Photos Grade II Listed Victorian Railway Goods Shed Wellingborough Station

  
Railway Station Goods Building

Wellingborough Station Victorian Goods Shed on Platform 1
Photo: Charles Moorhen

Time Capsule at Wellingborough Railway Station

Amid the stark modernity that is becoming more glaringly obvious on Britain's railway stations today, it is somewhat heart-warming to see that not everything has completely vanished from an age that has past into history. And the former UK goods shed adjacent to platform 1 at Wellingborough station, on the former Midland Railway, is one such example.

Although in a small way it has been a target for vandals, the evidence for this in two broken lattice windows, the overall structure is in remarkably good condition for a Victorian station building.

 

Wellingborough Station Goods Shed Platform 1

Photo: Charles Moorhen

 

But, what is even more remarkable is that the interior, (unfortunately blocked from public access), far from being stripped or damaged, looks much as it did during its working life.  

The solid wooden-planked unloading platform is still in place, as are the two original hand-operated loading cranes, once used for unloading the open wagons that were commonplace for decades.

 

Wellingborough Goods Shed Interior Showing Wooden Platform and Two Lifting Cranes

Photo: Charles Moorhen

                                     

 

The large disc near the base of the upright is an electric motor, a relatively modern (possibly 1950s or 1960s) addition to make the manual work of loading/unloading wagons easier.

Wellingborough Goods Shed is a Grade II listed building. 

A few historical facts about Wellingborough station: 

The station was built by the Midland Railway in 1857.  It was known then as Wellingborough Midland Road.

The station and buildings were designed by C.H.Driver.

Wellingborough station once had a large locomotive depot with two roundhouses

 

Former Wellingborough Engine Sheds

 

On the 2nd September 1898, the station was the scene of a serious rail accident when a luggage trolley ran off a platform into the path of a Manchester express train.  The crew and six passengers were killed and 65 people were injured.

The once-busy station originally had five platforms but only two now remain open to passengers.

In 2005 Wellingborough station was featured in the film 'Kinky Boots', but renamed temporarily as Northampton.

Another interesting artefact, a railway water tower from the Great Days of Steam, can also be seen here.

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