Steam railway buys 150-year-old station buildings

A 150-year-old railway station building that has remained almost untouched for more than half a century is to be restored after being bought by a heritage railway.

Ashey Station on the Isle of Wight was built in 1875 for the opening of the Ryde to Newport Railway, but was sold in 1968 after the line closed.

Isle of Wight Steam Railway, which reopened the line in 1991, has acquired the buildings and neighbouring land.

It said it hoped to return the station to its 1926 Southern Railway period condition and restore the public rooms.

There are also plans to turn the remainder of the property into a holiday let to generate an income for the railway.

Ashey is currently a request stop on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.

Work to restore the platform, return the buildings to period condition and bring them up to a useable standard is expected to cost about £550,000 and take up to two years.

A statement on the railway's website said: "We are delighted to announce that, 57 years after being sold by British Railways, Ashey Station is back in Railway ownership.

"We are immensely grateful to the Holbrook family for their willingness to enter into exclusive negotiations and a sale directly to us."

The railway said the original buildings "remained relatively untouched, with modifications in private ownership being relatively minor".

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