Bere Alston’s former signalbox restored
What was previously an eyesore has been transformed into an asset used by the local Scouts group
The restored former signalbox – photo: Brian Lamb.
Nobody wants to look at an old, dilapidated building whilst waiting for a train. Unfortunately this was just the scenario at Bere Alston station on the Tamar Valley Line.
The old signalbox had succumbed to years of neglect, with smashed windows, the door rotten and ivy growing over most of the building.
When the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership was contacted by the local Scouts about adopting the platform and installing new planters, it was clear something had to be done – not least because the 60,000 bees residing in the signalbox would pose a risk to anyone working on the platform.
Re-housing the bees and undertaking such a major restoration project – in a conservation area to boot – meant that the project was a long and difficult one.
But over a period of two years the signalbox was lovingly restored by local master craftsmen, with invaluable input from the community.
It is now an asset rather than an eyesore – adding to the character and heritage of the branch line and well used by the Scouts as their potting shed and tool store, enabling their work to improve the platform for passengers and wildlife.
