Category Archives: Mytholmroyd

2nd June picture(s) of the day…

02 Sunday Jun 2024

Posted by in Community rail, Mytholmroyd, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, West Yorkshire

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Bloody hell! It’s June already! To be honest the new month’s made a welcome arrival as it’s started on a weekend that’s brought some gorgeous and much-needed sunshine. I’ve been based in the Calder valley but not entirely at home. On Saturday the friends of Mytholmroyd station had an open day at their station building. This was in conjunction with the local historical society, the Lancashire and Yorkshire Rly society and other supporters. I dropped in for a while to help them with photographs whilst enjoying the atmosphere. A local gospel choir kept visitors entertained whilst they waited to join one of the organised walks around the village whilst other folk amused themselves looking through the collection of old photographs, posters and artwork on display inside the station building. Here’s a few pictures from the day.

The station building’s celebrating an important anniversary this year, as these signs mounted on the platforms proclaim.

Today (Sunday) has been a more home-based day. I made the most of the weather by spending much of my time gardening and trying to control the weed that threaten to take over the terraces at the back of the cottage. Everything’s growing at such a rate of knots now all I have to do is turn my back and the brambles start to encroach. Mind you, the wildlife can cause a few problems too. I had to scare off a Fox that (as bold as brass and in the middle of the day) decided to try and bury a chicken thigh (left out by a neighbour) right in the middle of one of my flowerbeds, and right outside the kitchen window too. Cheeky bugger!

Hopefully, this is the start of summer, but I’m not going to hold my breath. The weather’s been so unpredictable this year I wouldn’t be in the least surprised if we have snow by Friday!

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

A fun Friday in’t Calder valley…

14 Friday Apr 2023

Posted by in Calder Valley, Community rail, Community Rail Network, Food and drink, Musings, Mytholmroyd, Photography, Railways, West Yorkshire

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Today’s certainly been a sociable one and very much a game of two halves – and that included the weather. This morning we awoke to what threatened to be makings of a sunny say, even though temperatures were sub-par with frost on the ground. My optimism rose with the sun, even if the temperatures didn’t. Dawn had to leave for an appointment over in Ossett whilst I stayed indoors wading through emails and paperwork, planning next week (which is looking rather diverse, providing different blogs from different locations). The pair of us arranged to rendezvous over in Mytholmroyd at lunchtime with me letting the train take the strain.

It was a great plan until it came time for me to leave the house. That’s when I realised the weather had turned to ratshit again and my plans to get pictures along the line were a wash-out. Mind you, poor Mytholmroyd’s used to washouts as its recent history of flooding attests to. The reason the pair of us were visiting was the AGM of the friends of Mytholmroyd station which was being held in a church hall adjacent to the station. Like many buildings in the village it’s been underwater several times as it sits next to the Cragg Brook which has regularly burst its banks to flood the town when the nearby Calder’s done the same. Now, some very expensive flood defenses protect the town, so although the weather was miserable we weren’t worried about being deluged.

The AGM turned out to be a great event. Dee and I have known the group for a long time and have made some great personal friends. Their meetings – which whilst they get the business done – are also social events. The food’s pretty good too! We were treated to home-made tray-baked steak pie (with a cheese version for veggies) along with peas, gravy and mint sauce – the classic pie and peas!

Suitably stuffed the attendees got down to business. Just under 30 people attended which included representatives from train company Northern, the new Community Rail Partnership which covers the whole of the Calder valley line and my wife representing Community Rail Network. Me? I was there to record the event and muck in any way I can. It was a very positive event despite the problems the rail industry’s facing at the moment. There’s lots of things to look forward to with the rail network in the Calder valley which is seeing an increase in passenger numbers with more to come as the place increases its profile as a tourist attraction and as an important diversionary route during the trans-pennine route upgrade.

To add to the calorie intake we were treated to home-made cake as a thank-you to Sue Mitchell who was standing down after many years from her role as Secretary of the group. Not that she’ll be retiring completely. Her partner Geoff was reelected as Chair! Here’s a few pictures from the event.

Meetings don’t have to be miserable. Geoff Mitchel (standing) talked about events whilst Richard Isaacs from Northern (behind the laptop) kept this part of the meeting in order.
Retiring Secretary Sue Mitchell was presented with gift vouchers and a gorgeous home-baked cake which was divvied up between attendees.
Pie and peas, coffee and cake, positive actions and laughter – what more do you need to be persuaded to join active community groups like this?

Meeting over Dee acted as a taxi to drop people off and keep them dry before the pair of us headed home for part two of the day. Having spent a couple of hours working it was time to head up to our local pub (The Big 6) to join friends for the Friday quiz. Admittedly, choosing to walk there probably wasn’t the wisest move as the rain was still pelting down but hey – at least we got in the steps!

Sadly, our regular quizmaster Mel wasn’t able to make it so the job of reading out the quiz questions fell to me by popular demand. My accent-neutral enunciated tones weren’t as much fun as Mel’s broad Lancashire but I got the job done. Dawn doesn’t normally manage to make or Friday gathering due to work commitments so today was a bonus as not only was Dee there but the rest of the ‘5 from the 6’ were too – which gave us chance to talk about our next joint adventure to Istanbul in three weeks time.

Now the pair of us are back at home having a relaxing night in. Tomorrow’s going to be another busy day but we both have hopes that Sunday many finally live up to its reputation as the day of rest – we’ll see. So, I’ll end today’s blog with a cartoon from the Pub Paper that I read the two quizzes from tonight. It seems rather appropriate…

Oh, before I go, I should mention that next weekend Mytholmroyd is hosting a very unique and very local event. The World dock pudding championships. Never heard of dock pudding? No, neither had I until I moved here. Sadly, we have an appointment elsewhere which means we might struggle to attend, but I’m determined to do so one year…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

The Friends of Mytholmroyd station celebrate once more…

03 Friday Sep 2021

Posted by in Architecture, History, Mytholmroyd, Photography, Railways, West Yorkshire

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Yesterday it was my pleasure to attend yet another celebration at Mytholmroyd, where the station friends and guests were unveiling a plaque celebrating the restoration of the 1871 station building winning a Railway Heritage Trust conservation award in December 2019. Sadly, the Covid pandemic postponed any chance to celebrate the award or mount the plaque until this year. Ironically, the postponement meant that the plaque was unveiled this year, which is the 150th anniversary of the building’s construction. The present building replaced an original timber structure from when the line opened in 1847. Records show that the contract to construct the building was let by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in May 1870 to a “Mr Wilkinson, contractor of Mytholmroyd”. In June 1870 construction was suspended due to excavations causing part of the embankment under the Down line to subside. Work resumed at the end of September 1870 and the new building opened in December 1871*. You can find a full selection of pictures of the interior of the refurbished building in this blog. Here’s how the building looks from street level. Passengers on passing trains don’t appreciate the sheer size of the building as they only see the top floor.

Here’s a selection of pictures from yesterday’s unveiling.

The plaque revealed!
The participants from L-R. Craig Whittaker, MP for the Calder Valley. Geoff Mitchell (Friends of Mytholmroyd). Andy Savage, Railway Heritage Trust and RHA Judge. Sue Mitchell (Friends of Mytholmroyd). Chris Harris, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire. Bob Freeth, Mayor of Hebden Royd Council. Theo Steel, Railway Heritage Trust.
The plaque.

Work will soon begin to outfit the interior of the building ready to accept its first tenants. No doubt when that happens I’ll be bringing you more updates!

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

*Thanks to Michael Allen of Mytholmroyd for providing me with the historical information on the station construction

The Friends of Mytholmroyd station win the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

24 Saturday Jul 2021

Posted by in Community rail, Mytholmroyd, Railways, West Yorkshire

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Earlier today the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson presented the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service to the members of the Mytholmroyd Station Partnership at a ceremony in the restored station building which the group has put so much time and effort into bringing back into use.

The award was presented to Sue and Geoff Mitchell who received it on behalf of all the members of the groups, many of whom were able to attend – along with representatives of the rail industry and local councillors. As friends of the friends, Dawn and I went along to celebrate their outstanding achievement. Needless to say, I took my camera along, so here’s a few pictures from the day

The Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson greets Geoff Mitchell in traditional Covid ‘arm bump’ fashion…
The Lord Lieutenant meeting local Councillors and community representatives
Addressing the stations friends and their guests inside the restored station building.
The Lord Lieutenant presenting Sue Mitchell from the station friends with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
The Lord Lieutenant presenting Sue Mitchell from the Friends of Mytholmroyd station with the engraved award and the certificate signed by the Queen.
Everyone came together outside the building for the obligatory group photograph to celebrate the (well earned) award.

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

Monday’s melange…

02 Monday Dec 2019

Posted by in Calder Valley, Community rail, Musings, Mytholmroyd, Politics, Railways, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Another varied week’s kicked off with sub-zero temperatures here in West Yorkshire, leaving me glad that much of the day’s been spent working from home in the warmth as it’s perishing out there! I do have to venture out this afternoon as it’s the Friends of Mytholmroyd stations annual Christmas carol concert. Children from the local schools have return outing on the train to the Jubilee refreshment rooms at Sowerby Bridge to sing carols on and meet Santa Claus, whilst yours truly volunteers to take the pictures. Here’s one from last year. It’s always a jolly event and afterwards the adults adjourn to the Shoulder of Mutton pub in Mytholmroyd for pie and peas and something to keep the cold out!

In an entirely different vein I came across this crass bit of election stupidity on Twitter earlier, posted by Jane Smith, who’s standing in Congleton on an animal rights ticket. She also opposes HS2 and decided that hanging around standing on a foot crossing across a busy railway line near Alsager to have her picture taken would be a good way to try and score political points. Instead she scored an own goal…

To say that people in the rail industry get annoyed at these pictures would be an understatement – as Ms Smith found out after I retweeted it with a critical comment and many rail staff took to Twitter to express both their annoyance and disgust. The tweet has now been deleted. I expect her political career will be just as short-lived.

I’ll blog some more and add a few pictures from tonight’s festivities later today, so watch this space…

22.28.

It’s been a cracking (if freezing) evening. I headed over to Mytholmroyd in good time to rendezvous with the groups at the station before catching the train. What’s lovely to see with these events is the cross-co-operation between different station friends groups. People from Mytholmroyd, Brighouse and Bentham station friends all turned up on the night as well as staff from Northern Rail. Here’s a few photo’s from the evening.

Children and adults met at the bottom of the ramps to sing a few carols before heading up to the platforms to catch a train to Sowerby Bridge.
Singing carols on the platform…
Entertaining ordinary passengers on a service train with carols before Xmas!
The group outside the Jubilee refreshment rooms before catching the train back to Mytholmroyd.

Mytholmroyd station building. A look inside…

06 Friday Sep 2019

Posted by in Calder Valley, Community rail, History, Mytholmroyd, Railways, West Yorkshire

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , ,

I’ve been meaning to blog about this for ages but never had the time. Today’s miserable weather’s put a damper on other photographic activities as it’s chucking it down here in the Calder Valley so I’ve finally found the opportunity.

Some of you may have noticed the old station building at Mytholmroyd as you passed by on the train. It’s on West end of the Leeds bound platform. What you may not have appreciated from the train is just how big a building it is! Here’s how it looked from the platforms in April 2015.

Here’s a recent view showing what it looks like from ground level. In effect it’s two buildings. The back part of the building (to the left of the drainpipe) was the stationmasters residence. The public part of the building is to the right of the drainpipe.

It’s spread over three-floors and there’s a warren of rooms inside. Built in 1871 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, it was given a grade 2 listing back in 1984 when it was closed by British Rail. It’s been derelict for over 30 years but the friends of Mytholmroyd station have been trying to get it reopened as a community space and waiting rooms ever since 2007. It was a long process as the building is owned by Network Rail. In 2015 the station building was specifically included in the successful Arriva North Franchise Agreement, which stated that (no later than 2025) the franchise shall ” redevelop for social use redundant or under- utilised buildings at stations including Mytholmroyd and Cottingham”.

With that commitment agreed, negotiations continued with various interested parties, including the Railway Heritage Trust. The original group of station volunteers was joined by representatives from the local community and a Northern Rail director; and an application for Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)  was granted in September 2017.

The negotiations culminated in work commencing in March 2018 by Network Rail contractors CPMS who removed asbestos and made the building safe in preparation to repoint and plaster parts of the interior. Local interior designers JSB Ltd assisted with the restoration of the original woodwork, fireplaces and windows.

Northern Rail is planning to include the building within their (operational) station lease from Network Rail. The Station Partnership and CIO would have a licence from Northern – with no responsibility for building maintenance etc.

Northern are planning a public Waiting Room and toilet on the second floor with access from the station platform. They would welcome suggestions for a small trading outlet within the building that would be relevant for rail passengers and be suitable for the general community/social use concept.

Northern envisage that the operation of the building will be through a Management Board consisting of themselves, the Station Partnership together with the CIO and users / tenant(s).

Proposals include –

Second Floor – step-free access from the station platform. Welfare accommodation for Northern Rail staff. A General Waiting Room – which may include an Art Gallery and station history display. Toilet. Rooms for Railway Education project.

First floor – steps only access. Studios for local artists and office/meeting room for Station Partnership, the CIO and the building Management Board.

Ground floor – step-free access. Flexible use which could include a small trading unit, a Reading Café incorporation of a library, meeting/conference facilities including a small catering area. Secure storage area for the Station Partnership equipment including an accessible water supply.

In March 2019 the first phase of the restoration of the building was complete. In May I was lucky enough to be invited along to have a look inside. Here’s what we saw.

The tour group gather in the booking hall on the ground floor as Geoff Mitchell from the station friends group gives us a run-down on what’s been happening with the building.
Looking behind me from the last picture. The wooden structure to the right is the old ticket office. Note the original stone steps leading to the second floor. The restoration work has been done to a very high standard.
Here’s the original ticket office desk which was still in-situ. It’s been cleaned and restored.
Climbing the stairs from the ground floor.
One of the top-floor rooms that have a doorway out onto the platform. This one is on the street side of the building. You can see the way it’s changed uses over the years.
Looking to the right of the previous pictures you can see through to the other top-floor room that opens out onto the platform. Some of the original plasterwork and paint colours remain.
One of the top-floor stone fireplaces that have been lovingly restored.
Another of the fireplaces. None of us could work out what the wooden framework above had been used for.
One of the rooms in the old Stationmaster’s residence.
One of the winding staircases in the old stationmaster’s residence. This side of the building had been abandoned since the last stationmaster had departed.
Shadows and light on exposed brickwork.
The ground floor of the old stationmasters side of the building had been altered over the years with one of the walls having been taken out to give access to the exterior hoist up to the Leeds bound platform. Thousands of chickens were shipped through here in the days of the railways being a general carrier. A goods train would pull up at the platform and boxes of chickens would be loaded straight onto it. Now the lift has gone and the doorway’s been bricked up as part of the restoration.
A view taken from the yard outside where the lift used to be. The quality of the restoration work is evident.
Another relic that remained on the premises. The station safe!

Rolling blog: The judging continues…

29 Monday Jul 2019

Posted by in ACoRP, Calder Valley, Flooding, Mytholmroyd, Northern Rail, Railways, Rolling blogs, Transport, Weather, Yorkshire

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

07:49.

I’m on the rails again. This time judging three stations across Yorkshire for the ACoRP awards. After the fun and games we had last week because of the heat, today could be problematic for a different reason. We’ve had torrential rain overnight and there’s more to come. When I walked down to Sowerby Bridge station this morning I did so along roads that were full of debris washed down from some of the steeper roads, which had been transformed into waterfalls. Crossing the river Calder I could see it was way above it’s normal level, although nowhere near its worst. In 2015 it was so high it flooded the lower level of the building you can see to the left of this picture.

Arriving at the station I walked straight on to a very late running 07:00 to Leeds, which was 41 minutes down after being delayed in the Walsden area due to flooding. This is a regular occurrence in the area due to a stream that runs under the line just by the station.

08:58.

I’m now waiting for the 08:48 from Leeds to Hull which is being delayed by flooding in the Stalybridge area. It’s currently 12 minutes kate, putting our 15 mins connection in peril. Not a good start to the day!

10:39.

We were meant to be at Driffield on the Yorkshire coast line 10 mins ago but we did miss our connection in Hull as we were 27 mins late. We’re now on the following service, leaving us 30 mins down. Luckily(due to the vagaries of the service) we’ll still have plenty of time to do our tour.

12:00.

First visit done, we’re now heading back to Hull from Driffield. Here’s a historic picture displayed on the station. It shows WW1 soldiers on the same spot we were stood, ready to go off to a war many of them never returned from

Driffield’s rather attractive. Here’s the old canal basin which is just 3 mins walk from the station

16:15.

The weather’s changed and I’m rather overdressed for the rapid rise in temperature now the sun’s appeared! We’ve left Bingley and headed into Bradford and walked across the city from Forater Sq to Interchange. There’s still residual delays, which means we’ll arrive in Mytholmroyd at the right time – just on the wrong train!

18:19.

The day’s done and I’m back at Sowerby Bridge, having a celebratory pint outside the Jubilee Refreshment rooms on the station before walking home. It’s a beautiful evening and such a contrast to this morning!

Rolling blog: the Big 6 on tour – Waterworld!

07 Sunday Jul 2019

Posted by in Calder Valley, Canals, Food and drink, History, Mytholmroyd, Rolling blogs, Transport, Travel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , ,

08:30.

Today, a group of us from our local pub (The Big 6) are on tour again, this time we’re off for a canal cruise from Hebden Bridge to Sowerby Bridge and back. Watch out for pictures throughout the day.

12.11

It’s time for lunch. We’ve been going for a few hours and various people have had a go at steering the barge. We now know who not to trust with the tiller! This was my stint as I’ve been on narrowboat holidays several times before.

DG328064crop

Eventually we moored up for lunch, scoffing lots of delicious food that Ruth and Kath had sorted out and cooked in the galley.

14:47.

We’re now on our way back from Sowerby Bridge and Dawn’s proved to be a natural at navigating a narrow boat. She’s taken us through several bridges and two locks.

DG328104crop

Here’s the full compliment, well, minus me of course as I’m behind the camera!

DG328032crop

We even had our very own wandering minstrel in the shape of Otto Uzans, who brought his accordion along.

DG328127crop

 

 

 

Sunday miscellany

11 Sunday Feb 2018

Posted by in Calder Valley, Environment, Flooding, Miscellany, Mytholmroyd, Rail Investment, Rail Moderinsation

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

It’s another dismal day here in the Calder Valley as we’ve suffered from high winds and waves of sleet and snow showers. In fact the whole weekend’s been a washout due to the changeable weather. It’s prevented me cycle training and left me catching up with household chores, paperwork and some picture editing.

Some of the pictures are from Friday’s visit to nearby Mytholmroyd, which is still recovering from the devastation caused by the Boxing Day floods of 2016. For those of you unfamiliar with events, have a look at this article from the Guardian newspaper.

Whilst most homes and businesses have now been re-occupied, a row of shops that were sandwiched between the main road and the river Calder were seriously damaged and have been demolished by the Environment Agency, they’ve been replaced with these ‘Lego’ blocks which form part of the new flood defences that are still under construction around the town.

DG289401

The view from the road bridge over the River Calder, showing the new flood defences which occupy the site of former homes and shops.

A few hundred metres up the road, behind the Shoulder of Mutton pub the Environment Agency’s rebuilding the shattered banks of Cragg brook that were overwhelmed. Flooding the pub, nearby homes and the housing estate opposite.

DG289403

Looking upriver along Cragg Brook towards Cragg Vale. The housing estate behind the wall was under several feet of water after the floods.

DG289410

Looking in the opposite direction to the previous photo. The Shoulder of Mutton pub can be seen on the right. The River Calder is a few hundred metres beyond the railway viaduct.

I only hope that once the Environment Agency’s finished the work Mytholmroyd will be protected from such devastation in the future and the problem isn’t simply moved downriver…

On another front, the resignalling of the Calder Valley line is continuing apace. More and more new signals are springing up along the route. Some are straight replacements for older signalling such as this pair at Mytholmroyd where the new signal has been moved forwards

DG289394

Others are new, installed to reduce the size of the signalling sections, such as this one in Sowerby Bridge which is protecting the station.

DG289502

What’s immediately noticeable about the new signalposts is the absence of ladders that previously allowed S&T staff to reach the signal head. These have been made redundant as the post is hinged at the base so that it can be lowered to the ground.

It’s now Sunday evening and the weather’s deteriorated as the temperature dropped. One minute you could see the other side of the valley – the next you were lucky to see 50 metres!

20180211_152624

The calm before the next storm. Looking down over Sowerby Bridge from by the Wainhouse Tower. The next snowstorm is coming in from the West  (to the right of the picture).

The wind whipped the snow flurries so that they were almost horizontal. Then, suddenly – blue skies would appear, giving a blissful few minutes peace before the next lot of flakes stormed in. We abandoned attempts to go walking and sought solace in the local pub for an hour of fun and laughter with friends.

20180211_155200

The Big 6 is a traditional pub of the old school. There’s no wifi or TV, you go there to drink good beer and engage in conversation with people. Beer like this…

20180209_183602

After the pub the two of us settled in for a productive evening at home. Dawn had promised to make another batch of her Thai style chilli pickle so the pair of us spent ages cutting up a large bowl full of red and green chillies which produced these jars full of weapons-grade pickle for ourselves and some friends.

20180211_210429

This stuff isn’t for the faint-hearted & should probably be banned under the Geneva convention – especially the next morning when its had chance to work its way through your digestive system. Johnny Cash summed up the effects perfectly…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It7107ELQvY

Goodnight folks!

 

 

 

Mytholmroyd. A suitable case for treatment.

06 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by in Community rail, Mytholmroyd, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Passengers speeding through Mytholmroyd on non-stop Calder Valley service might notice the abandoned and boarded up station building on the Leeds bound platform and be could be forgiven for mistaking it as a small building of little consequence. If they saw it from the street below they’d be left with an entirely different impression, because there’s another two floors below platform level!

DG211559. Old station building. Mytholmroyd. 18.4.15

The view of the station building rail travellers see. What they don’t realise is there’s two more floors below!

The grade 2 listed building was constructed in 1874 but it’s been derelict since the BR era. It’s a lucky survivor as cost-cutting BR had a policy of flattening as many redundant station building as possible. The interior is original, but in a very poor state. Despite this, the station friends group has spent over a decade trying to get the building resurrected, to be used by the community. Finally, after many years, their efforts are beginning to bear fruit.

Last night Dawn and I attended a meeting in the church next to the station with the friends group, local residents and the local train company – Arriva Northern. The meeting was to discuss a consultants report on possible uses for the building and hear about progress on bringing it back to life. Earlier that day Network Rail had arrived to begin work on making the building safe before beginning restoration. It looks like it could be a long job!

The friends group have been keen to see that whoever commercial activities take place in the building, they don’t abstract trade from existing businesses in the village. The consultants work took this on board and the discussions they had with the wider community reflected it. Their report came up with three options and the one which seems to have the greatest support is for the building to become a ‘landscape hub’ To quote from the report:

” This would involve the development of a range of uses working in a mutually supportive way, drawing on key aspects of the landscape offer and brand in the area to make the building an inspiring facility for both local people and visitors”

So, what would this mean in practice? There would be a mixture of tenants and uses that would include a restaurant/café, art studios for rent and a cycle/walking hub and gallery. Northern are committed to providing a new waiting room on the station and are looking at using part (but not all) of the top floor.

20180205_190842

At the meeting the consultants provided us with a breakdown of their work and the favoured options.

Needless to say, it’s early days yet and plans always have a habit of changing!  What’s not in doubt is that these are exciting times as the building’s finally returning to life after lying dormant for so many years. Now money is being made available through Network Rail, Northern and a £110,000 grant from the Railway Heritage Trust.

I’ll keep you posted on progress.

You can learn a lot more about the project from the groups weblog, which can be found here.