£500k appeal launched to restore Bluebell’s Horsted Keynes station
THE Bluebell Railway has launched a nationwide appeal for at least £500,000 to support the restoration of its `jewel in the crown' – Horsted Keynes station.
The Grade II-listed station has featured in scores of TV programmes and films, and now officials of the heritage line are asking for public support to finance the repair of leaking roofs and the replacement of rotting beams.
Bluebell appeal co-ordinator Trevor Swainson said: “The station buildings were built in Victorian times and are now showing signs of wear and tear. We view Horsted Keynes as our jewel in the crown, and we hope this appeal puts the sparkle back into the station.”
Many film crews and TV production companies have used Horsted Keynes station as a location for period dramas because of its look and feel. It has appeared in the TV series Downton Abbey, The Woman in Black film, Poirot, Grantchester and a remake of The Railway Children.
Among the stars to have visited the station for filming are Daniel Radcliffe, David Suchet, Dame Maggie Smith and Jenny Agutter. Indeed, the railway is known as the line to the stars because of its long history of filming, dating back to 1961.
Horsted Keynes station was built in 1882 by the LBSCR as part of the Lewes-East Grinstead line. Bought by the Bluebell in the 1960s, it has been maintained and decorated in the style of a Southern Railway junction station from the 1930s.
The railway has carried out a major survey of the station and calculates that the first phase of the repair work will be at least £500,000. The initial repairs will be to the station house and Platform 5, and later work will cover the other platforms. Members of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society have already pledged £20,000 and the railway's charitable arm is promising to match-fund on a pound-for-pound basis all public donations between now and the end of January, up to a total of £150,000.
Trevor said: “For its age, Horsted Keynes station is in remarkably good condition but now is the time to get on top of the deterioration. We believe it is one of the largest stations on preserved railways.”
The station has also played host to a number of famous visitors, including the Reverend Wilbert Awdry, who wrote one of his Railway Series books, called Stepney The Bluebell Engine, based on the line's 'Terrier' No. 55.
British Railways chairman Dr Beeching, who lived nearby in East Grinstead, Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, and broadcasters Michael Portillo and Michael Palin have also visited. ➜For information about the appeal and how you can get involved, visit the website www.bluebell-railway. com