Refurbished and refreshed
GRADE II-LISTED STATION HAS HAD A RESPECTFUL RESTORATION
IF YOU’VE ever visited Hanwell station, you will certainly remember it. It’s one of the last remaining National Rail stations in the capital which still uses its 19th-century station building, giving it a distinctive character.
The grade II-listed building has now received the Ealing Civic Society’s 2021 Annual Award recognising its contribution to the community, being a functional, accessible building the community can take pride in ahead of the arrival of the Elizabeth line next year.
The Crossrail Project team charged with modernising the station, before the Elizabeth line starts next year, managed to install new lifts, revamp the ticket office and repurpose an abandoned structure on the middle platform into a new waiting room, all while maintaining the station’s historical fascia originally implemented by the Victorian Great Western Railway.
The station beat four other buildings from across the borough, including two schools, and was given the award at a ceremony hosted by Chris Griffin, chief executive of the Museum of Brands, following deliberation by a judging panel of three architects.
Hanwell station originally dates back to 1838, but was rebuilt in 1877. Just to the east of the Wharncliffe Viaduct, famous for being a haven for bats, the station still has signage from when the station was renamed Hanwell and Elthorne in 1896.
For 18 months from 1883, the station was on the District line when Tube trains ran all the way to Windsor.
The original station buildings have been repaired, re-painted and restored to their original cream and golden-brown colour scheme.
Timber handrails and cast-iron balustrades have been refreshed in the stairwells and lighting upgraded with brighter, energy-saving LEDs fitted in the traditional hanging lanterns.
The project has been so successful that Historic England removed Hanwell from its “Heritage at Risk” list.
Ann Chapman, chair of the Ealing Civic Society, said: “Ealing Civic Society is delighted to make this award to TfL for the restoration of Hanwell Station.
“This unusual project shows that it is possible to combine sympathetic restoration of a heritage asset with modern convenience.
“That this is a publicly accessible location is also welcome, allowing the restoration to be appreciated by travellers every time they pass through.”
The station joins just a handful of other buildings in the borough which have been awarded by the society since 1989.
Elizabeth Line services will start replacing current TfL Rail services which stop there from the first half of next year.
These trains will run directly across London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood by May 2023.