THE restoration of a once derelict Victorian station building has been completed in a project led by the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust (DHBT).
Situated between Derby and Chesterfield, SouthWingfield was opened in 1840 by the North Midland Railway, before eventually being renamed to just Wingfield by the Midland Railway in May 1862. Designed by Francis Thompson, the building is said to be one of the world’s oldest rural stations and is the only survivor of 13 designed by Thompson for the North Midland and built between Belper and Eckington.
Thompson was also responsible for a number of buildings around Derby station, including the roundhouse, several streets of terraced houses for railway workers, the Brunswick Inn public house and the Midland Hotel, which give the area a particular character.
Wingfield station was a casualty of the Beeching report, closing to passengers on January 2, 1967, with the building falling into disrepair under a private owner. Aware of its status, the South Wingfield Local History Group, campaigned for the building to be upgraded to Grade II*, which was achieved in 2015.
In 2016, a DHBT report identified 12 of the most‘at risk’ buildings in the county, which included Wingfield station. This resulted in Amber Valley Borough Council inviting the DHBT to work with it to secure a compulsory purchase order for the station. This was achieved
