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Monday 13 Dec 2004

HELSBY SIGNAL BOX WINS HERITAGE AWARD

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Helsby signal box has won the Westinghouse signalling award at the prestigious National Railway Heritage Awards. After it fell into disrepair, Network Rail carried out a substantial refurbishment of the signal box during 2002, funded by a grant from the National Heritage Trust. Network Rail’s General Manager (Liverpool), Andrew Skidmore, said: “We are delighted to receive this award, it is deserved recognition for all the hard work and dedication our team put in to this long-term project. “We were keen that the refurbishment should be sympathetic to the history of the signal box, which dates back to 1900, as well as the adjacent station building, which is slightly older and Jacobean in style. It’s great that we have managed to achieve this.” The judges felt the work was well thought out and had been well executed, with the end refurbishment managing, in the main, to retain the character of the original structure. They also thought the structure blended in well with the adjacent historic station and waiting room. Although the signal box itself is not listed, because the station building is Grade II listed, and the structure is located within a conservation area, all work was carried out in accordance with listed building consent. New concrete bison beams were designed and installed after it was discovered that the main steel supports to both sections of the platform were badly eroded. The main front and rear walls had to be removed and re-built due to structural movement, and the existing roof was stripped and re-slated using Welsh Slate. The windows were manufactured in the style of the existing windows but double-glazing was installed. The toilet block and timber staircase were also renewed. The inside of the signal box has also been renovated, with all elevations being thermally insulated. And, for the comfort of the signallers who work in Helsby, the operating floor area has been carpeted and Venetian blinds have been fitted to all the windows, and new domestic facilities for cooking, washing and food storage have also been installed in the structure’s interior.