'Urgent' bid to save derelict Derbyshire building which was among world's first railway stations

Historic England has awarded £263,000 towards the repair of Wingfield Station, built in 1839-40, on the Midland Main Line between Ambergate and Clay Cross.

The old station building, which has been in private hands and considered ‘at risk’ for many years, was awarded Grade II* listed status in recognition of its national significance in 2015.

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Only eight per cent of all listed buildings are designated Grade II* or Grade I.

Amber Valley Borough Council had to use its legal powers to complete a compulsory purchase and begin repair work on the building last year.

Historic England also encouraged the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust (DBHT) to develop a conversion project and secure finance in order to take on the building and convert it into offices.

Dr Ben Robinson, partnerships leader at Historic England, said: “We can’t afford to lose a building of Wingfield Station’s historical importance.

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“Amber Valley Borough Council showed real leadership in exercising its legal powers to compulsory purchase the former station, and Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust has pulled out all the stops to create an exciting and viable plan for the building’s future.

“The National Lottery is supporting this project, but work is desperately needed now and it will be some time before further Lottery funding can be obtained. So Historic England has provided this grant to make sure that the most urgent repairs are undertaken as soon as feasible and the building is saved.”

Lucy Godfrey, project co-ordinator for DHBT, thanked Heritage England for its ‘amazing’ offer of support.

She added: “Whilst DHBT had recently secured a provision for urgent repairs from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, once we had possession and were able to reassess, the scope and cost of this work far exceeded the budget.

“We can now address risk sooner by preventing further loss of and damage to this significant building. This will bring us much closer to being able to secure a long-term sustainable future for Wingfield Station without damaging its historical and architectural significance in the process.”

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