Parracombe deal extends Lynton extension trackbed
The restoration of the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway has taken a major step forward with the purchase of ‘The Halt’, a property on the site of the line’s former Parracombe Halt, around 1.5 miles from the current base of Woody Bay.
Completed in late May, the purchase means that the railway now owns the entire trackbed between its existing limit of operations at Killington Lane and Parracombe, around a third of the planned first-phase extension to Blackmoor Gate.
The line has also purchased a significant section of trackbed on the remaining route to Blackmoor, towards Rowley Cross.
The purchase of Parracombe was made possible by a legacy left by L&B Trust members Rick and Barbara Sayers, who both passed away in the last two years. An appeal has been launched with a £150,000 target to bridge the gap between the legacy and the total costs of the purchase.
Currently the house at Parracombe has tenants living in it and the railway has asked that their privacy be respected. Eventually buildings on the site will be removed with the exception of the original L&B concrete waiting shelter that still exists at the site.
Further along the line Chelfham station has been returned to its original look with the demolition of extensions added after the line was closed in 1935.
The original building, opened in 1898, comprised just a waiting room and ticket office. After the closure it was sold, the new owner turning it into a residence by adding extra rooms built across the former platform.
The station was acquired by the revived L&B’s Trust in 2000 and restoration has been going on since. On 24th April this reached a milestone when the extensions were taken down and the site quickly returned to how it looked when the railway was open.
While it is likely to be several years before Chelfham sees its next train, the station is ready to welcome the revival.