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Railway to ruin- or regeneration
A RARE Victorian ticket office in Northumberland is to be demolished against the wishes of local people and heritage campaigners. At a time when there is huge debate about the planned closure of ticket offices by National Rail, the former station building at Bedlington is to face an even worse fate by being demolished entirely, as part of huge works to reopen the train line between Newcastle and Ashington from 2024.
A ‘historic survivor from the days of steam’ according to the Victorian Society, which is campaigning against the decision by Northumberland County Council, the building is one of the few remaining on the defunct Blythe and Tyne Railway. The station has two elements; the south is to be demolished. Built between 1895 and 1905, it is described as a ‘single-storey red-brick building’ in a Victorian style that once housed the booking hall and waiting room, of which two ticket windows, fireplace, roof lantern and historic flooring survive.
More than 1,000 people have signed a petition calling for the derelict station to be refurbished and turned into a heritage centre and community hub at the station. However, the county council argued that the building would be too expensive to retain, with costs of between £375,000 and £575,000 required to stabilise it until work to rebuild the platform is completed. Keith Grimes, chair of East Bedlington Parish Council, said that the council and Network Rail
