late 19th century, mid-sized MR station, with the canopy being particularly characteristic. Skipton Station is the outer limit of the Leeds suburban electrification, and

its island platform is the usual site for trains from Leeds to terminate. As a result, a large number of passengers use this platform. As well as the canopy there was a small timber and glass building to provide better weather protection than the canopy alone could deliver. However, the building was not designed with anything other than utility in mind. Under the National Stations Improvement Programme, and with a grant from the Trust, Network Rail has replaced the shelter with a modern building. With fully-glazed sides, this new structure is less visible than its predecessor, and its clean lines mean that it does not offend the eyesight in the way that the original building did. Sponsor: Network Rail London North Eastern, York Designer: Rail Waiting Structures, Llandow, Vale of Glamorgan Contractor: JMD Developments (UK) Ltd, Wetherby, West Yorkshire

GLOSSOP STATION Glossop Station, the terminus of the one and a half mile branch line constructed independently by the 13th Duke of Norfolk in 1845, linking Glossop to Manchester and beyond, has been extensively refurbished by train operator Northern Rail, and is now a particularly pleasing station. Modern facilities have been carefully introduced and the original booking hall space returned to use as a very comfortable waiting room. To the rear of the ticket office two sash windows had previously been very

Restored tile detail in booking hall

EXETER CENTRAL STATION

Elevation with new windows

inappropriately replaced by uPVC units, and this year the Trust provided Northern Rail with a small grant in order that these could be replaced with suitably-detailed sash windows in an appropriate heritage style. Sponsor: Northern Rail, York Contractor: Vextrix Management Ltd, Liverpool

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Exeter Central Station was built by the London & South Western Railway in 1860, and at that time was known as Queen Street. The original structure was completely replaced by the Southern Railway in 1933, with the curving frontage of the station at street level executed in a Queen Anne style. The central, two-storey entrance block originally housed the booking hall, and has high, round-topped entrance openings and a steeply-pitched, hipped roof capped with an extravagant cupola. The train operator First Great Western

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has recently completed a remodelling scheme which reintroduces the booking hall into its original area, furnished with new ticket windows. The Trust has awarded a small grant to enable production of components for this work, allowing reinstatement of some missing sections of a ceramic-tiled, decorative frieze that runs around part of the booking hall, and also allowing some repairs to the tiles to be carried out in the correct material. Sponsor: First Great Western, Swindon Contractor: Strategic Team Group, Bristol


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CONSERVATION PLANS: CARLISLE CITADEL & YORK STATIONS The Trust believes strongly that historic stations should have clear conservation management plans, so that Network Rail, along with the station facility operator (usually the train operating company), and sub-tenants all have a clear strategic view as to how the station should be kept. The Trust has contributed to several such documents in recent years, and this year we were pleased to support the preparation of plans for two of Britain’s most historic stations, Carlisle Citadel and York. Carlisle Citadel was initially built as a Joint Station by the Lancaster & Carlisle Railway (later part of the London & North Western Railway) and the Caledonian Railway. It opened in 1847, and was extended twice, but without losing architect William Tite’s original buildings. As the station extended the number of railway companies using it increased, with an eventual total of seven, including both the Midland Railway and the North Eastern Railway (NER). The station has lost a lot of activity since its heyday, but most of its structure remains unchanged, although many rooms are currently unused. The Trust has been pleased to work with Carlisle City Council and the station owners to develop the maintenance plan that will lay out a framework for future development. York Station is one of the most wellknown on the Network Rail system, with the sweeping curves of the roof and the tracks complementing each other. The present station is the second to serve the city, and was built by the NER in 1877. It has had many changes over the decades, and suffered considerable bomb damage in the Second World War, which has only partially been restored. A recent controversy over whether the station should have ticket barriers or not shows how sensitive this station is for the city, and the Trust was pleased to join train operator East Coast and the City of York Council in sponsoring a management plan for it.

APPLEBY STATION Appleby is the major town served by the Settle & Carlisle line as it wends its way over the high Pennines. The Midland Railway (MR) had its eyes on the Scottish traffic when it built this route, and the station facilities, even though of the largest design used on the line, were little better here than those at the remote stations of Dent or Ribblehead. However, this lack of over-provision has meant that all of the station buildings remain in use to this day. The downside building is the main structure, with three gabled sections and two wings, built in brick with sandstone dressings, to a standard MR layout. The matching

the up line, both in working order for steam-hauled excursions. The downside building is now mostly leased to The Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company (who use it as a base for catering on trains at the northern end of the line) and they have recently carried out, with Railway Heritage Trust support, a programme of restoration and improvement. One piece of heritage that no-one was sad to see go was the original toilets; the Development Company has replaced them with modern facilities, whilst retaining the original exterior appearance and ambience of the station. Elsewhere on the building, the external doors and the sandstone dressings have been restored,

Refurbished main building

building on the up platform is much smaller, and provides only shelter and a couple of store rooms. The station has a footbridge, the only one initially provided on the route, and is virtually unaltered since construction, even retaining its water tower and crane on Gable detail

Sponsors: Carlisle City Council, Carlisle & East Coast, York Consultant: PPIY Ltd, York

and the whole station now has a much better feel to it. Additionally, the Trust is working with Network Rail to ensure that the upside shelter is correctly restored, and with Northern Rail, the train operator, to ensure that advertising posters are all consistent with British Railway’s London Midland Region station livery, the standard for the route. We also hope to be able to fund a full set of MR-style way-finding signs on the station at a future date. The one remaining change all concerned would love to see is the replacement of the 1970’s design phone booth outside the station with a more traditional Gilbert Scott design, to complete the 1950’s feel of the premises. Sponsor: The Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company, Settle, North Yorkshire Contractor: JMD Developments (UK) Ltd, Wetherby, West Yorkshire

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REVIEW OF PROJECTS

GLENFINNAN STATION Glenfinnan Station is on the West Highland Extension Railway, built at the end of the 19th and start of the 20th centuries, when the North British Railway pushed the line out from Fort William to Mallaig. Glenfinnan is best known, in railway terms, for its viaduct, an early concrete structure built by our Chairman’s great grandfather, Sir Robert McAlpine Bt. The viaduct also featured in three Harry Potter films, once involving an encounter with a flying Ford Anglia! The station opened on the 1st April 1901, and is typical of the stations on the West Highland, with its distinctive chalet style of construction. However, unlike the island platform style usually seen on the West Highland proper between Helensburgh and Fort William, Glenfinnan is typical of the passing stations on the Extension, with two platforms, and a smaller building. The building is constructed of timber, with two main rooms, and bay windows on the platform side from each room. The Trust has previously funded restoration of the building, and for many years it has been a small museum about the West Highland line. Because the steam-hauled ‘Jacobite’ stops for some time at the station every day the museum has a much larger number of

visitors than its remote location might suggest. The station signal box also survives, although it closed for signalling purposes when British Rail introduced radio signalling in 1987. It is a small, 15-lever, box, but again reflects the style of the West Highland, with its hipped roof. Between these two buildings was a more modern and mundane timber structure, which was originally a goods store, but had been converted to provide passenger shelter. In conjunction with First ScotRail, and with the agreement of the Office of Rail Regulation, the area under the station canopy has been reclassified as the passenger waiting area. This has allowed the Glenfinnan Station Museum to take over the second timber building, and also the signal box, which in turn has permitted a considerable expansion of the museum facilities. The former

Sponsor: Glenfinnan Station Museum, Glenfinnan, Inverness-shire Architect: Jon Gay, Fort William, Inverness-shire Contractor: C&C Conservation (Scotland) Ltd, Perth

Main: A wonderful backdrop to Glenfinnan Station Left: Museum interior

ILKLEY STATION Ilkley Station has a historically and architecturally-mixed parentage. The terminating southern platforms were built for the Otley & Ilkley Joint Railway in 1865, and are still in the Italianate style that they were built to, despite many changes of use. However, two through platforms for a line to Skipton were added to the north in 1888, and, although this line closed in 1965, and the site of the platforms is now a car park, their canopies remain: they clearly show that they were the product of the Midland Railway, with their characteristic ridge and furrow glazing. As part of the National Stations Improvement Programme, Network Rail Entrance with new gates

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goods store now contains a conservation store, and has been extended, cleverly reflecting the style of a grounded railway van, to provide a curator’s office and a disabled-accessible toilet. The museum has also converted the signal box into a visual studio and educational facility, restored the original station building, improved the car park, and provided a new path down to the viaduct. Eleven different bodies contributed funding to this project, including the Trust. With all the changes to the museum, and its extension, we note with pleasure that the McAlpine Room remains a prominent feature.

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created an extended passenger and staff area on the southernmost platform. Whilst this amenity is functional, it is not of a style that the Trust felt helped the station’s heritage, and we did not feel that a financial contribution to that part of the work was appropriate. However, the Trust was happy to support work to provide a new gate in the exterior wall of the station, where an archway allowed access to the platform at all times. This steel gate gives the station a secure boundary, whilst improving its appearance. Sponsor: Network Rail London North Eastern, York Architect: Owen Ellis Architects, Liverpool Contractor: Strategic Team Group, Glasshoughton, Castleford, West Yorkshire


REVIEW OF PROJECTS

GREAT MALVERN STATION

New fencing installed

EAGLESCLIFFE STATION Eaglescliffe Station lies almost on the route of the Stockton & Darlington Railway of 1825: the line was slightly diverted after construction, allegedly because the local lord objected to steam locomotives. The station opened in 1853, and has been served by trains from Darlington to Middlesbrough for many years, but has also suffered the usual fate of local stations, with most of the buildings having been demolished. However, in 2007 train operator Grand Central opened a new inter-city service from Sunderland to London Kings Cross.

SOUTHAMPTON CENTRAL STATION Southampton West Station, opened by the London & South Western Railway in November 1895, was completely redeveloped in 1935 and renamed Southampton Central. That name was shortened to Southampton in 1967, but it reverted to Southampton Central in 1994. The concrete-framed structure is

Great Malvern Station, the work of E W Elmslie, is one of the most iconic of the Victorian Gothic stations on the former Great Western Railway. Designed in the distinctive style which Elmslie, a predominantly ecclesiastical architect, favoured, the building is executed in the local ragstone with ashlar dressings and distinctive slated roofs topped with castiron filigree details. Sadly, there have recently been several

Its trains stop at Eaglescliffe, which has become the ‘parkway’ station for Middlesbrough, with the result that traffic has greatly increased. Chester-le-Track is a company that has reopened the booking office at Chester-le-Street, and it saw a similar opportunity to provide a facility at Eaglescliffe, using the remains of the original building that provided support for the footbridge access to the station. The Trust provided a small grant to pay for using appropriate, curved bricks where the company reopened windows in the building, thus ensuring that the structure retained original features.

particularly distinctive with a strong Art Deco design, which very much reflects the classic forms associated with transatlantic liners of the 1930s. Train operator South West Trains has joined forces with Southampton City Council (which has also made a significant financial contribution) to improve facilities at the station, to cope with current and projected passenger levels. This has seen sympathetic

thefts of lead from one roof of the building; very annoyingly, an increasingly common crime. In order to try and reduce this risk, and in an attempt to thwart easy access to the building, the train operator London Midland has promoted, with support from the Trust, the installation of a suitably-detailed security fence to protect the exposed northern end of the structure. Sponsor: London Midland, Birmingham Contractor: Young & Harris Builders, Birmingham

Rebuilt brickwork to windows Sponsor: Chester-le-Track Ltd, Chester-le-Street, Co Durham Design: edwardthompson, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear

Booking hall interior

alterations to focus the station entrance at the approach road end of the building – the previous entrance area being in a rather obscure location. The booking office is also being redefined as part of the scheme. Whilst some significant alterations have taken place here, the spirit of the period design has been maintained, with the opportunity taken to install more efficient windows whilst retaining the quality, and scale, of the originals. This is a significant scheme which the Trust is pleased to be supporting. Sponsor: South West Trains, London Architect: Robinson Kenning & Gallagher, Croydon Contractor: Osborne, Chichester, West Sussex Remodelled & refurbished entrance

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LONDON KINGS CROSS STATION: HEADSPAN WIRES When the government authorised the Great Northern Suburban electrification in the early 1970s it did so on the clear understanding that the cost was minimised. As a result, when it came to installing the overhead wires in Kings Cross Station, British Rail chose to support them by four ‘goalpost’ gantries in each of the two great spans of the station roof. These gantries were totally functional, but very intrusive visually. The use of headspan wires in the listed arches at York and at London Paddington showed how overhead electrification equipment did not need to be such an eyesore, and when, over the last few years, Network Rail carried out its project to refurbish Kings Cross Station it managed to identify sufficient money to fund some 60% of the cost of removing the gantries and installing headspan wires. Network Rail then approached the Trust to see if it would fund the balance of the project, which we were happy to do, and the gantries were removed in February and March 2012. In combination with the new footbridge and the glazing of the roof arches, this work has opened out the view along the main platforms of Cubitt’s splendid station to an extent not seen for well over a hundred years.

Above: Clean lines of Cubitt’s train shed exposed Right: Refurbished & resited Handyside Clock

Sponsor: Network Rail Kings Cross Project, London Contractor: Border Rail & Plant Ltd, Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire

‘BRITAIN’S HISTORIC RAILWAY BUILDINGS’ Gordon Biddle’s seminal book, ‘Britain’s Historic Railway Buildings’, was first published in 2003 by the Oxford University Press. It provides the most comprehensive gazetteer of listed buildings and structures on Britain’s railways,

covering Network Rail, BRB (Residuary) Ltd, heritage railways and other buildings and structures in private ownership. All too often worthy books of reference end up on remainder shelves, and it is a measure of Gordon’s success that a second edition was needed after only eight years. Updated with 200 new entries to reflect the latest listings of buildings, and also reflecting the most recent restorations and demolitions, the book provides an excellent work of reference to the student and practitioner of railway building archaeology. The Trust makes almost daily use of Gordon’s work in our day-to-day activities, and we were more than happy to sponsor the publication of the second edition, in conjunction with our friends at Ian Allan. Author: Gordon Biddle Publisher: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd, Hersham, Surrey

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REVIEW OF PROJECTS

departures for the north were to time, and again immortalised in films such as ‘Elizabethan Express’ and ‘The 39 Steps’. Access from the bridge to the platforms was by stairways but redevelopment of the station in recent years has meant that these became a real problem. The redesigned station reverts to Cubitt’s original concept, with access from the west side from the superb new concourse, and with the footbridge again being a location for access to the platforms. Unfortunately,

LONDON KINGS CROSS STATION: HANDYSIDE BRIDGE & CLOCK When Lewis Cubitt designed his great terminus at Kings Cross for the Great Northern Railway he intended that the public would enter from the west side, and installed a footbridge across the station about a third of the way along its length. The bridge was built by Handyside’s of Derby, and has been known for many generations as the Handyside Bridge. Later development of the station saw the passenger entrance move to the south end, and the bridge lost its original purpose, although it provided a useful link between the east and west range offices for many years. It also achieved a form of immortality when it featured in the first of the Harry Potter films, as the young wizard made his way to the infamous Platform 9¾. The bridge was a conventional design for its time, with lattice side girders mounted on cast-iron columns; its most distinctive feature was that it carried a superb clock, used to ensure that

Handyside’s design does not lend itself to modern disability access requirements, and consequently Network Rail has replaced the bridge with a modern structure with lifts and escalators. (The Trust, in passing, commends Network Rail and its architects for the excellent design of the new footbridge. Its glass parapets make it far less visually intrusive than the Handyside Bridge, and allow a much more uninterrupted view of the lines of the roof spans.) The Handyside Bridge was included within the Grade I listing of the station, and whilst English Heritage accepted its replacement by the modern structure, it required that Network Rail retained it, and tried to find a new use for it. The Trust has been happy to be involved in two projects to deliver this requirement. There was general agreement that the clock had to be kept at the station, and the Trust has contributed to it being remounted on the south end of the Platform 8 west train shed wall. In this location it matches an original clock on the Platform 1 east train shed wall, which means that both spans of the

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Cubitt roof now contain a historic timepiece. Network Rail has provided a suitable architectural ironwork bracket to support the clock in its new location. The bridge itself is a much larger item, and finding a new home for it promised to be a difficult task. However, the Mid Hants Railway has recently built a new boiler and carriage workshop at its Ropley Station, on the far side of the line from the passenger entrance. It wished to allow the public access to view activity in the workshop, and Network

Above: ‘Lord Nelson’ passes below the relocated Handyside Bridge at Ropley

Rail and the Trust were able to fund the restoration and re-erection of the Handyside Bridge to fulfil this new role. Quite what Great Northern enthusiasts will make of the bridge’s new Southern Region malachite green colour scheme is an issue that we leave to them – it’s certainly the right colour for the location. Clock Re-erection Sponsor: Network Rail Kings Cross Project, London Architect: John McAslan + Partners, London Contractor: Smith of Derby Ltd Footbridge Removal & Restoration Sponsor: Network Rail Kings Cross Project, London Contractor: PSP Ltd, Eastleigh, Hampshire (steelwork restoration) Footbridge Re-erection Sponsor: Mid Hants Railway Ltd, Alresford, Hampshire Architect: Hurrell Architecture Ltd, Alresford, Hampshire Project Management: David Allam, Basingstoke, Hampshire Contractor: Crouch & McAlpine Ltd, Southampton (groundworks) & Bartack Ltd, Winchester, Hampshire (steelwork erection)

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LETCHWORTH GARDEN CITY STATION Letchworth was the world’s first garden city, designed by Parker and Unwin, and built from 1903 onwards. The Great Northern Railway built a timber station in 1905, but replaced it with the present structure in 1908. The station is a real gem of its time, built in the Arts & Crafts style, with a wonderful station building. The platform buildings on both sides are less spectacular, but follow the style of the main structure. They are built in brick, and were designed to sit on island platforms, although the outer tracks were lifted long ago. Regrettably, much of the platform building space is out of use, with the windows bricked or boarded up, which detracts from the appearance of the structures. A small café had operated for some time on the up platform but, unfortunately, was sited some distance from the footbridge, and hence was not drawing in as much custom as the owner hoped. Train operator First Capital Connect and the owner thus agreed to relocate the café to the building nearest to the bottom of the footbridge steps, in an unused room

ERIDGE STATION The Trust has given one of its smaller grant awards in 2011/12 to train operator Southern for renovation work at Eridge Station in Sussex, on what had formerly been the private waiting room for the Marquess of Abergavenny, resident at nearby Eridge Castle.

The newly-opened café

there, and approached the Trust for assistance and advice. The Trust has contributed to the relocation of the café and the restoration of its new premises, and the resultant facility is a pleasure to behold. The tenant has restored the fireplace and tiled chimney breast, reopened the four bricked-up windows with the correct design of frames, and installed a new herringbone floor and appropriate

Eridge Station was opened by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) on 3rd August 1868, as part of the 12 mile single line running from Uckfield to join the East Grinstead to Tunbridge Wells route at Groombridge Junction. The LB&SCR Refurbished customer lounge

lighting. This small amenity reflects its Arts & Craft origins, and really shows how historic railway buildings can be used to maximum benefit; we were delighted to see the steady stream of customers purchasing drinks on their way to work when we last visited the station. Sponsor: Hassan Atta, Bedford Contractor: ARW Contracts Ltd, Letchworth

eventually rebuilt the station in 1881 in red brick with twin-gabled pavilions, one of which partly housed the waiting room, located off the booking hall at street level. The waiting room was in a poor state, and Southern has refurbished it including wainscot boarding, a resurrected fireplace, and timber flooring, with redecoration completing a welcome makeover. The majority of the work was very skilfully undertaken through Southern’s own in-house maintenance team which deserves praise for the result. The station is home to the Sussex Community Rail Partnership, which assisted in the opening ceremony at the end of November 2011 when the waiting room, now a customer lounge, was officially opened by the current Marquess of Abergavenny. The station is also served by the preserved line of the Spa Valley Railway which was a recipient of a Trust grant for its own platform facilities in 2008/09. Sponsor & Contractor: Southern, Croydon

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BUXTON STATION

Refurbished station frontage

The surviving element of Buxton Station is only part of what was once a much grander facility split into two matching halves. One half was built by the Stockport, Disley & Whaley Bridge Railway supported by the London & North Western Railway (L&NWR), and the other half by the Midland Railway. However, both were completed in 1863 in a matching style to the designs of J Smith working under the guidance of Sir Joseph Paxton, an approach demanded by the local landowner, the Duke of Devonshire. Today, only the L&NWR portion remains, and that is very much a vestige of its original form. The restoration of the remaining gable end and fanlight was featured in the Trust’s Annual Report of 2010/11. Beyond the fanlight gable, the main range of the L&NWR wing forms the current station facilities, and Network Rail recently undertook works to the projecting front canopy and also carried out internal refurbishment, restoration of the slated roof and associated parapet stonework, and reinstatement of the chimneys to the original style. With Trust support for appropriate restoration and the reinstatement of missing details, the result is particularly satisfying, very much due to the diligence of the contract team on site.

Chimney & canopy detail

Sponsor: Network Rail London North Western, Manchester Architect: Network Rail Building Design Group, Manchester Contractor: Murphy Group, Warrington

HUTTON CRANSWICK STATION In our Report for 2010/11 we described how this 1846 G T Andrews station was part of the York & North Midland Railway extension from Hull to Bridlington. British Railways sold the station house into private ownership many years ago, but retained the booking office in case of future need. In 2010/11 the owner of the station house acquired this former facility, which was no longer needed for railway use, and started its conversion to domestic use. The contents of the booking office were transferred to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, which hopes to

eventually use them in an improved booking office at Whitby. Although the building is not listed, the Trust has supported this restoration work, which has been carried out with great sensitivity to the appearance of the original structure. The majority of the work was carried out in 2010/11, with the remainder completed in 2011/12. The former booking office space has now been converted to a living room, and rejoined to the main house. The work, which has all been carried out by the sponsor, has been executed to an exceptionally high standard, with a good eye to detail. The use of the former booking office hatch as a store for stereo equipment is a nice touch, as is the

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retention of the fanlight over the blocked-off external door to the room. This door has also been carefully recreated from the original, which was too poor to save, despite being of no practical use. The detailed work has extended to well-finished skirting boards and coving internally, and an excellent restoration of the pointing and roof outside. The completion of this project ensures that Andrews’ original design remains on view and well maintained, whilst at the same time removing a liability from Network Rail. Sponsor: Sean Paxton, Hutton Cranswick, East Yorkshire

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Transport’s National Stations Improvement Programme, new lifts and access stairs were provided at the station in a contemporary style, and a decision was then taken by Network Rail and train operators South West Trains and Southern to reopen the St John’s Hill building as a new station entrance. The interior of the building was completely transformed with the removal of unsympathetic additions and a new ticket office was installed together with modern automatic ticket gates. Externally, the closed windows and doors were opened up with frameless glazing, and a new glazed canopy incorporated in a modern style. The building was also cleaned and the brickwork rejuvenated through a combination of repair and reconstruction.

CLAPHAM JUNCTION STATION

Above: New station entrance Right: The illuminated station presents a dramatic night time view Below right: Turret detail

Clapham Junction Station is one of the most iconic railway interchange locations anywhere in the world. Its distinct elements were constructed by the London & South Western Railway and the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) and it was opened in March 1863. The platforms are linked by a wide footbridge terminating at the eastern end against a red brick Edwardian building dating from 1910, which was originally the LB&SCR

entrance from St John’s Hill and also that company’s goods offices. With its distinctive cupola tower and white stone banding, the building is classically styled but with a strong Arts & Crafts ambience in the style of architect Norman Shaw. However, the openings to the frontage had been closed with metal security shutters for some time and the original canopy had been removed. As part of the Department for

OXFORD: REWLEY ROAD SWING BRIDGE Oxford was one of the first towns to be served by two separate railway companies. The arrival of Brunel’s broad-gauge Great Western Railway in 1844 was soon followed, in 1851, by the arrival of a standard-gauge branch of the London & North Western Railway (L&NWR) from Bletchley. The later arrival from the north of the L&NWR meant that it had a very constrained site as it approached its terminus at Rewley Road. One of the restrictions was a requirement from the Oxford Canal Company for an opening bridge so as not to obstruct the waterway over which the route passed. The original bridge has not survived, but its replacement, from about 1900, is still in situ. It continued in use until the early 1980s, but since

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then has deteriorated severely, and remains an eyesore – and also something of a hazard to canal navigation, as the bridge was not turned quite clear of the channel when it was last opened. The Oxford Preservation Trust (OPT) has developed a scheme to take over the title to the bridge and restore it as a local landmark, with evidence of the structure’s role and how it operated. During 2011/12 there was no physical work on the bridge itself, but the OPT cleared the vegetation surrounding it and has also built up a range of equipment for the project, with the help of a small grant from ourselves. We hope that the main restoration will take place in 2012/13. Sponsor: Oxford Preservation Trust, Oxford Project Management: Geoff Wallis Conservation, Bristol

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The Trust gave a grant to South West Trains to support this project, and was very pleased to be associated with such an excellent piece of work. We were also represented at the reopening in May 2011, when the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and Transport Minister, Norman Baker MP, performed the opening ceremony alongside senior representatives of the railway industry partners. Sponsor: South West Trains, London Architect: Robinson Kenning & Gallagher, Croydon Contractor: Osborne, London


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The Trust reported last year on works to Bath Spa Station, most notably the restoration of the historic lift and the installation of a replica Great Western Railway (GWR) canopy to the southern entrance. Work also commenced, with Trust support, on the refurbishment of Avonside House, a single-storey building in ashlar Bath stone which sits on top of the river embankment to the south of the station. Believed to be originally constructed as the station master’s accommodation, it has been in a very poor condition for many years, with damage being caused as a result of persistent anti-social behaviour. As part of the Southgate Development, which impacts on the station, this little gem of a building is

finally being restored with the aim of bringing new, commercial use to it, and thereby enhancing this corner of the station which is passed by many of those entering from Bath’s southern side. As part of the works, archaeologists from the Museum of London are assessing the building. Whilst investigating the roof space, they discovered several bundles of correspondence which show that, between the late 1870s and the early years of the 20th century, the building housed the offices of the GWR Canals Department. The Trust hopes that these artefacts will be suitably preserved. Sponsor: Multi Development UK Ltd, Belfast, Northern Ireland Architect: Wilkinson Eyre Architects, London Contractor: Thomas Vale Group, Stourport-onSevern, Worcestershire

Malcolm Wood

BATH SPA: AVONSIDE HOUSE

Refurbished bay window

HARROW & WEALDSTONE STATION

Bookshop interior

PITLOCHRY STATION Pitlochry Station lies on the Highland Railway main line from Perth to Inverness. The station opened in 1863, and the Highland Railway rebuilt it to its present design in 1890, after the village grew to become a tourist centre, having been praised by Queen Victoria’s physician for the health-giving qualities of the air and climate. The station is built of rubblestone, with ashlar dressings. The spectacular gables and stonemullioned windows give it particular distinction, and it is not surprising that it has a Category A listing. Within the main building on the southbound platform is a shop unit which is used by a small group of local people to run the Pitlochry

Station Bookshop, offering second-hand books at realistic prices, with all the profits going to charities. Since it was set up in 2005, the shop has raised over £68,500 for a range of good causes. In 2007/08 the Trust funded alterations to the shop’s window hatch and door. This year we were pleased to continue to support this most worthy operation by paying for secondary double glazing in the main room, thus enabling the organisation to reduce its heating bills – and its volunteers to be somewhat warmer in the winter! Sponsor: Pitlochry Station Bookshop, Pitlochry, Perth & Kinross Contractor: D M Cameron & Co Ltd, Pitlochry, Perth & Kinross

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Harrow & Wealdstone Station was opened on 20th July 1837 by the London & Birmingham Railway, originally as Harrow Weald, but quickly shortened to just Harrow. The current name dates from 1897 when the station was renamed by the London & North Western Railway. When quadrupling of the lines was introduced in 1910 a new entrance building was constructed on the east side, designed by Gerald Horsley (a pupil of architect Norman Shaw) and utilising distinctive rustic brickwork and stone dressings. Following concerns raised over the years regarding the safety of the public in the vicinity of the fast line platforms, Network Rail has installed some modern, yet elegant, metal-rod fences to separate the platform spaces. At the foot of the staircase adjacent to the London Overground platforms, a solitary, classically-styled newel post remained at the intersection with one of these fences. The Trust awarded a grant to refurbish this and also to reinstate the other, missing, newel post plus associated decorative hardwood handrailing and capping. Sponsor: Network Rail London North Western, Manchester Architect: Network Rail Building Design Group, London Contractor: Welding Engineers Ltd, Ware, Hertfordshire

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NEWCASTLE: HIGH LEVEL BRIDGE Over the years the Trust has repeatedly sponsored work on Robert Stephenson’s wonderful High Level Bridge, which he built between 1847 and 1849 to span the Tyne. Stephenson’s design has stood the test of time, and the wrought-iron tied arch continues to both support the

railway above it and carry the roadway below. It is inevitable that any structure eventually needs heavy maintenance, and between 2005 and 2008 Network Rail carried out major works on the bridge, to ensure it remained fit for purpose for the foreseeable future. The Trust supported this work, and when Network Rail received a 2009 Europa Nostra Award (the European Union Prize

for Cultural Heritage) in recognition of this restoration, we were very pleased to be asked by our main sponsor to put the €10,000 prize award to good use. The Trust felt that the award should be used to promote understanding of this important structure, so it has sponsored Newcastle City Council, through Network Rail, to provide additional interpretation boards to

General view of goods shed

HARWICH TOWN STATION Harwich Town was the original port station for the Great Eastern Railway’s (GER) connection to its boat service to Hook of Holland, and opened in 1854, although the present station building dates from slightly later, in 1865/66. However, the GER found the site cramped and, after an argument with the Town Council in 1883, moved the main port a couple of miles up the Stour Estuary to Parkeston Quay. Town Station remained as the terminus of the branch to serve the town. The line continued to carry heavy passenger traffic, and was

RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST 2012

electrified in 1986, albeit only as a single track from Parkeston Quay to Town Station. However, freight traffic had fallen away, and after the closure of the signal box in 1985 the sidings fell into disuse. Despite this, the goods shed remained, and was used by local traders, fortunately without any major structural alteration. Although not listed, the whole station lies in a Conservation Area. Early in the 21st century a group of local people formed The Harwich Mayflower Project (HMP), with the aim of providing a training facility for young people locally. This focussed around

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Above: Interpretation boards in situ Left: The High Level Bridge

expand on the original ones that show the history and construction of the bridge: the new boards, alongside them, explain the repair process that the structure has gone through. Sponsor: Railway Heritage Trust, London Project Manager: Network Rail London North Eastern, York Contractor: Newcastle City Council, Newcastle

building a replica of the ‘Mayflower’, the ship that carried the Pilgrim Fathers to the USA to form the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1620 and was built in Harwich. HMP has leased the goods shed and the station buildings, the former as a workshop to support the recreation of the ship, and the buildings for community retail and meeting use. The Trust has supported the restoration of the goods shed, and particularly work to the large sliding doors, a feature that is now mostly lost to us. The HMP has superbly restored these doors, and also provided a glass protective screen outside them so that they will not deteriorate further. With a like-for-like renewal of the west end entrance doors, reslating of the roof in the correct-sized slates, and excellent restoration of the doors and windows, the HMP has recognised the heritage of the building. In view of the success with the goods shed, we hope to be able to support the restoration of the station building itself in the future. Sponsor: The Harwich Mayflower Project, Harwich, Essex Contractor: The Harwich Mayflower Project volunteers & trainees


REVIEW OF PROJECTS

Our Reports often talk of the wonderful survivals of the buildings of the Edinburgh & Northern Railway (E&NR), opened in 1846/47 and running across the kingdom of Fife between the Forth and Tay Estuaries. Perhaps the most amazing structures to survive are the low-level buildings at Burntisland, the original southern terminus of the E&NR. This station was linked to Edinburgh by the world’s first train ferry, bringing carriages across the Firth of Forth, and was designed, as with so many other E&NR stations, by David Bell. It consisted of a fine, two-storey, classical building which ran across the end of the tracks, behind which was a train shed, with a single-storey office block to one side. The opening of the Forth Bridge in 1890 led to the closure of the low-level station, and the train shed roof was soon removed. However, the rest of the station has survived. The main building was transferred to the ownership of Associated British Ports, and hence is no longer directly connected to the railway, but the offices were taken over by the British Railways Staff Association.

Andy Savage

BURNTISLAND STATION

Above: The station before renovation Below: Restoration & transformation complete

Although this structure survived in railway ownership, and was Category B listed, it deteriorated steadily, and its appearance was not helped by filling in doorways with breeze blocks, or by pebbledash rendering of some of the stonework. The Fife Historic Buildings Trust

Left: General view of forecourt

BROMLEY NORTH STATION The line from Grove Park to Bromley North is, in many ways, one of the best preserved branch lines on the Network Rail system. The passenger takes a train

to Grove Park, crosses over the footbridge to join a two-car train, which then makes its way for less than two miles to a terminus, located on the outskirts of its destination town. However, the line is double tracked and electrified, and the terminus is on the northern edge of the south London suburb of Bromley, so perhaps we cannot push the analogy too far. The line opened in 1878, and for many years did have a through service to London, only becoming a totally selfcontained branch line in the 1990s. The biggest change in its history was undoubtedly when the line was electrified in 1926, which caused the then Southern Railway to totally rebuild the terminal station at Bromley North. The new building was designed by J R Scott, and is Grade II listed. It is built in red brick, and looked back to the Edwardian era rather than forward to the soon-to-arrive Art Deco style. It sits across the end of the tracks, with a wonderful arched entrance leading to the booking hall, all covered by a deep-

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restored the main station building in 2010, and then approached the Trust to develop a scheme for the offices. With the co-operation of Network Rail, the Fife Trust was able to lease the structure and, supported by the Railway Heritage Trust, has restored the building to its original appearance, creating new starter offices and recreating the ambience of one of the most historic stations in Fife. Sponsor: Fife Historic Buildings Trust, Kinghorn, Fife Architect: Stephen Newsom, Aberdour, Fife Contractor: Hadden Construction Ltd, Auchterarder, Perthshire

hipped roof, which in turn is topped by a central cupola. In front of the station is a small concourse area, which separates the station from bus stops and a main distributor road. The station formed a feature at the end of East Street but, unfortunately, three trees that had been planted in the open area had grown to such an extent that they were destroying the surface of the area, and blocked the view of the station front. The Trust contributed to their removal, and replacement with two Ginkgo Biloba trees, which were planted within a root suppression system that should prevent them breaking up the restored surface, and also restrain their growth so they do not once more obstruct the station approach. This small project has greatly improved the front of the station and the Trust hopes that Southeastern, the train operating company, can complete the restoration of the area by removing some of the inappropriate signage and security grills to the station frontage. Sponsor: Southeastern, London Architect: The Trevor Patrick Partnership, London Contractor: Lock It Safe Ltd, Grimsby, Lincolnshire

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REVIEW OF PROJECTS

MATLOCK STATION Matlock Station was the main intermediate station on the Midland Railway’s route from Derby to Manchester, opened in 1850. It was designed by Sir Joseph Paxton, and his original building for the station, a singlestorey Italianate structure, remains, despite the closure of the through route beyond Matlock in 1967. Although trains still run between Derby and Matlock the station no longer has any resident staff from the national railway. However, in recent years the line beyond Matlock to Rowsley has been reconstructed by Peak Rail, which uses the remaining buildings at Matlock as its main base, even though these buildings are located on the operational Network Rail platform, the former southbound platform (since 2011 Peak Rail trains have used the former northbound platform).

Paxton’s building has been used as a bookshop, and as Peak Rail’s booking office, for some years but recently Peak Rail, along with the local Community Rail Partnership and Matlock Town Council, has developed a scheme to move the town’s visitor information centre here. As part of the refurbishment and upgrade of the building, the Trust has

Signal box completed

BARNHAM SIGNAL BOX

Refurbished station building

In our Annual Report for 2009/10 we described the efforts made by Network Rail and the Barnham Signal Box Trust (BSBT) to move the former London, Brighton & South Coast Railway Type 3b signal box from Barnham Station to a new home at Aldingbourne Community Sports Centre. Having set the box onto a base constructed with grant funding from the Trust, the BSBT was dealt a body blow when vandals set light to the

BIRMINGHAM MOOR STREET STATION

signs in an original, GWR style, but with the provision of additional graphics for clarity.

Birmingham Moor Street Station was built by the Great Western Railway (GWR) in 1909 in a distinctly Edwardian style, and the Trust has previously reported on works towards its regeneration as part of the wider Bull Ring redevelopment. The last areas of the station to be brought back into passenger use were the redundant bay platforms but, in preparation for the introduction of new services terminating at Moor Street, Chiltern Railways also had to renumber all the platforms. The Trust has thus taken the opportunity this year to give a further grant to assist in the resigning of the station which began in 2007, creating Right: Period-style signs on the bay platforms

RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST 2012

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given a grant to replace areas of cementitious pointing with lime mortar, and to renew some stone cills in the distinctive arched windows that have been damaged by being painted. Sponsor: Peak Rail PLC, Matlock, Derbyshire Contractor: The Arkwright Society Ltd, Cromford, Derbyshire

structure. Whilst at first the damage seemed to be particularly extensive, it soon became clear that elements were salvageable. With another small grant from the Trust, and in the true spirit of the phoenix rising from the ashes, the box has been restored with new framing installed where necessary, and the external envelope reclad. Sponsor: Barnham Signal Box Trust, Chichester, West Sussex Contractor: McCurdy & Co Ltd, Reading, Berkshire

Sponsor: Chiltern Railways, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire Contractor: Steelway, Wolverhampton, West Midlands


REVIEW OF PROJECTS

POLLOKSHAWS WEST STATION Pollokshaws West is the oldest surviving station building in Glasgow, dating back to 1848, when it was built for the Glasgow, Barrhead & Neilston Direct Railway. It was later taken over by a joint operation of the Caledonian and the Glasgow & South Western Railways, a rare example of those two companies working together, as they were usually involved in cut-throat competition. The main building is a long, two-storey structure in red brick, with ashlar dressings round the windows, and it is set back from, and above, the adjacent main road, behind a stone retaining wall. The railway is on a high embankment, so platform level is at the first floor of the building, with passenger access up a stairwell at the south end. The station is Category B listed, but totally disused, and has been stripped of all internal partitions and plaster, so that just the shell remains. The Glasgow Building Preservation Trust (GBPT) has developed an exciting

NORWOOD JUNCTION STATION Norwood Junction is a typical south London suburban station. Originally known as Jolly Sailor, it opened in 1839 on the main line of the London & Croydon Railway. In 1841 the London & Brighton Railway started to run through the station, joined in 1842 by the South Eastern Railway, but neither saw fit to stop there until after the Brighton and Croydon companies had merged to form the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) in 1846, at which time the station was renamed Norwood, acquiring its present name in 1856. In 1859 the LB&SCR relocated the station to its present site and the station building is a typical product of its time, with yellow London bricks, two storeys and hipped roofs. Its handsome chimneys add to its appearance, although an unfortunate tiled frontage from the British Rail era sits sadly with it. In front of the station is a large paved area, and the London Borough of Croydon has, in recent years, invested heavily in improving this space. However, at the station’s south end

Work underway at Pollokshaws West

plan to restore the station building (and its smaller twin on the northbound platform) with community facilities and a bicycle repair business. The acquisition of grants, consents, and leases for this project has been particularly difficult, and the Trust advanced a small part of its proposed grant into 2011/12 to facilitate GBPT’s development of the

scheme. At the end of the financial year we were delighted to hear that GBPT had issued a letter of intent to its contractor for the main works and we look forward to seeing the restoration carried out in 2012/13.

Network Rail has taken over the former goods shed as an infrastructure depot. To protect the depot, it installed a security fence which, unfortunately, projected out into the station frontage and made a very unwelcoming area for passengers – a particular problem when the station was unstaffed at night, as entry and exit was by a dark and narrow passageway. Whilst London Overground now staffs the station at all times when trains are running, the Trust suggested to all the

parties involved that the fence could be relocated nearer the goods shed to open out the station frontage and make it more welcoming. The Trust has funded the new fence and gates, whilst Network Rail managed the project delivery at its own cost. The result is a considerable improvement in the station’s open-ness to passengers.

Sponsor: Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, Glasgow Architect: Richard Shorter, Edinburgh

Sponsor: Network Rail Kent, London Contractor: Ede + Wilkinson Group, Marks Tey, Colchester, Essex

Resited security gates

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REVIEW OF PROJECTS

Left: Access via the restored arches Above: 1842 structure exposed

DEPTFORD STATION The London to Greenwich Railway was opened in 1836, originally running from Spa Road, Bermondsey to Deptford on a three and three-quarter mile long brick viaduct designed by Colonel G T Landmann. This hugely historic route was rapidly extended eastwards to Greenwich, and also westwards into what is now London Bridge Station, but has, over the years, also been swallowed up, in part, by an increasing number of adjacent lines. Deptford Station retains much of its original form, despite the site

Platform elevation

INVERURIE STATION Inverurie lies on the section of the Aberdeen to Inverness route built by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR), and its present station dates from 1902, replacing an earlier, inconvenient one that was half a mile away. This expansion coincided with the GNoSR moving its main workshops to the town. Although the works are longclosed, Inverurie remains an important railway town, with many local trains from Inverness terminating here. The

being buried in the bowels of a much later series of building extensions dating respectively from 1842, 1877 and 1905. One of the features of the station is the intersection of its viaduct and an inclined plane, originally used as a carriage ramp to bring wagons from the adjacent low-level railway works of the time up to viaduct level. The London Borough of Lewisham has sponsored the reconstruction of the station facilities in the form of a contemporary glass and steel structure and, as a result, the original face of the viaduct is slowly being exposed. The brickwork had

suffered over the years and thus proved vexing to the contractors who, happily, have risen to the challenges set by the need to apply good heritage practice in the repairs. The result is a combination of replacement and, more preferably, renovation. The Trust gave a grant award to support the brickwork repairs, and hopes that the lessons learnt from this work can be applied to the restoration of the historic carriage ramp, which will hopefully be the subject of a separate grant to the developer in the near future. Sponsor: London Borough of Lewisham Architect: Dawson Horrell Architects, London Contractor: VolkerFitzpatrick, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire

exterior of the building is traditional, and might almost be described as dour, but, once inside, has much to commend it. The booking office and its surrounds are magnificent, and the Trust contributed to their restoration in 1991/92, and to the restoration of the clock in 1997/98. Another feature of the station was a private waiting room for the Earl of Kintore. Long abandoned by its original user, the room had become a store, but was largely untouched. A local couple, George and Jennie Lawson, saw that the station had a large footfall, and could support a cafĂŠ, and have negotiated a lease on both the waiting room and an adjacent store, which they have converted into a coffee shop, with the help of a grant from the Trust. This new amenity offers improved facilities for passengers and other users of the station, as well as bringing a part of the historic station back into everyday use. Sponsor & Designer: George & Jennie Lawson, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire Contractor: Steve Mackenzie Joinery, Aberdeen Coffee shop interior

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REVIEW OF PROJECTS

Last year we reported on the excellent work that the Heart of Wales Line Development Company had carried out to restore Llandovery Station for community use, and that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales opened the finished project in June 2011. Whilst His Royal Highness shared the general delight with the restoration work, he pointed out that the enamelled modern railway station signs on the platform side of the building did not sit well with the restoration and general heritage approach. Fortunately a restored London, Midland & Scottish Railway (LMSR) station sign was on display within the building and, after a rapid discussion

KINGHORN STATION Kinghorn Station sits on the north side of the Firth of Forth, and there are amazing views from it out over the Firth towards Edinburgh. In last year’s Report

between the Trust, the Development Company, Network Rail and Arriva Trains Wales, all parties agreed that the enamelled signs could be moved elsewhere on the station, and replica LMSR-style nameboards placed on the restored building. The Development Company let a contract with the Ffestiniog Railway’s Boston Lodge works to manufacture the new signs, which the Trust was happy to sponsor, and Network Rail has subsequently erected them, a nice touch to complete this phase of the restoration of Llandovery Station. Sponsor: Heart of Wales Line Development Company Ltd, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire Contractors: The Festiniog Railway Company, Porthmadog, Gwynedd & Network Rail Wales, Cardiff

we described how a local artist had taken over the upper floor of the 1847 station building, and how she had converted the rooms there into a pair of Gallery interior

Gillian Wright

LLANDOVERY STATION

Replica sign on station frontage

studios. Subsequently, the Scottish Government awarded a second grant, which the Trust was pleased to match, to restore the former waiting room downstairs as a gallery. Whereas the steep stairs to the upper floor mean that disabled access is not possible, this restriction does not apply downstairs, so public events can be held here. This second phase of the project involved relocating First ScotRail’s salt store, and subsequently repairing badlydamaged floorboards where the salt had lain on the timber boards, a general redecoration and restoration of the building interior, and cutting a new doorway between the hall to the station flat and the waiting room. The work has been very well carried out, with the railway features retained wherever possible, and the new art facility is already drawing in considerable interest and custom. Sponsor: Lynette Gray, Kinghorn, Fife

NETWORK RAIL ARCHIVES For many years the Railway Heritage Trust has sponsored Network Rail’s restoration of its most historic drawings, and we were pleased to carry this on in the financial year 2011/12. In this year, following discussions between our Chairman and Sir David Higgins, Chief Executive of Network Rail, we were delighted to learn that Network Rail is now developing a virtual archive which

will become part of its website. This facility will allow a selection of the organisation’s historic drawings to be available for review and downloading. Network Rail also hopes to provide a comments facility and an ‘archive’ blog, all allowing the company to focus and celebrate its engineering heritage. The Trust’s grant this year has been used to support this exciting development, with conservation and

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photography of the drawings of some of the most important heritage structures, including: Glasgow Central Station and Clyde Bridge; London Kings Cross Station (as it was in the 20th century); London Victoria Station; London Waterloo Station; London Paddington Station; Manchester Piccadilly Station; Leeds Station; Forth Bridge; Tay Bridge. Sponsor: Network Rail HQ, London

RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST 2012


REVIEW OF PROJECTS

Left: Platform Arts Gallery interior Inset: Exterior view

MIDDLESBROUGH STATION William Peachey’s 1877 station at Middlesbrough has featured many times in our Reports, as the Trust has worked to restore much of the damage that the Luftwaffe, and British Rail’s 1960s developments, caused. The station, entirely Gothic in its original design, remains one of the most impressive secular buildings in Middlesbrough, despite the modern concrete canopies that replaced the bombed-out overall roof.

FORT MATILDA STATION Fort Matilda Station is the penultimate stop on the Caledonian Railway’s branch to Gourock, running along the south side of the Clyde. It has a milepost in the station proudly proclaiming that it is 125½ miles from its zero point – which is far away at Carlisle! The station building is a single-storey structure in the Domestic Revival style, dating from 1889 and designed by James Miller. Notable features that have survived are the superb chimneys and the wooden screens at both ends of the awning, although these have now been boarded over. In recent years the building has not seen use for passengers, but has provided a base for Network Rail’s staff and contractors as they have upgraded the Gourock line. As a result, its internal condition is far better than that of many other abandoned stations. In 2010/11 the Trust contributed to a feasibility study by the Greenock & District Model Railway Club, which showed that the club was capable of taking over and restoring the building. This year, with a

If the restoration of the roof has not been possible, the Trust has had more success with seeing off Zetland House, British Rail’s totally inappropriate 1960s office block, which had been erected at the west end of the station, with the associated demolition of a substantial part of the original frontage. In 2006 the Trust contributed to the removal of

further grant from the Trust, and another from the Scottish Government’s Stations Community Regeneration Fund, the club has leased and largely restored the structure. The fitting of refurbished doors and windows has given the external appearance of the station a real boost, and community use of the building will ensure its future. Completion of the project by the end of

Main & Inset: Refurbished entrance doors & windows

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Zetland House and its replacement by a new stone building reflecting the lines of Peachey’s original station, although with strong modern design aspects, particularly in its glazing. The Trust was delighted to see Platform Arts Ltd move into this space and its combination of studios and galleries has become an excellent cultural centre, gaining a reputation for exhibiting contemporary art of a high standard both nationally and internationally. Platform Arts Ltd needed to fit out the remaining area of its lease in the former fish dock and parcels area of the station, adjacent to the area where Zetland House had been replaced. The Trust was happy to contribute to the building elements of this work, creating another gallery and further studios, and ensuring an on-going use for a section of a historic station that is no longer required by the railway. Sponsor: Platform Arts Ltd, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire Contractor: CIS Services (North East) Ltd, Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham

March turned out to be not quite possible – the storms of January 2012 left a gaping hole in the roof, which the rail industry had to repair before the club could complete the project. Sponsor: Greenock & District Model Railway Club, Greenock, Renfrewshire Architect: Fiona Sinclair, Glasgow Contractor: M J Builders Ltd, Greenock, Renfrewshire


REVIEW OF PROJECTS

HUDDERSFIELD STATION Regarded as one of the finest surviving classical station buildings in Britain, the Grade I listed station at Huddersfield was constructed jointly for the London & North Western and Lancashire & Yorkshire Railways to designs by J P Pritchett senior and junior, and was opened in August 1847 and completed in 1850. The frontage is particularly impressive with pedimented gables to the ends of the central two-storey block, which reflect the elements of the central five-bay portico. Long ranges extend to either side, with Corinthian colonnades, and are terminated in matching pavilions, again with colonnaded façades. The building appears to reflect the input of the Ramsden family trustees, Huddersfield’s influential patrons, which included Earl Fitzwilliam, who had engaged J P Pritchett senior as his architect. Originally furnished with separate booking offices for the respective constituent companies, the central area was eventually converted

into a common booking hall, its previous use having been as a hotel. The train operator First TransPennine Express refurbished elements of the station, notably the former stable block at the Leeds end and, more significantly, the booking hall area, which has been remodelled to provide a better circulation space and new, modern, ticket office facilities. As part of this work, the area has been opened up and

enhanced to reveal more of the decorative cast-iron columns which support the upper floor. An additional, glazed opening from the platform area has also been introduced. The Trust is particularly pleased to have been able to give grant support to the works to this highly important railway building. Sponsor: First TransPennine Express, Manchester Architect: Aedas Building Consultancy Ltd, Huddersfield Contractor: Strategic Team Group, Glasshoughton, Castleford, West Yorkshire

Below: Refurbished & extended access doors Left: Area of refurbished former stable block

CUPAR STATION Previous Reports have shown the Trust’s on-going commitment to the upkeep of this Edinburgh & Northern Railway (E&NR) station, dating from 1847 and probably designed by David Bell. Our earlier involvement has included the creation of a museum and restoration of the railings of the bridge over the railway at the station’s south end. David Maitland Makgill Crichton (18011851), a local Advocate, persuaded the E&NR to provide this bridge, and the local citizenry combined to erect a statue

of him, which was unveiled in 1862. The statue has suffered with the years – not least from an errant snowball (allegedly) removing one of Mr Crichton’s fingers – and the Cupar & North Fife Preservation Society has recently worked with other local bodies to fund its restoration. The Trust gave a small grant towards this work in recognition of Mr Crichton’s own contribution to the local railway. Sponsor: Cupar & North Fife Preservation Society, Cupar, Fife Contractor: Nicolas Boyes Stone Conservation Ltd, Edinburgh

NATIONAL RAILWAY HERITAGE AWARDS The Railway Heritage Trust Conservation Award for 2011 was won by Chiltern Railways for the restoration of the Art Deco waiting rooms at Leamington Spa Station. The works were described in the Trust’s Report for 2010/11. Additionally, the following projects to which the Trust gave grants were also recipients of National Railway Heritage Awards: Liverpool Lime Street Gateway (Liverpool Vision), Darlington and Newcastle Stations (East Coast) and Middlesbrough Station (First TransPennine Express). Restored: DMM Crichton’s statue

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RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST 2012


GRANTS AND EXTERNAL CONTRIBUTIONS: 2011/12

NETWORK RAIL The Trust has supported 60 projects (2010/11: 59) with 60 grants, which totalled £1,837,459 (2010/11: £1,863,084). The grants funded repair and restoration work carried out on the heritage aspects of buildings and structures in Network Rail’s ownership. A total of twelve grants were either cancelled, brought forward or deferred. BRB (RESIDUARY) LTD The Trust supported no projects this year (2010/11: nil), therefore there was no project funding (2010/11: nil). One grant was deferred. The projects were: NETWORK RAIL BUDGET GRANT £

Page ENGLAND 11 Anfield Cemetery Gates: Stonework restoration 30,247 13 Appleby Station: Station building refurbishment 46,000 24 Barnham Signal Box: Structure, cladding & window repairs 20,000 Bath Spa Station: – Southern entrance canopy replacement (£60,000) CANCELLED – Historic lift refurbishment (£55,000) B/FORWARD 115,000 21 – Avonside House restoration & enhancement 100,000 5 – Heritage elements of works to toilets, waiting rooms & canopy 3,500 4 Bedale Signal Box: Restoration for reuse 15,000 24 Birmingham Moor Street Station: Heritage-style platform signing 16 ‘Britain’s Historic Railway Buildings’: Publication support for G Biddle’s book 10,000 23 Bromley North Station: Station forecourt refurbishment 8,429 19 Buxton Station: Main building & frontage canopy heritage works 45,236 13 Carlisle Citadel Station: Production of a conservation management plan 4,070 Chester Station: West wing frontage restoration (£66,000) CANCELLED 20 Clapham Junction Station: Conversion of building to form a new entrance 65,000 26 Deptford Station: Works to viaduct arches 70,000 9 Derby Station: Restoration of derelict original station 60,000 15 Eaglescliffe Station: Provision of traditional curved brickwork 400 18 Eridge Station: Refurbishment of former waiting room 2,000 12 Exeter Central Station: Repairs & reinstatement of decorative ceramic tiles 2,735 12 Glossop Station: Replacement of uPVC windows with original-style timber sash 2,756 15 Great Malvern Station: Fencing to prevent illegal access to station roof 4,200 Great Yarmouth: Vauxhall Bridge: Repairs & repainting (£50,000) 21 Harrow & Wealdstone Station: Reinstatement of missing cast newel posts 10,000 22 Harwich Town Station: Goods shed restoration 20,000 Huddersfield Station: 29 – Platform 1 buildings modernisation 115,000 – Water tower refurbishment for reuse as offices (£45,000) DEFERRED 19 Hutton Cranswick Station: Conversion of former booking office 5,000 into residential accommodation 14 Ilkley Station: Heritage-style gates installation 5,000 Letchworth Garden City Station: – Relocation of café & restoration of new facility (£11,600) CANCELLED 18 – Relocation of café & restoration of new facility (alternative client) 11,600 7 Littleborough Station: Refurbishment & restoration of station building 19,590 London Kings Cross Station: 17 – Handyside Bridge restoration & re-erection at Ropley Station 25,000 17 – Handyside Clock installation on Platform 8 train shed wall 15,000 16 – Replacement of OHL structures in train shed with headspan wires 150,000 London Waterloo Station: Refurbishment of balustrades (£3,500) CANCELLED 24 Matlock Station: Masonry repairs to building 2,600 28 Middlesbrough Station: Conversion of old parcels store & fish dock 8,000 6 Moorthorpe Station: Restoration of station building & conversion to community use 70,000 27 Network Rail Archives: Conservation of historic drawings 10,000 Newcastle: Forth Street Water Tower: Production of a structural survey CANCELLED & feasibility study (£5,000) 22 Newcastle: High Level Bridge: Provision of interpretation boards 5,880 25 Norwood Junction Station: Relocation of maintenance depot gates 43,640 20 Oxford: Rewley Road Swing Bridge: Provision of tools & equipment 5,000 for future restoration Peckham Rye Station: Refenestration, & restoration of doors on station forecourt 4,500 8 Ridgmont Station: Completion of heritage works to station building 55,000

RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST 2012

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BRB (R) BUDGET GRANT £

EXTERNAL EXTERNAL CONTR’B’N CONTR’B’N NETWORK BRB (R) RAIL £ £ 0 28,750 (1) 29,600 (2)

130,310 (3) 40,627 (4) 29,140 (5) 23,206 (6) 0 19,868 (7) 0 4,070 (8) 97,900 (9) 56,179 (10) 256,500 (11) 602 (12) 4,200 (13) 3,102 (14) 0 6,295 (15) DEFERRED 0 58,000 (16) 295,000 (17) 7,269 (18) 0

17,355 (19) 29,882 (20) 0 0 0 3,900 (21) 15,000 (22) 355,000 (23) 0

0 0 0 6,500 (24) 0


GRANTS AND EXTERNAL CONTRIBUTIONS: 2011/12

NETWORK RAIL BUDGET GRANT £ DEFERRED 144 44,000

Page 5 7

7 12 9 15 8 9 10 6 13

BRB (R) BUDGET GRANT £

Salisbury Station: Relocation of water tower to Swanage Railway (£26,500) Scarborough: Falsgrave Signal Gantry: Provision of plaque Scruton Station: Building restoration Sheffield Midland Station: DEFERRED – Former dining room refurbishment (£67,000) 415 – Removal of redundant signalling location cabinet 24,500 Skipton Station: Provision of a new shelter Solihull Station: Heritage-style signing to frontage 2,000 Southampton Central Station: Heritage refurbishment 10,000 Stroud Goods Shed: Provision of electrical supply for fitting out for leasing 20,000 Wakefield Westgate Station: Improved passenger facilities (£49,000) CANCELLED 1,114 Yatton Station: Installation of GWR-style fencing York Station: 100,000 – Refurbishment of former tea rooms & conversion to a bar 35,000 – Rebuilding of pilaster on station frontage 2,500 – Production of a conservation management plan

0 66,375 (25)

0 36,500 (26) 8,806 (27) 28,730 (28) 12,000 (29) 2,539 (30) 154,000 (31) 0 10,000 (32)

SCOTLAND Aberdour Signal Box: Conversion to a café (£75,000) DEFERRED 100,000 23 Burntisland Station: Restoration of platform building 29 Cupar Station: Restoration of DMM Crichton statue 500 15,042 28 Fort Matilda Station: Conversion for model railway club & community use 14 Glenfinnan Station: Expansion of museum in former station building 95,000 26 Inverurie Station: Refurbishment of former Laird’s waiting room as a café 14,500 Kilmarnock Station: – Reuse of vacant units (£32,000) CANCELLED 4 – Floral clock restoration 104,000 27 Kinghorn Station: Refurbishment of former waiting room to create a gallery 4,500 11 Kyle of Lochalsh Signal Box: Repair, restoration & fitting out 65,000 21 Pitlochry Station: Installation of secondary glazing to bookshop 2,361 25 Pollokshaws West Station: Restoration of buildings 10,000 WALES 27 Llandovery Station: Provision of two LMSR-style signs

800,000 (33) 0 45,078 (34) 433,339 (35) 21,500 (36)

157,358 (37) 6,376 (38) 160,000 (39) 0 28,562 (40)

1,500 1,837,459

COMBINED NETWORK RAIL AND BRB (RESIDUARY) LTD BUDGETS GRANT TOTAL

(24) (25) (26) (27) (28) (29) (30) (31) (32) (33) (34) (35)

(36) (37) (38) (39) (40)

31

0 0

3,489,418

0

1,837,459

COMBINED NETWORK RAIL AND BRB (RESIDUARY) LTD EXTERNAL CONTRIBUTIONS TOTAL

External contributions were from: (1) Appleby Station: Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line, Northern Rail, The SettleCarlisle Railway Development Company (2) Barnham Signal Box: Barnham Signal Box Trust (3) Bath Spa Station: Multi Development UK Ltd (4) Bath Spa Station: First Great Western (5) Bedale Signal Box: Heritage Partnership Grant, Wensleydale Railway Trust voluntary labour (6) Birmingham Moor Street Station: Chiltern Railways (7) Bromley North Station: London Borough of Bromley, Southeastern (8) Carlisle Citadel Station: English Heritage (9) Clapham Junction Station: London Borough of Wandsworth, South West Trains, Transport for London (10) Deptford Station: Department for Communities & Local Government, London Borough of Lewisham, London Development Agency, Seltrans, Southeastern (11) Derby Station: East Midlands Regional Development Agency (12) Eaglescliffe Station: Chester-le-Track Ltd (13) Eridge Station: Southern (14) Exeter Central Station: Department for Transport (NSIP) (15) Great Malvern Station: London Midland (16) Harwich Town Station: The Harwich Mayflower Project (17) Huddersfield Station: Department for Transport (NSIP), Kirklees Council, Metro (18) Hutton Cranswick Station: Sean Paxton (19) Letchworth Garden City Station: First Capital Connect (20) Littleborough Station: Littleborough Historical and Archaeological Society (21) Matlock Station: Community Rail Development Fund (22) Middlesbrough Station: Arts Council England, Middlesbrough Borough Council (23) Moorthorpe Station: Green Corridor Regeneration, South Kirkby & Moorthorpe Town Council

EXTERNAL EXTERNAL CONTR’B’N CONTR’B’N NETWORK BRB (R) RAIL £ £

3,489,418

Peckham Rye Station: London Borough of Southwark Scruton Station: Wensleydale Railway Trust voluntary labour Skipton Station: Department for Transport (NSIP) Solihull Station: Chiltern Railways Southampton Central Station: Department for Transport (NSIP), South West Trains, Southampton City Council Stroud Goods Shed: The Stroud Preservation Trust Ltd Yatton Station: South West of England Regional Development Agency, Wessex Water York Station: Pivovar Tap Ltd York Station: East Coast, York City Council Burntisland Station: Burntisland Development, ERDF, Fife Historic Buildings Trust, Historic Scotland Fort Matilda Station: Transport Scotland (Stations Community Regeneration Fund) Glenfinnan Station: ERDF, Friends of Glenfinnan Station, Glenfinnan Station Museum, Heritage Lottery Fund, The Highland Council, Historic Scotland, The Robertson Trust, Scottish Rural Development Programme, and others Inverurie Station: Transport Scotland (Stations Community Regeneration Fund) Kilmarnock Station: East Ayrshire Council Kinghorn Station: Lynette Gray Kyle of Lochalsh Signal Box: ERDF, Heritage Lottery Fund, Scottish Government Third Sector, Skye & Kyle Rail Development Company Ltd Pollokshaws West Station: The Architectural Heritage Fund Project Development Grant, Better Glasgow Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, Glasgow City Heritage Trust, Glasgow Housing Association, Glasgow South West Regeneration Agency, The Hugh Fraser Foundation, Landfill Tax, Merchants House: Dean of Guild Charitable Trust, The Robertson Trust, Sainsbury Family Trust, Scottish Power Green Energy Trust, South West Community Cycles, The Steel Charitable Trust, The Trades House of Glasgow, Transport Scotland, Trusthouse Charitable Foundation

RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST 2012


THE TRUST’S ACCOUNTS: 2011/12

The Annual Report and Accounts covers the operations of the Railway Heritage Trust during the period 1st April 2011 to 31st March 2012. Established in 1985, the Trust is an independent registered company limited by guarantee, supported by Network Rail and BRB (Residuary) Ltd, with the remit of: ■ the conservation and enhancement of buildings and structures owned by these organisations that are listed or scheduled, or of special architectural or historical interest; and ■ to act as a catalyst between outside parties and these owners on the conservation and alternative use of non-operational property, including the possible transfer of responsibility to local trusts or other interested organisations. In 2011/12, the Trust awarded 60 grants towards the costs of 60 restoration and other projects. Thirteen grants were cancelled, deferred or brought forward.

AUDITED ACCOUNTS Price Firman, London, audited and approved the Trust’s Accounts for 2011/12. At the Trust’s Annual General Meeting in July 2012 the Executive Board considered, approved, adopted and signed the audited Accounts and, as required by law, then deposited the signed Accounts with Companies House, accompanying the Trust’s Annual Return. Copies of the Accounts will also be presented to the Boards of both our sponsors. In their Report and Financial Statements, 31st March 2012, the Auditors stated: ‘In our opinion the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of the company’s affairs as at 31st March 2012 and of its profit for the year then ended; have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006’. They further stated: ‘In our opinion the information given in the Directors’ Report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements’. Price Firman Chartered Accountants Registered Auditor London July 2012

FINANCIAL REPORT The Trust’s financial activities in 2011/12 are summarised as follows: FUNDING ALLOCATED TO PROJECTS By Network Rail By BRB (Residuary) Ltd EXPENDED ON PROJECTS 60 Grants to Network Rail projects 0 Grants to BRB (Residuary) Ltd projects FUNDING FOR TRUST'S OPERATIONS From Network Rail From BRB (Residuary) Ltd Total Income Total Expenditure – Administration

1,837,459 0 1,837,459 203,672 0 203,672 203,672

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S COMMENTARY In the last year we have again dealt with a large number of projects, and I would like to thank Malcolm and Claire for their unstinting support in doing this. The Chairman has already referred to industry developments. Network Rail’s change to a more route-based management has been beneficial for the Trust, and we have found the Route Managing Directors most helpful in achieving our objectives. The renewal of train operating company (TOC) franchises presents us with problems, as the out-going franchisee will get to a point where there is no possible return from heritage projects by the end of the franchise. However, most TOCs in this situation have taken a mature view, and we have generally managed to keep projects moving forward through changes of franchisee without any difficulties. One such change that we are watching with interest is the new Greater Anglia franchise: all the station buildings have been placed on a 99 year lease to the TOC. This change appears to have pluses and minuses for the Trust’s work. Immediately, and most positively, it does away with the risk of having a two-stage approach to station painting that I referred to in my commentary last year, a change that we welcome. However, in the longer term, there could be a question of why a franchisee, with a relatively short length of franchise, should invest in a building that does not have to be handed back to its owner for up to 99 years. I remain concerned about how the industry handles some of its listed buildings on a day-to-day basis. In the year we have seen two cases where contractors were despatched to carry out investigative works on listed buildings, which resulted in major damage to listed features: we have also found many further cases of inappropriate cable runs being installed without consideration of the appearance, or the legal status, of listed structures. In one case a radio aerial was placed most insensitively in a highly public part of a Grade I listed station, an issue that was happily resolved after the Trust drew attention to it. The industry invites enforcement action by carrying out such alterations. On a happier note, we are delighted to see, and be part of, Network Rail’s approach to its mechanical signal boxes, as the end of their use draws near. Network Rail’s work with listing, conservation and industry bodies is ensuring that this change is properly managed in heritage terms, whilst minimising its on-going maintenance burden from listed, unused, boxes. Finally, can I congratulate all those involved in the Kings Cross project. The attitude of the project team to heritage issues has been exemplary, with a superb restoration of the original station. The Trust has been most happy to be involved in finding a new home for the Handyside Bridge and the relocation within the station of its clock, and the removal of the overhead line gantries under the main roof spans. We look forward to supporting the reinstallation of the Great Northern Railway war memorial, and the rebuilding of the canopy extension between Platforms 8 and 9, thus completing the heritage works at this station. Andy Savage Executive Director London July 2012

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

RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST 2012

£ 1,820,328 0 1,820,328

32



Railway Heritage Trust 1 Eversholt Street London NW1 2DN 020 7904 7354 rht@railwayheritagetrust.co.uk www.railwayheritagetrust.co.uk


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