LOTTERY GRANT TO FUND REBUILD OF CRANMORE’S SECOND PLATFORM
Cranmore station on the East Somerset Railway is to get a second platform, thanks to a £46,500 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The former Down platform will be reconstructed, along with a close replica of the original waiting room – both having been demolished by BR in the 1960s. The latter will become an education and interpretation centre, displaying the history of the Witham-Yatton line and its links to local industries, such as quarrying. With a total budget of £65,000, the project will be undertaken in two stages with initial construction work expected to begin during the second quarter of 2018, and the aim being to open the education centre at the end of the year. The second phase, for which HLF funds will also be sought, will include work on the original 1858 station building. ESR Chairman Dick Masters said: “The ESR has enjoyed a significant upturn in its financial performance in the last few years and is able to contribute to the funding of each phase. “The operational benefits will come a bit later. Once the platform is complete, we will look at the work, mainly track and signalling, needed to operate trains from that side.”