BOURNEMOUTH CENTRAL RAILWAY STATION

On Saturday 20^th July 1985 Bournemouth Central Railway Station celebrated its centenary with a public gala featuring 120 exhibits. There were showman’s engines, traction engines and steam driven galloping horses, fairground engines, vintage cars and motorbikes. A special train from Waterloo brought dignitaries and 50 disadvantaged children from London to the gala and they then enjoyed a special lunch at the Pavilion. A commemorative first day cover was also produced. However within a year British Rail were seeking listed building consent to demolish the station as a precursor to replacing it with a new modern building.

Paul Munro-Walker, the Society’s Chairman, commented in the Echo on 15^th August 1986

“This is Bournemouth’s largest listed building, not counting the church. British Rail have not put in any indication of what will replace it but their track record – if I can put it like that – certainly isn’t very good. Weymouth’s Victorian station had just been replaced with a building that was a kind of Victorian pastiche, Poole’s resembled a set of Portacabins and the Southampton station redevelopment was a mess”.

By September the Echo reported:

Plans to demolish Bournemouth’s 100 year old railway station, which have the backing of town planning officer, Peter Challen, go before next Monday’s meeting of the Planning Committee. And with the plans, is a report which shows that the station, opened in 1885, has deteriorated to such an extent that it would cost nearly £1.25million to repair it. The steelwork is in a bad way and the brickwork has been seriously affected by damp and water penetration. British rail have also indicated that although the present application is purely to demolish the existing station, there would be, in the future, a joint application from them and Taylor Woodrow to redevelop the station site and adjoining 11 acres with a new station costing an estimated £2.75million, a transport interchange and possibly a superstore. Earlier this year Bournemouth Council threw out plans from Taylor Woodrow for a new transport interchange and superstore. Today a BR spokesman said that they had looked at ten different options for the station and the best one was demolition”.

Soon after it was reported:

“Bournemouth Station is ‘absolutely disgraceful’ as the prime entrance to the town, Cllr Robert Chapman told the Council’s Planning Committee last night. ‘The sooner the bulldozers get under it the happier I shall be.’ The 100 year old station was built for the age of steam said the Cllr. For people driving on Wessex Way it is ‘the heap on the left’. The committee agreed to tell the Environment Secretary that although the station is a listed building, consent should be given for its demolition. Committee Chairman Cllr. Dr. Gabriel Jaffe said the present building was a ‘decadent monument’. He added, ‘We want something interesting and attractive for the 21^st century’. The station found one defender in Cllr. Lionel Bennett. He said there must be some part of the building worth retaining. Planning Officer Mr. Peter Challen said experts believed it would cost over £1million to put the present building right. The committee should look for a complete redevelopment”.

By December it had been announced that a Public Inquiry would decide the fate of the station:

In April 1987 plans for the replacement station and an artist’s impression of the modern design were on show:

These plans were approved by the Planning Committee and shortly afterwards by full Council but would only proceed if the forthcoming Public Inquiry concluded that the existing Listed station could be demolished. The inquiry lasted three days in late June 1987 and the Society’s Chairman, Architectural Advisor and Secretary attended alongside other interested parties who presented their views.

It would be fair to say that the Society was the only local group in favour of the retention of the station and the renovation its facilities. So in the run up to the Inquiry and for the many years till the station’s eventual restoration the Society took the brunt of much criticism and the false characterisation of being backward looking and against all new development in town.

The Public Inquiry was extensively covered in The Echo:

23^rd June

“British Rail have ruled out any plans to renovate Bournemouth’s crumbling historic station if they fail in their demolition bid. A public inquiry into BR’s plans for a £3 million super station on the Holdenhurst Road site was told it would cost about £2 million just to repair the existing 100-year old listed building. And the Secretary for the Environment inspector, Mr Frank Cosgrove was told BR would not pay for the building to e returned to its former glory if they did not receive approval for the demolition plans. Mr. George Bartlett, QC for British Rail, told the inquiry plans for renovating had been considered but costs were too large on top of a repair bill of £1.84 million. ‘British Rail would be unable to increase revenue by a sufficient amount to cover renovation,” he said.”

24^th June

“The poor old lady that is Bournemouth Railway Station took what may be her final battering yesterday – branded mediocre, tatty and insignificant. What time and the elements had not knocked in the 100 year history of the listed building, was torn apart verbally before an, at times, shocked public inquiry to decide her fate. What is worse the blows were delivered by architectural experts called in by her owners, British Rail. Derided as ‘plain and undistinguished’ by an eminent historian, she went on to be scrap-heaped as no longer projecting the right image for BR in the South. The rail company – considerably younger than the old lady herself – are seeking permission from the Secretary of State of the Environment to sweep away the old dame and usher in a £3 m glass and steel super-station. And to prove to Government Inspector Mr. Frank Cosgrove their love affair with the home of the Bournemouth Belle is over, BR made sure there could be little sympathy for her crumbling remains.”

25^th June

“Friends of Bournemouth’s much abused old lady of the railways – the town’s 100-year old station – rallied to her defence yesterday. Following a verbal battering by her BR bosses – when the listed Victorian building was described as ‘mediocre and undistinguished’ – the crumbling lady had her day at the public inquiry into her fate. Far from being unworthy of her Grade 2 listed building status, Bournemouth Station warranted upgrading, Government Inspector Mr. Frank Cosgrove was told.

Mid November saw the publication of Mr. Cosgrove’s report and in it he ruled that that the Station should stay as it did have merit and that no compelling case had been made for its loss. It is fair to say that this positive outcome came as something of surprise to the town with The Echo of 16^th November recording:

“Jubilant conservationists were today celebrating the news that plans to demolish Bournemouth’s 100-year old railway station have been thrown out. The Environment Secretary has accepted the decision of his inspector that the listed building should remain. It means British Rail will be forced to abandon plans for a £3 m glass and steel super station planned for the Holdenhurst Road site. Bournemouth councillors will be forced to rethink plans for a multi-million pound Asda superstore and travel interchange adjoining the new station. In his report the Secretary of State said inspector Mr Frank Cosgrove had been impressed at last June’s three-day public meeting with the station’s unusual design and structure. He said insufficient justification had been put forward for the station to be demolished. But the inspector did give permission for a single-storey building on the south-west down side to be demolished. He added this would be sufficient for plans for the superstore and travel interchange to go ahead. Secretary of Bournemouth Civic Society Mr Kenneth Mantock told the Echo it was ‘marvellous news. It is breathtakingly wonderful. It shows we had right on our side. The way ahead now is for us to combine the old with the new to provide a showpiece attribute for the town. I am quite optimistic.’ He added. And Mr Brian Anthony of English Heritage, claimed the result as a ‘great victory for commonsense.’ ‘it was quite a fight but this win is certainly a feather in our caps,’ he added. Plans for the new station, superstore and travel interchange had been enthusiastically supported by BR, Bournemouth Council and other groups such as Bournemouth Chamber of Trade and the town’s Joint Committee for Tourism. But British Rail said the result meant Bournemouth was saddled with a station that was not suitable for modern travel needs. ‘We are obviously very disappointed at the result,’ commented BR spokesman Mr Jim Rowe. ‘It means we must take the inspector’s decision back to committee and see what the next moves are to be. He would not be drawn on comments made at the public inquiry in June that if they lost BR would not consider renovation of the existing structure.

At the time, it was said essential repair work alone would mean a bill of almost £2m. A spokesman for Bournemouth’s planning department said the decision was obviously a blow to councillors. ‘Councillors will now have to debate what is to be done with the site,’ said Mr Andrew Duckworth, deputy borough planning officer. ‘But architects have been aware their plans might need modifying if the decision went this way.’”

During the following months, for several years indeed, it became clear that British Rail had taken umbrage at the decision and so little was done to bring forward a renovation scheme. Plans for the adjacent Asda store and travel interchange were passed and over time were constructed on the former site of St Paul’s Church, St. Paul’s School and the Corporation’s East Yard. Despite the outcome of the public inquiry there remained calls in town, even from within the Council, for the station to be demolished and the Society regularly appeared in the local media calling on the Council and BR to accept the Inspector’s decision and work together for the restoration that was now the only real option for the station.

In April 1988 David Atkinson, Bournemouth East MP, met BR officials to discuss the future of the station and commented “It is vital that the character of the station should be restored and embellished to make it as an attractive an introduction to Bournemouth for our visitors as possible”. He soon after met members of the Civic Society and thus began what was to be a long partnership and campaign.This included many meetings in Bournemouth and at Westminster with BR, meetings with Councillors and interested groups, umpteen letters to the Echo by the MP and by Society members Paul Munro-Walker, Ken Mantock, Stewart Harrison and Martin Lovatt and the production in 1991 of the Society’s own “A case for restoration” report written by Stewart Harrison, Ian Jessopp, Sidney Kirk and Ken Mantock, Success eventually came to the railway station after twelve years of delays, false starts, setbacks and confusion, when the restored Victorian building was formally opened in August 2000.

Some highlights/lowlights from the intervening years follow:

11^th February 1989

“Plans for the restoration of Bournemouth Central Railway Station have won the support of Bournemouth and District Civic Society. The society opposed previous plans to demolish the listed building, saying relatively low cost improvements could be made which will transform the station. After losing the public inquiry, British Rail have now submitted a planning application to Bournemouth Council for work similar to that the society asked for. ‘Most people were very unhappy that a town the size of Bournemouth had a railway station which looked so shabby and neglected,’ said the society’s secretary Mr Kenneth Mantock. ‘I am sure that when the station is cleaned and painted with pointing and stucco restored and the whole building made lighter with glass ends, even people who wanted the old station demolished will be pleased. Bournemouth will have a railway station to be proud of.”

14^th February 1990

“Bournemouth’s Victorian railway station is a ‘pile of junk’ and should be knocked down, say the town’s hoteliers. Members of the Bournemouth Hotel and Restaurants Association (BHRA) are calling for Central Station, a grade two listed building, to be demolished. ‘It is a disgrace that Britain’s leading resort has to put up with such a monstrous eyesore as its main railway station,’ says John King, editor of the BHRA monthly magazine.”

“Plans to use poll tax payers’ money to refurbish Bournemouth station have sparked off a blazing row in the borough. Councillors yesterday refused to sanction plans to give British Rail a special £80,000 grant to help restore the roof of the 105 year old listed building. Liberal Democrat Cllr Mrs Margaret Hogarth told the planning committee meeting: ‘Its the one thing I wish the IRA would get hold of.’ But Tory Cllr George Knops said the cash should be spent to clean up what was now a ‘disgrace’ of a station and Chairman Cllr Dr Gabriel Jaffe said it would be a better investment than the £70,000 Boscombe centenary fountain.”

“A charge of ‘stupid irresponsibility’ has been levelled at Bournemouth councillors for refusing to help refurbish the town’s Victorian station. Bournemouth Civic Society has condemned councillors for voting not to give British Rail an £80,000 grant to restore the listed building to its original condition. Councillors at a planning committee meeting opposed the plan, saying poll-tax payers’ money should not be used that way. Cllr Jim Courtney said the council never wanted the station to become ‘listed’ and blamed the Civic Society for campaigning for it

3^rd October 1991

“Recession hit Network South East has been forced to shelve plans to renovate Bournemouth’s 100 year old Central Station. The grade two listed station has been described by rail officials as one of the worst on the network. Network South East public relations officer Richard Burningham said: ‘we wanted to demolish and rebuild Bournemouth if it was delisted, as it is not projecting the right image. The station was our last planned major refurbishment, but we have no spare money to start work. Until the economy recovers and our revenue increases, money will have to be used to safeguard rail services. In the meanwhile we are working with Bournemouth and Dorset councils to upgrade facilities. A televised information system has been installed at the station and we are sharing the cost of around £70,000.”

14th October 1991

Moves to get Bournemouth’s run-down Victorian central station demolished may be set to collapse. Borough councillors in July voted to urge the government to withdrawn the building's listed status after British rail officially admitted it was one of the worst stations in the country. But the council’s chief planning officer is today due to tell the borough he can find no new arguments to back the campaign. ‘I can present no new evidence to support an application to de-list Bournemouth railway station,’ says planning officer Inglis Thomson in a report to the tourism advisory board. Mr Thomson told the Echo that meant the Department of the Environment was highly unlikely to accept a demolition request. Four years ago British Rail went before a public inquiry to get the station de-listed, as part of their plans to develop a completely new terminus for the town. And Mr Thomson says BR then argued the station was ‘a plain and undistinguished building possessing no special architectural or historic interest.’ But the inquiry inspector rejected this, concluding that with some renovation, ‘Bournemouth could have a very handsome Victorian station once again.’ BR has since said restoring the building would cost £1.5 million more than demolition and replacement and that there is no possibility in the short term of BR funding such a refurbishment.”

9^th November 1991

“The bid to bulldoze Bournemouth’s Victorian Central railway station is winning public backing claims the borough. Councillors are currently trying to get the station demolished amid claims that the structure, although it is a listed building, is an eyesore. And now the borough claims public opinion is right behind the move. Articles in the Echo and the council’s own magazine, the Journal, invited views about the state of the Victorian building,’ says a borough spokeswoman. ‘More than 100 letters from the public was the result and more than 75 percent were in favour of de-listing the station and demolishing it,’ says the spokeswoman. The borough is now gathering evidence to try and persuade the DoE to de-list the station.”

13^th November 1991

“The campaign launched by Bournemouth Council to bring about the demolition of the Victorian Central station is ‘sheer vandalism’ claims MP David Atkinson. The Bournemouth East MP has also dismissed a borough survey allegedly showing public opinion backs demolition, claiming it is unrepresentative. ‘It would be sheer, utter vandalism on the part of Bournemouth Council to destroy this important part of the town’s heritage,’ said Mr Atkinson. But leading Liberal Democrat councillor Keith Rawlings said: ‘How can we be accused of vandalism when we want to enhance the entry to Bournemouth for all our rail passengers?’ David Atkinson is due to meet British Rail officials in London on Monday to call for the restoration of the station, built in 1885 and given listed building protection. And he claims BR will begin restoration in two years’ time. But Bournemouth Council is currently pressing for demolition of the structure, claiming it is a disgrace to the town. Last week, the borough claimed it had received more than 75 letters from the public backing the move.

But David Atkinson said Transport Minister Roger Freeman had told him BR would start restoration in 1993-94.Mr Atkinson said he could not believe residents really ‘want to see our historic station demolished if restoration to its original design is to commence in two years’ time.’ Cllr Rawlings said the borough would ‘clap its hands’ if full restoration was in the offing but that did not seem to be the case.”

16^th May 1992

11^th September 1992

“Plans to restore Bournemouth’s run down railway station could get underway in the next 12 months. And proposals to privatise the Weymouth-Waterloo line could be a major boost to the ambitious project, civic campaigners believe. BR has unveiled its £7.5 million bid to transform the Victorian building from one of the worst in the country to a modern passenger terminal. Bournemouth East MP David Atkinson, who has been pressing for the major revamp, has contacted British rail chairman Sir Bob Reid.

22^nd March 1993

18^th April 1993

“Bournemouth’s run-down central station may be on track for its long awaited £7.5 million facelift. Councillors have begun to rethink their policy of demanding the Victorian building be demolished and to support moves to refurbish the existing structure. And campaigners hope the decision, which is still to be confirmed, will mean ‘new life for old bricks’ at the station.

Stewart Harrison, Chairman of Bournemouth Civic Society, said: ‘This raises our hopes. In the past the problem has been that people were pulling in different directions and fighting each other. Now everyone appears to be speaking with one voice and we can bring pressure on British Rail, English Heritage and the government.”

12^th November 1993

“A long awaited project of restoration for Bournemouth’s run down Central Station looks likely to begin next year. First to be tackled would be a part of the roof at a cost of £750,000 – with a new glass cover and a lick of paint for the iron girders. Cllr Dennis Gritt said: ‘We have been waiting years for this. The people of Bournemouth want to see something done at this site,’ he said. Cllr Gritt was a member of a borough delegation which met with representatives of BR, the Railway Heritage Trust and English Heritage to discuss the subject. The majority of funding for the initial stage of the £7 million restoration project would come from Railtrack – the public sector organisation which will own and manage the railway infrastructure. ‘I am optimistic that we will start next year,’ said Jim Morgan, zonal director for Railtrack South West. The roof is the really ugly bit and what we need the scaffolding for at present,’ he said adding that Bournemouth was the worst station he knew.

The Railway Heritage Trust had pledged £100,000 toward the roof scheme for the grade two listed Victorian station, he said. And Mr Morgan wanted to see £50,000 each from Bournemouth Borough and Dorset County Councils. ‘Railtrack has not got its budget worked out for the next year yet but I’m hopeful that we could come up with the rest,’ he said. The total cost of restoring the roof would be £2.5 million. A further third of the structure would probably be tackled in 1995 with the final section being completed in 1996.”

26^th July 1994

“A multi-million pound plan to revamp Bournemouth’s aged railway station could be put on ice because of current rail strikes. Investment plans put at £7 million may be hit by Railtrack’s £6 million national loss for every strike day. In March Railtrack South Wset said the facelift was ’a top priority’. But news that the strikes could delay the long-awaited renovation has angered civic campaigners. Bournemouth Civic Society secretary Ken Mantock said; ‘We’ve had so many excuses for delays in the past, enough is enough. I don’t see why Bournemouth should suffer as a result of this latest hiccup of their own making.’”

28^th November 1994

“The Transport Secretary, Brian Mahwhinney, is backing the campaign to renovate the ‘biggest eyesore’ in Bournemouth. Dr Mahwhinney is urging Railtrack bosses to speed up the £6m-£7m repairs to Bournemouth Central Station. The move follows a Commons question by Bournemouth East MP David Atkinson in the wake of the Government’s announcement that it is to press ahead with the privatisation of Railtrack. Peter Gregory, from Bournemouth Private Hotel and Guest House Association, said; ‘Tourists will think Bournemouth is a dirty, run-down, vandalised resort.’

Mr Atkinson said Bournemouth Station had ‘long been covered in scaffolding. It needed multi-million pound restoration work that has not been forthcoming under British Rail,’ he told Dr Mahwhinney. Bournemouth and District Civic Society has tentatively welcomed Dr Mahwhinney’s interventions. Society secretary Kenneth Mantock said: ‘I would hope that this might kickstart Railtrack into some action.’ But he added: ‘We’ve been campaigning for six years. Nothing is going to happen until Railtrack faces up to its responsibilities.”

13^th April 1995

“The south’s worst railway station has finally been promised long-awaited repairs. Work on Bournemouth Central Station is due to start this autumn. Owner Railtrack has pledged a major U-turn following the intervention by Transport Secretary Dr Brian Mahwhinney last November. Railtrack has vowed to repair the leaking roof and crumbling brickwork – just months after refusing to spend £7 million on refurbishments unless the cost could be recouped from increased passenger throughput. A Railtrack property spokesman said:’ we intend to restore the building to its full character. Railtrack took ownership of Bournemouth last April. Since then we have commissioned a full structural survey.’ Exact details of the repairs necessary on the Grade Two listed building will depend on the consultant’s final report.

A full statement is expected next month. It will follow a meeting between Railtrack, service operators South West Trains and Bournemouth East MP David Atkinson, who has backed the restoration campaign. The meeting will take place on May 9 at the House of Commons. Mr Atkinson said: ‘A lot has happened since January but I don’t want to comment until I am in a position to do so. Hopefully I should be able to do so after the meeting on May 9. I hope that this year we will see something happen.’ But Bournemouth Civic Society spokesman Ken Mantock said: ‘The proof of the pudding is when we see glazing repaired and brickwork repointed. We have heard so many times that something is going to happen and it never does. This spiral of depression and inaction has got to be broken.’”

13th June 1995

“Bournemouth Station, dubbed the town’s ‘biggest eyesore’ is finally to get its long awaited facelift. The announcement that work on the Holdenhurst Road building is set to start this year comes after a meeting between Railtrack and Bournemouth East MP David Atkinson, And it has been greeted with jubilation by members of the Bournemouth & District Civic Society who have waged a long battle to get work started. ‘this news is beyond our dreams – we has become very frustrated about the whole issue,’ said chairman Stewart Harrison. But MP David Atkinson is now expected to announce a definite date for the work to start during a meeting at the House of Commons on July 19. He is also writing to the Chancellor Kenneth Clarke, urging that Bournemouth be put ‘top of the list’ for help with funding part of the work.

The programme of work includes: Phase one - £200,000 of work on the up line and town facing elevations. Due to start this year. Phase two - a £2 million scheme to put on a new roof. Expected to start next year. Phase Three – Modernisation of facilities for passengers and staff and possible on site development. Funding for the massive facelift is still being explored but is expected to come from various sources including Railtrack, the railway Heritage Trust and central government.”

17^th October 1995

“At last – after years of neglect, work has finally started to give Bournemouth Central Station a desperately needed face-lift. The first phase of a three stage programme is underway to restore the former Victorian glory to the railway station that was voted the south’s worst by viewers in a local TV poll. Long time campaigner David Atkinson MP welcomed the work, which will cost millions of pounds. He said: ‘All those in the business of attracting visitors to Bournemouth will welcome the prospect, at least, of an attractive efficient and weatherproofed welcome which the restored station will provide.’ Phase one of the work to the 1885 grade two listed building will cost approximately £360,000- funded by its owner Railtrack and the Railway Heritage Trust. This will restore the brick facades on both sides of the station, of which two brick piers have already been completed. The second phase provides a new ridged roof and the third will depend on the requirements of the operator, currently South West Trains, but will improve facilities for the public.

26^th October 1996

“Plans to restore the station dubbed the worst in the South have again hit the buffers – victim of a £2million funding crisis and a growing row about who has agreed to do what. Campaigners hoped for an end to the saga when Bournemouth east MP David Atkinson last year emerged from talks with the rail companies and announced plans to replace the former glass roof. Now owner Railtrack says it never agreed to do anything of the sort – only to look at options for the crumbling Victorian edifice. And they could involve changes to the structure or even demolishing the Grade Two listed building. Angry Mr Atkinson warned he would ‘erupt’ if the privatised firm tried to backtrack. Railtrack spokesman Steve Tyler said: ‘Mr Atkinson is an MP who would like to see certain things done but we certainly didn’t make that commitment. We have never made specific commitments in terms of the scope of work.’

14^th February 1997

“Transport Secretary Sir George Young is to visit Bournemouth railway station in a bid to put restoration work back on track. Details of his trip next Friday follow a row between Bournemouth East MP David Atkinson and Council Leader Douglas Eyre about the proposed refurbishments.”

12^th March 1998

“Crumbling Bournemouth Station could be demolished and built again from scratch, The Daily Echo can reveal, because it is not worth restoring. That is the view of owners Railtrack, who have admitted in a letter that they are considering knocking down the historic building – despite having already spent over £450,000 on partial restoration works. A feasibility study into improvement work at the Victorian station – which has been dubbed the worst in the South – has shown that a large part of the £2 million set aside for the works will have to be spent on the roof, leaving little else for the rest of the building. Cllr Kenneth Mantock, one of the leading campaigners for restoring the station, has urged the Department of Transport to investigate Railtrack’s handling of the whole affair. ‘Can we really believe having spent money on restoring the station, Railtrack seriously now suggest pulling it down?’ Stewart Harrison, joint chairman of Bournemouth Civic Society who have campaigned for the station’s restoration, described Railtrack’s attitude as ‘a disgrace’. ‘This is a further setback and further disappointment, with the procrastination that has been going on for years continuing. The trouble is that the station has been neglected by those with the responsibility for restoring it and they should be shown up publicly for doing so.”

17^th March 1998

“The prospects of Bournemouth railway station being demolished and rebuilt from scratch by Railtrack are ‘absolutely minimal’ according to council development bosses. And to allay fears that the Victorian building is to be knocked down, a timetable for completion of the renovation project reveals that the station revamp could be finished by the year 2000 at a cost of £7 million.

At a meeting this morning members were due to hear that if Railtrack decided to knock the station down, they would need to delist the historic building and this would be almost impossible. And the new report from development services chief Peter Challen urges civic chiefs to back the redevelopment project. Mr Challen says: ‘In recent years the priority given to refurbishing the station has undoubtedly been prejudiced by calls for its demolition, particularly by members of this council. Members should recognise that the prospects for delisting the building or seeking its demolition and redevelopment are absolutely minimal and that therefore full support should now be given to encouraging the refurbishment programme.’ To delist the station an application would have to be made to the Secretary of State for the Environment, John Prescott, proving the original listing was in error. ”

19^th August 1998

“At last! Bournemouth is to get a railway station to be proud of with the announcement today that a £6.7 million refit begins early next year. The news will delight those who have campaigned to save the station from the bulldozers. And it will also end the line for the decades of misery endured by the thousands of passengers who have tolerated its dreary scaffolding and leaking roofs. In its time, the station has been dubbed an ugly monstrosity and one of the worst in Britain. The cash for the multi-million pound refurbishment has been stumped up by Railtrack.

Among the planned work is the restoration of the canopies over platforms and entrances, new platform lighting, the restoration of brickwork and a new roof. Deputy leader of Bournemouth Council Adrian Fudge said: ‘Obviously we welcome that Railtrack has come up with the money. We have had so many false dawns before where we have been promised that the station will be refurbished but when it comes to hard cash it has not been forthcoming. Let us hope this is different. Its so important. The station is an utter disgrace which over the years has received a total lack of investment. While the town has been winning awards it has been stuck with this monstrosity.’ Among those who have been calling for the station to be saved from the scrap heap was the Bournemouth Civic Society. Society Deputy Chairman David Crawford: ‘I am delighted that finally something is being done. I am just waiting so that we can take the cheque to the bank and get it cashed. The station is a gateway into Bournemouth – that is why it is so important.’”

28^th January 1999

“A multi-million pound refurbishment for Bournemouth railway station has finally started – signalling the end of the line for its reputation as a disgrace to the town. The project will eventually mean the disappearance of the scaffolding which has blighted the station since the storms of 1987. Michael Holden, director of Railtrack Southern, said: ‘The work here will hopefully bring to an end the station’s notoriety as an eyesore.’ The station’s poor state of repair has been widely condemned and a national newspaper once ranked it as one of the worst in Britain. ”

27^th January 2000

“After decades of neglect Bournemouth station has been restored to the glory of its proud Victorian heritage. For the first time in 13 years, the scaffolding that has supported the 19^th century building for so long is finally coming down. For the past 18 months contractors have worked 24 hours a day to recreate the iron and glass work that impressed travellers more than 100 years ago. Now the corrugated iron patches have gone and the station has been declared the ‘jewel in the crown’ of Britain’s railway system. Now, after a £6.7 m investment, the station has been transformed, said Railtrack’s Patrick Herridge. ‘Bournemouth is the jewel in Railtrack’s crown.’ He added ‘We believe the town as a whole will be enhanced.’ Under the watchful eye of English Heritage, contractors Kier Rail have strengthened the 115 year old ironwork, replaced 4,000 glass panes and cleaned the steam-blackened bricks. Senior site manager Richard Thorington said: ‘You couldn’t see the bricks because they were covered in soot, acids and general grime.’ He added: ‘The biggest problem we had was that it was a through station and trains had to be kept running at all times.”

5^th August 2000

“Two years ago Bournemouth railway station was so crumbling and decrepit that Her Majesty’s train sailed right through on a royal tour of the area. Yesterday the 19^th century station looked more fit for a queen after being restored to its former glory wit ha £7 million facelift. Lucky that one arrived then – an uncanny Queen Victoria look-a-like alighted at platform two to be greeted by the Mayor of Bournemouth, Cllr Ben Grower.

He later unveiled a plaque marking the official re-opening of a station that many once condemned as an aging eyesore. The final result of Railtrack’s massive project was greeted with delight by Sir William McAlpine, chairman of the Railway Heritage Trust, who campaigned for the grade two listed building to be saved. He said ‘congratulations should go to all involved in delivering this excellent restoration work to a building that just ten years ago was in danger of being lost forever.’