I always like a mash-up of railway and music heritage.

It was good to meet TfW & Network Rail Wales route yesterday to discuss planned enhancements to Wrexham General. The station needs better facilities as the city grows, & the site’s heritage is part of that, helping to welcome people and be a catalyst for wider economic growth.

Cover to 1977 "Save Britain's Heritage" exhibition on railway architecture along with 2 press clippings; Hanwell station seen in a TSSA journal, & then under threat in 1975, is Listed & recently been restored. The London Evening Standard, contrasts Forest Hill station. @railwayheritage.bsky.social

We recently awarded a grant to the St Albans South Signal Box Museum to help them re-paint the listed building. That work is now completed and the box is open on the Heritage Open Days of 12 & 13 September 1000-1700. Do visit - they have a first class collection of exhibits.

Records created on https://stationheritageartefacts.org.uk/ for artefacts at five more stations, with one updated, thanks to three contributors. Featured image: @railwayheritage.bsky.social's submission of Bentham's fabulously unusual (and listed) set of Midland Railway boundary markers. Also...

Latest stations added to site

Ardgay (submitted by David Thompson) Bentham (submitted by Railway Heritage Trust) Burton on Trent (submitted by Hazel Nicholson) Lichfield City (submitted by Hazel Nicholson) Nuneaton (updated) (submitted by Hazel Nicholson) Old Hill (submitted by Hazel Nicholson) Thank you very much to the contributors mentioned above! If you're inspired to take part yourself, check out the "Join In" page. To keep up to date with new stations and artefacts added to the website, subscribe below:

stationheritageartefacts.org.uk

Progress continues with the rebuilding of the NER footbridge from Garforth, nr Leeds, to the Bredgar & Wormhill Light Railway in Kent. The red oxide paint has arrived and the red cedar planking for the steps. Looking forward to seeing the whole project completed.

We visited Alresford Station in Essex today. Saved from demolition in 2019, locals want it to become a cafe & community space. They have already invested £66k & restored the windows and roof but now need a lease on sensible terms. We will give them a grant to support this.

I visited Blists Hill open air museum last week in Coalbrookdale now managed by the National Trust - here is the amazing Hay Inclined Plane which is part of the museum - seeing this operating must have been quite a spectacle. It was operated by only four men.

To Castle Cary today to see the completed restoration by GWR and supported with a £275k grant from the RHT. The level of transformation can't be underestimated & the attention to detail is exemplary. Together with the next door Creamery, it's a destination station.

We are happy to be supporting the K&ESR ‘Ready for Robertsbridge’ plans through grants we have awarded to restore Tovil footbridge at Northiam. railuk.com/heritage/ken...

Kent & East Sussex Railway makes headway with ‘Ready for Robertsbridge’ plans - Rail UK

Kent & East Sussex Railway makes headway with ‘Ready for Robertsbridge’ plans - Heritage

railuk.com

The @railwayheritage.bsky.social have been very supportive and our Signal Box wouldn't be brought to life without that support. Opening in the autumn. #todmorden #hebdenbridge @todmordentweets.bsky.social #choochoo #signalbox

The Railway Heritage Trust@railwayheritage.bsky.social · 3mo ago

To Hebden Bridge this morning to discuss a possible project in the station building which we will support with a grant. Station looking lovely; also a chance to see work in progress to convert the signal box into a holiday let & heritage centre by @cvclt1.bsky.social

We are pleased to award a grant to the Friends of Goostrey Station to support their project to install toilet facilities in the historic 1891 LNWR platform building. This will make it easier for them to run community engagement events at the station which is now an art studio,

A great day in the Highlands at Glenfinnan after an NRHA plaque unveiling event, talking to the Friends of the WHL about their aspirations for Arisaig and with the Glenfinnan Station Team about quality issues and workmanship relating to recent work done at the station.

We recently awarded Network Rail a grant to restore and repaint the facade shield on Grade II listed Lancaster Station. The coat of arms contains elements associated with the city and 'Luck to Loynee' is the city motto, a traditional blessing associated with the River Lune.

To Hebden Bridge this morning to discuss a possible project in the station building which we will support with a grant. Station looking lovely; also a chance to see work in progress to convert the signal box into a holiday let & heritage centre by @cvclt1.bsky.social

We're pleased the Gordon & Union St entrances to Glasgow Central will re-open on 13 July. But we think the Argyle St entrance is best - it has this wonderful new tiled artwork for which we gave a grant - a reproduction of a Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh advert for Drooko umbrellas.

We held our Board Meeting today in Bury St Edmunds combining it with a closer look at some of the finest stations in the country. We’d love to see more effort to get them occupied and with a more sustainable future. There’s good work being done elsewhere in the route area but more needed here.

A great pleasure to speak about the work of the RHT at the AGM of the Betjeman Society in Great Malvern today, in the former station hotel, known as the Imperial, and currently Malvern St James school. The spirit of JB runs through all our work. Had to pop into the station too.

A visit to the GWS at Didcot Railway Centre today to discuss a grant for their Grade II engine shed restoration project. It’s a unique structure still owned by Network Rail and follows on from our support for their coal stage restoration.

One of the pleasures of my job is talking about our work supporting railway heritage projects. Last Friday I was in N London talking to some of the residents of a care home - what a lovely group of people they were too! It also gave me the chance to arrive at Gants Hill Station.

With my National Railway Heritage Award Trustee hat on, I helped unveil National Highways' NRHA award plaque for their restoration of Bonnington overrbridge near Lanark, built by the Caledonian Railway in 1863. The judges commented on the high quality of the restoration work especially the welding.

The RHT is proud to support #CommunityRailWeek this week. It celebrates amazing work happening across community rail, often involving the restoration and re-use of railway heritage. To find out more and get involved: communityrail.org.uk

The @railwayheritage.bsky.social are doing superb work to conserve the gorgeosity of so many railway buildings. This morning's delight is the magnificent mid-C19th waiting rooms at Worcester Shrub Hill.

Our friends at Oxford Preservation Trust are organising a drop-in event & guided walks on Wed 20 May to celebrate the 175th anniversary of one of Oxford's most remarkable pieces of Victorian engineering which we are proud to have supported in its restoration over a number of years.

Next time I'm in the area I shall pay a visit to Norwood Junction just to see this. It's a wonderful tribute to Holmes and Conan Doyle.

The game is afoot, Watson! It’s the Case of the Norwood Builder, where Arriva Rail London and TFL have reinstated a facade similar to the historic original, but in GRP, at Norwood Junction. We gave a grant and we were pleased to visit today & see it finished. Moriarty was nowhere to be seen.

Pleased to attend the celebration of the completion of work at Beeston nr Nottingham with EMR MD Will Rogers, Network Rail EM Route Director Mark Budden & local MP Juliet Campbell plus the brilliant Friends of the Station. We gave 2 grants to support the recent work.

Always a pleasure to visit Edge Hill cutting with @lmrailway.bsky.social, Liverpool City Council & @networkrail.bsky.social to discuss de-vegetation - I learn something new every time, & notice something different - today it was a date carving from 1846. A very special & surprisingly tranquil place.

The tide's turned at Heighington on the route of the former S&DR. The 1st visible restoration works by the Friends of the S&DR have started - stabilising & rebuilding 3 chimneys. One's completed, one still to do & one in progress. Got up close to see the work earlier today.

At an NRHA winner’s plaque unveiling yesterday at the former Ebberston Station, N Yorks. Carol & Mark Benson have (re)created a period NER country station as a holiday let. They also have 3 MkII coaches where you can stay - attention to detail is impeccable.