Rare water tower visitor centre wins award

A heritage railway line which was made famous by the Railway Children film has won a national award for its visitor centre.

The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway (KWVR) received the Volunteers' Award at the National Railway Heritage Awards ceremony on Wednesday.

It was praised for the work done to transform the ground floor of the water tower, which still supplies water to steam locomotives at Keighley Station, into a modern visitor centre in 2024.

It was a double celebration as Network Rail was given the Urban Heritage award for its £9.9m restoration of Keighley Station.

Noel Hartley, the railway's business and operations manager, said it was a "nice accolade to have".

"We are really pleased. It was certainly a long haul to get that building over the line and get it fixed up so it was lovely for our visitors to enjoy."

He said it had been a real "team effort" to develop.

"The building is a water tank house and it was what was used to deliver water from the tank on the top by gravity down into steam locomotives," Mr Hartley said.

It was originally constructed by the Midland Railway in 1883 and its 30-gallon tank on top still functions and supplies water to the locomotive using the heritage line.

"It's a big stone building with this tank on top," Mr Hartley said.

"We've interpreted that to show people the story of how steam locomotives were watered and how that technology was used for decades to power those locomotives up and down the country."

Network Rail was praised by the judges for maintaining Keighley Station's Grade II listed heritage while modernising the facilities.

The project, completed in the Spring, included the complete refurbishment of most of the station, renewal of timber in the ramps and roofs, structural strengthening work, and masonry and drainage repairs.

The station, which serves main line operator Northern and the KWVR, remained open throughout.

Jonny Ham, Network Rail lead portfolio manager, said they were "very proud of the project" and pleased to see it recognised.

"We've maintained the station's 19th Century heritage while making sure it's equipped to serve passengers for decades to come, and to be recognised by the judges in this way is excellent for everyone involved."

Judges for the National Railway Heritage Awards previously described the Water Tower Centre as a "highly commendable scheme" which had brought public access to a previously inaccessible structure.

Matthew Stroh, chairman of the Keighley & Worth Valley Preservation Society, said it was a "great honour" to be recognised.

"To get such an accolade against such stiff competition is testimony to the dedication, commitment and vision of our 800-strong team of volunteers. They've done the railway proud."

The centre is accessed directly from Platform Four and features exhibits detailing the history of the five-mile (8km) Worth Valley line from Keighley to Oxenhope.

The development was funded by £100,000 from the Keighley Towns Fund, with an additional £42,000 from The Railway Heritage Trust.

Mr Hartley said KWVR was not one of the "biggest" heritage railways but they had a "really committed team".

"Lots of people have that nostalgia about the railways and we see people still visiting us today with that nostalgia.

"Either when they remember steam trains running or remember visiting heritage railways as children and want to come back with their own."

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