Description
Main Station Building and Booking Office (Closed). 1876. Architect: attributed to J.H.Sanders. Single storey, coursed red sandstone ashlar walls, pitched slated roofs fitted with pierced ridge tiles on generally common ridge lines. Stone chimney stacks, gables on most elevations with pierced decorative timber bargeboards, others plain. Timber panelled doors, timber casement windows with curved upper corners, stone sills, mullions and lintels, the latter shaped on underside to fit over curved corners of sash windows and doors; projecting horizontal drip mould over lintels. Former waiting room glazed screen to platform replaced with matching ashlar wall and three windows.
South elevation to station forecourt: 3 bays, centre: projecting gable with vertical recess in upper gable with stone sill, lintel and louvre infill; three windows, centre 4-light sashes, left and right 2-light. To right and left of projecting gable triple windows each with 2 stone mullions; centre 4-light, outer 2-light sashes; in the east triple window the centre sash has been converted into an entrance to the east residence, with a glazed lettered fanlight reading “Kneale (presumably the owner) 1 Lady Steps”. Two rooflights inserted into east side roof. On main longitudinal ridge three stacks, left and centre stacks cut down to top of plinths at ridge level. To right lower wing with two 2-light windows and two rooflights in roof. Extended by one bay on east elevation with new wing in matching red sandstone at right angles to main building. Main lower wing roof and ridge extended to new east gable wall in which are two windows and a single door. At south extended forward with lower ridge and pitched roof, with plain gable and west and south sides in matching ashlar to forecourt, with a pair of double glazed doors in west side and in south gable two single pane windows with solid infill panels below, with possibly reclaimed or carefully matched curved lintels over door height openings. Projecting hood mould over windows. Possibly reclaimed or replica trefoil recess in upper part of gable. To left still lower wing with two small 2-light windows, of which the right remains, the left replaced with modern possibly metal 4-light window; new half glazed door inserted to right of remaining 2-light window. The centre projecting gable and existing building to left forms the separate west residence; a hedge marks the boundary on the forecourt side. All to the east and its extensions form the east residence.
East elevation facing down trains: New wing in narrow coursed matching red sandstone on this elevation with main roof gable and extensions, longer to left and shorter to right, with two modern windows and a single door; original end elevation now an internal wall.
North elevation to former platform: 3 bays: left and right projecting gables, each with trefoil oculus over triple window with two stone mullions; centre 4-light, outer 2-light sashes; in centre original 3-bay glazed screen replaced with matching ashlar wall and three windows, centre 4-light, outer 2-light sashes in matching style under eaves of main roof. To left lower wing with two 2-light windows, extended by one bay, with main roof of extension carried down as catslide roof to extension; two rooflights inserted in extended roof. In new north wall modern 3-light window inserted. To right still lower wing with assumed door openings to left and to right. Two small 2-light windows. Lower level lean-to single pitch roof extension full length of this wing.
A fence of some description separates the residences from the former platform.
West elevation facing up trains: 2 bays, right: double doors; left: plain lower gable to wing with assumed door to left and possible retained access hatch to right.
Notes:
1: The original glazed screen to the platform side of the recessed former waiting room has been replaced with matching ashlar walling with three windows as noted above.
2: This is a Type 2, Medium, former Main Station Building and Booking Office, and stands on the down, northbound platform. The station was opened by the Midland Railway on 1st May 1876 and closed on 1st February 1942 and eventually sold into private ownership. It is now divided into two separate residences west and east, the latter identified as “1 Ladysteps”.
3: It is not listed.
Acknowledgements and revision history
This formal description was prepared by Richard J. A. Tinker from photographs and a site assessment carried out on 4th May 2015. It was last updated on 28th February 2020.