Since its inception in April 1985 the Railway Heritage Trust has sponsored over 60 projects and has spent £1.9m with some 80 other projects agreed in principle. Outside bodies have contributed or promised a total of £1.2m to support these projects.
The trust is an independent company under the chairmanship of the Hon William McAlpine. Its objectives include the preservation of listed buildings which still form part of the operational railway. It also acts as a catalyst between outside parties and the British Rail Property Board on the preservation of non-operational listed buildings and structures with a view to their transfer to local trusts or other interested parties.
The inevitable ageing of many of the buildings — some exceeding 150 years — for which British Rail is responsible is likely to lead to increasing involvement of the trust. After the Church of England and the Government, British Rail is the largest owner of listed Victorian buildings in the country. The trust’s annual report(*) records that there have been significant additions to BR’s portfolio, which contains over 900 listed buildings and ancient monuments and 670 conservation areas.
The trust’s annual report describes the renovation of the Cannon Street Station towers. The original Cannon Street Station was built in 1866. War-time bombing destroyed the hotel fronting the station and severely damaged the 190-ft wide and 100-ft high trussed roof, leading to its removal. All that remains of the original station, overlooking the River Thames, are the twin 130-ft high yellow brick towers and side walls which once supported the roof. Topped by square domed roofs, spire and weather vanes, the towers stood black and sootgrimed for 120 years until the trust with BR initiated a £260,000 restoration scheme which was completed last year.
Another interesting project undertaken by the trust has been the restoration of Great Malvern Station. This is a listed Grade II building which was severely destroyed by fire in April 1986. The trust has joined BR in funding this £238,000 scheme and has sponsored the restoration of the platform canopy capitals and the provision of roadside light fittings on the existing columns. A feature of this 1862 building was the incorporation of a tastefully decorated clock tower which was demolished nearly a century later. The reinstatement of the clock tower has been provided for in the overall project with a local appeal for funds being initiated by the local authority.
In its original form, the trust says, Great Malvern Station was “unique in minor station architecture” and, on completion of the current scheme, the ornamental roof ridges and cast iron brackets and the cast iron columns with their richly decorated capitals of foliage will all be restored.
(*) Railway Heritage Trust Annual Report 1986–87. RHT, Melton House, 65 Clarendon Road, Watford WD1 1DP.
