The LNER Encyclopedia

Some of you may be interested to hear that Whittingham Station on the NER Alnwick to Cornhill branch has recently been sold and a planning application has been made to Northumberland County Council for conversion of the station building and goods shed (unfortunately referred to as an engine shed) into housing.
The application can be viewed here:
http://publicaccess.northumberland.gov. ... 8PLQS0AB00

click on associated documents to view the details.

This is the last unrestored station on the line and is very unusual in that it is an island design, the only one on the branch and one of very few that the NER built. Despite losing its passenger service 80 years ago, closing completely 60 years ago and being unused since, it has survived virtually as it was the day the railway closed, the ornate cast iron conopy survives intact and many of the original interior fittings and fixtures are still in place.
I have mixed feelings about this; I have always harboured romantic (and unrealistic) dreams about seeing it restored with a few hundred yards of track and a replica D20 standing blowing off under the bridge, but I suppose this conversion will at least ensure that the future of the structure is assured.
If anybody wants to comment on the application, there a few days left to do it.
I have attached 3 pictures from the http://www.disused-stations website

Only just caught up with this. "Converting" the station would be a great shame in my opinion - it is such an amazingly atmospheric place as it is.

Whittingham station will be the subject of Channel 4’s “Restoration Man” next Thursday (14/1/16) at 9pm.
Having seen the fantastic photos here and at http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/w/wh ... ndex.shtml, I went to see this amazing remote place a couple of years ago. Incredibly, it had survived untouched for 80+ years after closure. I was too late. I was horrified to see the amateurish job that was being done to try to turn it into a house. I’ve no idea how it has progressed since then, so will be fascinated to see this programme, and hope that the result isn’t anything like as dreadful as it appeared when I visited. It is a real shame that it wasn’t a “listed building”. Still, I hope I’ll be pleasantly surprised. Has anyone seen it recently, so that I know whether to hide behind the sofa like I used to do when watching Dr.Who when I was 6 years old because it was too scary to see what happened.

"Has anyone seen it recently, so that I know whether to hide behind the sofa like I used to do when watching Dr.Who when I was 6 years old because it was too scary to see what happened."

Well- I would say to get the sofa ready- it doesn't look too good.
I glanced across when I crossed the bridge a couple of weeks ago and it looks like there is a lot of work still to do; no doubt the programme will reveal all.
A friend of mine was interviewed for the programme because she lived at the Station when she was young: she has the most marvellous memories of life in a small railway community in the 1940's. I don't know how much of a part she has in the programme, but she should have a programme to herself; she can talk for hours. Her father was Bob Selby who had worked on the railway all his life and she maintains that the closure of the railway hastened his death.

Despite the remote location of this station, the NER provided two ticket windows; just in case there was a rush for tickets One of the photographs appears to show plastic downpipes on the main building, hinting that there may have been an earlier attempt to do something with it

He has his work cut out all doors to the rooms are from the platforms , he can not knock holes in internel walls for doors, and any resteration needs grade 2 listing consent and aproval , it looked as though the chimneys had been but had to be rebuilt, but there is a lot of work to do as the planners wont let him take the re mainder of the awning down

Well, I did watch it, and did not (quite) need to hide behind the sofa. I'm sure other people can still find it on one of the repeat channels or on 4OD.

I don't like the presenter of this series, and his repeated reference to the Goods Shed as an 'Engine Shed' did not improve my opinion of him. Don't researchers bother to establish actual information these days?

The history of the line was presented after a fashion; that fashion being to play to current prejudices. The references to the Duke of Northumberland were unfair (according to my reading of Messrs Addyman and Mallon's 'Alnwick and Cornhill Railway').

Using the canopy on one side to provide a connection between the rooms in the form of a very long conservatory was clearly sensible, but the way it was done resulted in a rather graceless and bulky construction. The owner was doing most of the work himself, and his ingenuity and effort were remarkable. I would just have liked to have seen something lighter and perhaps more complementary to the original.

However, at least the building has been saved from further decay.

Next time I'm touring Northumberland it will be interesting to take a look. Perhaps the cameraman and producer were unfair!

Just found there is a 'double post' on this.
See ....here...

For further information see John Addyman and John Melon 'The Alnwick and Cornhill Railway' published by NERA ISBN 978 1 873513 65 1.

To correct information on the other post, the track on the Ilderton to Alnwick section was not lifted until 1954.

On page 21 of the above book is an interesting sketch from one of T.H. Harrison's notebooks, showing Whittingham Station as a very interesting junction layout, rather like an eye with the island platform in the middle, hence the island platform. I have considered that as a very interesting 'might have been' model.

We have bought and are renovating the goods ( engine ) shed. Would your friend be willing to chat to us we would be fascinated to hear any stories about the building? uote=60041 post_id=114049 time=1452301480 user_id=391]
"Has anyone seen it recently, so that I know whether to hide behind the sofa like I used to do when watching Dr.Who when I was 6 years old because it was too scary to see what happened."

Well- I would say to get the sofa ready- it doesn't look too good.
I glanced across when I crossed the bridge a couple of weeks ago and it looks like there is a lot of work still to do; no doubt the programme will reveal all.
A friend of mine was interviewed for the programme because she lived at the Station when she was young: she has the most marvellous memories of life in a small railway community in the 1940's. I don't know how much of a part she has in the programme, but she should have a programme to herself; she can talk for hours. Her father was Bob Selby who had worked on the railway all his life and she maintains that the closure of the railway hastened his death.
[/quote]

60041 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 09, 2016 2:04 am "Has anyone seen it recently, so that I know whether to hide behind the sofa like I used to do when watching Dr.Who when I was 6 years old because it was too scary to see what happened."

Well- I would say to get the sofa ready- it doesn't look too good.
I glanced across when I crossed the bridge a couple of weeks ago and it looks like there is a lot of work still to do; no doubt the programme will reveal all.
A friend of mine was interviewed for the programme because she lived at the Station when she was young: she has the most marvellous memories of life in a small railway community in the 1940's. I don't know how much of a part she has in the programme, but she should have a programme to herself; she can talk for hours. Her father was Bob Selby who had worked on the railway all his life and she maintains that the closure of the railway hastened his death.

amazing place, always stop there on way back from kirkcaldy, just mind blowing looking over that bridge parapet the first time not knowing what was below, it looked like it was 25 years since closure not 70 ish