Cambridgeshire railway station to be dismantled and moved brick by brick to Nene Valley Railway

Boarded up and abandoned: This part of the line closed in 1929, 60 years after it first began operating, due to financial constraints. Credit: National Highways

A historic railway station threatened with demolition is set for a new lease of life - after plans were revealed to move it brick by brick to a new home.

Wansford Road station, which is in the path of a proposed new dual carriageway on the A47 between the villages of Wansford and Sutton in Cambridgeshire, will now be saved and form part of the nearby heritage Nene Valley Railway.

The station, which was built in 1869, was used as a private home for years but now lies boarded up and abandoned.

When National Highways realised the building could be lost due to the new road, a project was launched to save the station.

Applications were opened for anyone with a good idea for the building, with the charity Nene Valley Railway emerging as the successful bidder.

Under the plans, Wansford Road station will be carefully stone-by-stone before being transported to the eastern end of the Nene Valley Railway, near Peterborough, where it will be rebuilt as a "gateway" for people as they enter the heritage railway and the neighbouring Railworld Wildlife Haven.

An artists impression of Wansford Road station as a 'gateway building' to Nene Valley Railway/Railworld Wildlife Haven Credit: National Highways

Chris Griffin, from the National Highways Programme, said: “Breathing life into the old Wansford Road station building... was something we wanted to do as soon as we knew it was in the path of the A47 road upgrade.

“It is great news that we have been able to save this historic building and I could not think of a more appropriate use than to see the station put back on the right track and once again fulfilling its railway heritage."

Mike Kerfoot, chairman of Nene Valley Railway, said: “Our volunteers work to help cherish railway heritage from our past and preserve that for future generations to learn and enjoy.

“The opportunity to bring history to life and return Wansford Road station to the railway it was a former part of, is wonderful.

“The station closed in 1929 and we aim to have it back in business and fulfilling its function as part of a working railway ahead of the centenary since the last ticket was sold, and someone stepped from the platform for the very last time.”

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