Friday 4 Apr 2025
Victorian-era railway station water tower set for reprise as music group’s HQ
- Region & Route:
- Eastern
York’s oldest surviving railway structure is set to be restored by Network Rail as a brass band rehearsal space.
The Grade II-Listed water tower – with its 5,000-gallon tank on the roof – was built in 1839.
It supplied water to steam locos from the 1840s, starting in the period when York’s first main railway station was under construction.
It is now one of the oldest surviving railway water towers in the world – but has fallen into a state of disrepair in recent years.
Network Rail’s plans to restore the water tower – approved by City of York Council – will create a new base for the York Railway Institute Band and a second unit available to let.
The early Victorian-era building sits within the multi-million-pound York Station Frontage transformation project. This wider scheme requires the demolition of the band’s rehearsal space – just next door – and the provision of an alternative.
Mike Stancliffe, Network Rail principal development manager, said:
“This Queen Street site was historically associated with the development of the railways and is now a focus of educational, sporting and recreational activities associated with the York RI, so this site is well-suited to re-house the band practice room.
“The water tower is of considerable historical interest. It is currently in a poor condition but it’s a striking building and can still have a big future.
“Providing the band room here means they won’t have to move very far at all, while also preserving an important piece of York’s railway heritage.”
Chris Smith, trustee of the York Railway Institute charity, added:
“It’s an exciting project which we have been working on with Network Rail for several years.
“Hopefully we can agree terms for a new lease which will enable the scheme to proceed and breath life back into an important listed building. If we can finalise the lease, it will secure the long-term future of the three RI bands.”
Planning permission and listed building consent has been granted for the restoration work by City of York Council.
The next stages are for the full funding package to be compiled and a contractor to be chosen to carry out the work.
Click here to read more about the York Station Gateway project.
Notes to Editors
Internal and external elements of the water tower will be repaired like-for-like to conservation standards using materials to match the original as closely as possible.
This project will provide the brass band with a rehearsal space including wheelchair accessible toilet, kitchenette and an instrument store. The second unit will be “white boxed” to maximise the scope of potential tenants.
About York Station Gateway
In 2021 a planning application was approved to transform the front of York Railway Station. This will provide an improved transport interchange and public spaces around the station for people to enjoy. The full scheme, which is valued at over £25m, is funded by the West Yorkshire-Plus Transport Fund and the Leeds City Region Transforming Cities Fund.
This major scheme is being delivered in partnership by City of York Council, Network Rail, LNER and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
The ambitious project will completely transform the station frontage, providing an improved transport interchange, as well as revamping the public space around the station. The scheme aims to enable more people to walk, cycle and use public transport to access the station, as well as creating a more welcoming and inclusive environment around the front of the railway station for the public. The scheme will also create an improved setting for the City Walls and other heritage buildings in the area.
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