Appeal to rebuild Victorian canopy to complete Corfe Castle station restoration
Dedicated Swanage Railway volunteers have launched an ambitious £60,000 appeal to rebuild a distinctive wooden Victorian entrance canopy - demolished by British Railways in the 1950s - and complete the restoration of the Grade Two listed Corfe Castle station.
Designed to protect train passengers from the rain on the forecourt side of the station, the structure above the entrance to the booking hall was part of the Purbeck stone building constructed in 1884 ahead of the opening of the ten mile Wareham to Corfe Castle and Swanage branch line in May, 1885.
The Corfe Castle Station Canopy Appeal is being led by David Scott - the deputy station master at Corfe Castle and a dedicated Swanage Railway volunteer for more than 11 years - who lives in the picture postcard Isle of Purbeck village.
David Scott explained: “We are hoping that the public will be able to help us complete the missing piece in the restoration of the much loved Corfe Castle station – a protected Grade Two listed building – that was started by dedicated Swanage Railway volunteers in the early 1990s when their relayed tracks reached the village.
“The canopy was an important practical and architectural feature and its removal in the mid-1950s – probably due to the wood it was made of becoming rotten and British Railways being unwilling to repair and restore it – left the entrance to the forecourt car park side of the station somewhat bare and exposed to the weather.
“This is an exciting project and a chance to make Corfe Castle station complete again by fully returning the building back to the way that it looked when the first train ran on the new Swanage branch line in May, 1885, when Queen Victoria was on the throne and William Gladstone was the British prime minister,” added David.
Drawings for the new Victorian-style canopy have been produced by architect Peter Smith to a design that closely follows the original while specialist contractors Target Structural have been engaged to guide the Swanage Railway with professional advice for the project.
David added: “Beautifully built of Purbeck stone and located in the Corfe Castle village conservation area, the historic Grade Two listed station is of special architectural interest and the jewel in the crown of the Swanage Railway.
“Our canopy appeal is a chance for the public to help make the station complete again in the building’s 141st year and the 50th anniversary of restoration work starting on the disused railway at a boarded up Swanage station in 1976.
“Valued and appreciated donations can be made by Internet banking, by bank transfer, by cheque or on-line via Enthuse while donations can also be made with Gift Aid - if the donor is a United Kingdom taxpayer – which adds 25 pence to every £1 donated at no extra cost to the donor,” explained David.
British Rail closed Corfe Castle station on Monday, 3 January, 1972 - when trains ceased on the ten mile branch line from Wareham to Swanage – with the windows boarded up and the Victorian building being left to face an uncertain future.
The railway tracks through Corfe Castle were lifted, by British Rail contractors, during the summer of 1972 with the disused trackbed being used by residents for walking their dogs.
It was in the summer of 1990 that determined Swanage Railway volunteers relayed the tracks through Corfe Castle, from Harman’s Cross, with the first passenger-carrying steam trains running from Harman’s Cross to Corfe Castle and Norden in August, 1995.
Donations to the Corfe Castle Canopy Appeal can be made by Internet banking or bank transfer to Barclays Bank, Poole, Dorset, quoting account 60539112, sort code 20-68-79 and including the reference Corfe Canopy.
Cheques can also be made payable to the Swanage Railway Company – and quoting Corfe Canopy – should be sent to the Swanage Railway finance department, Station House, Swanage, Dorset BH19 1HB which can be emailed at finance@swanagerailway.co.uk.
Donations to the Corfe Castle Canopy appeal can be made on-line via Enthuse at swanagerailwaytrust.enthuse.com/corfecanopy.
Supporters can Gift Aid their donations - if the donor is a United Kingdom taxpayer – which adds 25 pence to every £1 donated to the Swanage Railway at no extra cost to the donor.
Further details can be found at https://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/corfe-castle-station-canopy-restoration-project which includes a link for making a donation via Enthuse.
Anyone interested in finding out about varied Swanage Railway volunteering opportunities should contact volunteering officer Kelly Griffin by emailing iwanttovolunteer@swanagerailway.co.uk.
Story and photograph by Andrew P.M. Wright,
Swanage Railway official photographer and press officer.
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