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Engine shed and station listed to mark Railway 200

News imageHistoric England Archive Havenstreet station building viewed from the opposite side of the pedestrian level crossing. The single-storey building has a pitched tile roof and brick walls with windows. The woodwork and sign is painted in traditional railway green and there is a cream picket fence separating the line from the footpath. A railway worker wearing a waistcoat, white shirt and red tie and a peaked cap leans on the fence as they look along the line.Historic England Archive
Havenstreet reopened in 1971 as part of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway

A railway engine shed and turntable in Dorset and a train station on the Isle of Wight are among seven sites that have been grade II listed to mark 200 years of the modern railway.

Havenstreet Railway Station closed in 1966 but was reopened in 1971 as part of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.

Swanage engine shed and turntable, and nearby Northbrook Road overbridge - both on the Swanage Railway in Dorset, have also been listed.

The designations by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport mark 200 years since the Stockton and Darlington Railway opened on 27 September 1825.

News imageHistoric England Archive Aerial view of a railway turntable with a black locomotive on itHistoric England Archive
The turntable is a rare example and is still in working order

Havenstreet Station, which is open to the public, was restored by the Isle of Wight Steam Railway and retains many original features including the lever frame, ticket counter, furniture and ticket window.

The steam locomotive engine shed at Swanage is a rare surviving example, built in 1885 when the rail network in England was being completed, and it continues to be used today.

The locomotive turntable pit is also a rare example on the British railway system since so few survive, and it is still in working order.

East of the turntable and engine shed, and built at the same time, is the Purbeck stone bridge carrying Northbrook Road over the railway.

News imageHistoric England Archive A woman in station uniform posing in front of the lever frame at Havenstreet station. Each side of her are five large levers controlling the railway points on the line. The room is painted green and cream and contains other historical features including an old oil lamp and a telephone.Historic England Archive
Many of the features at Havenstreet, including the lever frame, are original

Claudia Kenyatta and Emma Squire, job-share chief executive at Historic England, said: "The development of England's railway system was one of the greatest achievements of the Victorian era.

"Every newly listed station announced today is open to the public to visit, so the protection of these sites means that they will continue to be seen and enjoyed by visitors for generations to come."

The other listed railway sites are Woody Bay Station in Devon, Sheringham Station and Weybourne Station in Norfolk, and Cleveland Bay Proto-Railway Station in County Durham.

The listings were made on the recommendation of Historic England in recognition of their historical and architectural interest.

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