Great Western Coffee Shop

From http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23451290

Whilst I think it's a good idea in principle, it is quite difficult to put into practice.

Signal boxes by their nature are on railway premises so limited access in some cases. They are basically either single story huts or 1 up on 1 down structures and are often quite small so alternative users are diffcult find. Therefore, they sit and decay whilst incurring  continuing maintenance charges.

Maybe, as most wooden boxes are kit built they should be moved to various heritage railways complete with lever frame and instruments.

I'm sure English Heritage would consider any request like this sympathetically.

The listing just preserves them, and requires NR to do so maintenance wise. Might even convince them to find them homes rather than simply demolish them....

I travelled through Dawlish yesterday and there is just a large nothingness where until recently there was a pretty signalbox swathed in bubblewrap. Still, I suppose in a few months we'll forget that it was ever there.

Sad ... there's another thread on this at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=12467.0

Further details of new listings at

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/news/englands-railway-signalling-heritage-recognised/

These are the boxes:

Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire
Hensall, North Yorkshire

Bournemouth West Junction, Dorset
Lostwithiel, Cornwall
Marsh Brook, Shropshire
Par, Cornwall
Totnes, Devon

Brundall, Norfolk
Bury St Edmunds Yard, Suffolk
Downham Market, Norfolk
Skegness, Lincolnshire
Thetford, Norfolk
Wainfleet, Lincolnshire
Wymondham South Junction, Norfolk

Aylesford, Kent
Canterbury East, Kent
Cuxton, Kent
Eastbourne, East Sussex
Grain Crossing, Kent
Littlehampton, West Sussex
Liverpool Street, City of London
Maidstone West, Kent
Rye, East Sussex
Shepherdswell, Kent
Snodland,  Kent
Wateringbury, Kent

I guess I find the passing of Dawlish signalbox sadder than most, simply because I love the area so much. It's certainly where you will find me ambling along the sea wall should I make it as far as retirement, and it's a shame that it wont be a feature of my future wanderings.

Of course, the sea wall, railway and Dawlish itself should still all be there to act as my waiting room for the great CoffeeShop in the sky, but one can never know for sure...

Liverpool Street, do they mean the box tucked away in the dark under the East Wall just at the end of the platforms. I didn't think it had any archtectural merit.

The current IECC is an anonmous office block from which you can't even see a train.

I read somewhere at the time:

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/news/englands-railway-signalling-heritage-recognised/

...that the Liverpool St box they've listed belongs to London Underground?

Presumably that will be on the Met/Circle platforms somewhere?

...Dug around for a few minutes and found it pictured on page 42 of this:

http://services.english-heritage.org.uk/ResearchReportsPdfs/028-2012WEB.pdf

Paul

What an interesting document the second one is, Paul.  Thanks for posting that.

Hate to say it, but being listed no doubt will mean should the railway want them demolished, they'll be left to run down beyond repair or they'll magically combust, with nobody ever found guilty of it.

I had a somewhat different concern ... as of about a year ago, there were said to be some 500 signal boxes - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19435464 - of which some such as Dawlish were already listed.   WIth adding another 26 to the listings (making how many?), does that signal permission for hundreds of others to be demolished with the signal being given to the planning process that it's OK to sweep them away?    Is there a "tit for tat" deal here between English Heritage - "keep these 26 and we'll let you get rid of others".    I'm not saying that every box should be preserved for posterity

If I understand your point correctly, I don't think there is any 'planning process' involved in demolishing an unlisted signal box.  Their removal would be a permitted development under the original Act setting up the railway - it would come under normal maintenance activities.

Paul

Unless a building is listed or in a conservation area I do not believe any planning permission is required to demolish - only to build something else.

correct. That of course is a Conservation Area.

Sorry my brain does not work on Sundays - I have amended it now

I know that feeling!!

For example

http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2013/08/01/historic-wem-signal-box-will-be-demolished/

Sadly that must be the case - a building without a use can't last, and the majority of signalboxes can't be re-used.

I don't imagine the listed ones are necessarily safe either; for example Severn Bridge Junction signalbox is listed but has no access - so how can it survive?

Find a way to access it? The signallers must have some way of getting to it. More of a problem would be finding a use for it.

Route for signalmen probably involves track access making other uses even more problematic.

A box like Severn Bridge deserves preserving complete with frame, interlocking, instruments etc. somewhere else (Bids?). It would need quite a big site.

It would be possble to interface it with a computer to simulate how it worked. 

Sorry if I wasn't clear: By 'access' I meant 'public access'.