Couple make tracks to save signal box

Bid to save historic structure with link to house

An historic railway station signal box near Thornhill could be moved and linked to a nearby house in a bid to save it from collapse.

The B-listed structure at the former Kippen Railway Station is the last signal box of its kind and dates back to 1893.

It now stands in grounds near Fallen Brewing’s premises.

Brewery owners Paul and Karen Fallen have submitted an application to Stirling Council planners to extend their house with a glass corridor, which would link the home with the disused signal box once it had been dismantled and rebuilt.

The railway station opened in 1856 as part of the Forth and Clyde Line and was the route’s second busiest stop en route to Glasgow. It closed in 1934.

While the railway line itself is no longer in use, the signal box is seen as historically significant both locally and nationally.

Agents for the couple have told Stirling

Council planners the aim of the proposal is to extend the station house without substantially changing the integrity of the existing house plan plus keeping the feature of the signal box for years to come.

They added: “The structure of the signal box has been significantly compromised and it has vertical cracking through the walls with the end brick wall pulling away due to settlement. Both roof and internal floors are dangerous. There is no access between the floors of the signal box.

“The railway line is no longer used but our client realises the importance of the signal box, that is recognised locally and is an iconic object in the landscape.”

Planning permission was granted for repositioning the signal box in July 2017. This linked the ground and first floor spaces of the box with a new internal stair. The new section, whilst in the style of an old railway building, would have timber cladding to give a line of definition between the old and the new.

“Unfortunately economic requirements are now more significant and our clients require to better use the signal box if they are to make the considerable investments needed to preserve it,” added the agents.

“It is therefore proposed that the signal box be located closer to the Station House so that it can be linked and used as part of the house on a more regular basis. A glass corridor with a flat leaded roof would be used to tie the properties together. The corridor would sit back from the front elevations almost like a shadow ‘gap’ making it appear of lesser importance.

“Despite both a structural engineer and a contractor recommending that replacement rather than repair is the only option for the damaged signal box, there are original features worth keeping.

“The signal box deserves to be saved before it collapses into the ground and is lost completely. Linking it to the Station House as a domestic extension will create a positive statement to the locality but echo past use.”

Council planners are expected to make a recommendation on the application in due course.