Wingfield railway station explained

Wingfield
Status:Disused (as a station)
Classification:Grade II* listed
Borough:South Wingfield, Borough of Amber Valley
Country:England
Coordinates:53.0975°N -1.4264°W
Platforms:2
Original:North Midland Railway
Pregroup:Midland Railway
Postgroup:LMS
British Railways
Years:11 May 1840
Events:Station opened
Years1:1 December 1848
Events1:renamed Wingfield (Alfreton)
then Wingfield for Alfreton
Years2:11 May 1862
Events2:renamed Wingfield
Years3:2 January 1967
Events3:Station closed[1]
Grid Name:Ordnance Survey
Grid Position:SK3851055754

Wingfield railway station served a rural area of Derbyshire, England between 1840 and 1967. Started in 2019, the building has been restored to how it looked in 1840, initially for exhibitions and later as commercial office space.

History

It was built in 1836-40 by the North Midland Railway (NMR)[2] on its line between Derby and Leeds, close to the road between South Wingfield and Oakerthorpe. The station closed in 1967 and the buildings, by Francis Thompson,[3] still stand, but had become derelict until restoration work, funded by a National Lottery grant, began in 2019, with completion announced in October 2023.[4]

The line adjacent to the station is still in use as part of the Midland Main Line. Thompson designed thirteen stations for the NMR, of which Wingfield is the only one to survive as-built.[5]

In times past, this area was important for coal mining at Oakerthorpe, South Wingfield, with a branch to Shirland.[6] [7]

Current status

The empty station building and paved forecourt are Grade II* listed due to being one of the earliest surviving railway station buildings, and the only surviving example from the opening of the line. It was listed on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register for some years as being in a 'very bad' state.[8] [9] In May 2018, the station was compulsorily purchased by Amber Valley Borough Council, due to neglect by its owner.[10] A March 2017 repairs notice, served by the council with the support of Historic England, had not been acted upon.

In November 2019, the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust (DHBT) announced that it would be taking over the ownership from the council, following the receipt of lottery funding,[11] and would be restoring the building with the aim of finding new uses, including holding living history events and open days.[12] As of October 2023, the building has been restored to how it looked in 1840, initially for exhibitions and later as commercial office space.[13]

See also

External links

53.0975°N -1.4264°W

Notes and References

  1. Butt, R.V.J., (1995) The Directory of Railway Stations, Yeovil: Patrick Stephens
  2. Web site: Wingfield Station . Bench Architects . 24 August 2023.
  3. Book: Pevsner . Nikolaus . Williamson . Elizabeth . 1979 . The Buildings of England. Derbyshire . Penguin Books . 323 . 0140710086 .
  4. Web site: Wingfield Station: Restoration of one of world's oldest country railway stations is on track . DerbyshireLive . 27 June 2023.
  5. Book: Biddle, Gordon. Britain's Historic Railway Buildings: A Gazetteer of Structures. Second. Ian Allan Publishing. Hersham, Surrey. 9780711034914. 8.
  6. The North Midland Railway Guide, (1842) Republished 1973, Leeds: Turntable Enterprises
  7. Radford, B., (1988) Midland Through the Peak Unicorn Books
  8. Web site: South Wingfield Station Building, Holm Lane, South Wingfield - Amber Valley. Historic England . 7 February 2019.
  9. Heritage at Risk 2018 - East Midlands . 3. Historic England . 7 February 2019.
  10. News: Bisknell. Eddie. AMBER VALLEY: Borough seizes historic station. 19 May 2018. Derbyshire Times. 18 May 2018. en.
  11. News: Wingfield Station Rescued . 29 December 2019 . Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust . 22 November 2019.
  12. Web site: Hawley . Zena . Wingfield Station: Restoration of one of world's oldest country railway stations is on track . Derbyshire Live . Reach plc . 18 July 2022.
  13. https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/gallery/wingfield-station-worlds-oldest-rural-8863168 Wingfield Station: World's oldest rural station reopened back to how it looked in 1840