Chiltern Railways to replace doors at historic Leamington station
Heritage campaigners have secured plans for replica 1930s oak doors to restore the station’s Art Deco character
A charitable group helping to protect the heritage of Leamington Spa railway station has secured plans for the 1930s doors to be replaced with similar ones.
Chiltern Railways replaced four oak doors with composite ones, which Warwick District Council said breached planning rules because the station is Grade II listed.
With the old oak doors disposed of, planning permission was granted for replicas to be installed instead of the current replacements which have been deemed as “unsympathetic” to the character of the setting by planning officers.
Concern was still raised by local conservationists about the lack of detail in the proposals and planning conditions with councillors responding positively to pleas for strengthened conditions.
In an address to the committee, Marianne Pitts of Friends of Leamington Station highlighted the importance of getting it right.
“(Leamington Station) is almost unique in England, there is only one other in this country that looks like it and that is in Cardiff. They weren’t building many railway stations just before World War II,” she said.
“It is a very glamorous station, probably the most glamorous in the county.”
She detailed how the Friends had sorted out the gardens and undertaken many other projects to restore the original art deco feel of the station.
“Changing those lavatory doors was a real shock to us,” she added.
“We saw them taken off, we didn’t realise they were going to be discarded.”
Arguing the conditions were “not specific enough”, Ms Pitts made the case for timber doors that are framed around the edges like their predecessors with automatic opening implemented without equipment being strapped across the front.
“We would like these doors to be replaced so that nobody can tell the difference from the original doors – the same varnish, the same colour, the same shape,” she added.
Councillor James Kennedy (Green, Kenilworth Park Hill) said: “We all really appreciate Leamington Station and its restoration as a real pride and joy for the town and district.”
He sought and received confirmation from development manager Gary Fisher that there was no problem with beefing up the conditions.
It means Chiltern Railways will be asked to submit detailed joinery drawings, confirm the cut and species of the timber to be used, detail the proposed panelling, door fittings and wood finish with the aim of matching the look of the station’s surviving oak doors.
Permission with the additional conditions was approved by councillors without dissent.