Alresford Railway Station (EHER 81839)

Alresford Railway Station on the Tendring Hundred Railway, opened in 1867. The station was most probably designed by Bruff in conjunction with Frederic Barnes. The station house is a two storey red brick building with a slate covered roof. The façade faces south and has yellow brick quoins, window surrounds and slightly projecting porch. A small arched window is at the back of the porch and the two doors on either side probably led into the booking hall, waiting room, and accommodation above. On the trackside a single storey waiting shelter with a slate roof is attached to the station house. The level crossing gates are probably twentieth century; they are manually operated timber gates in traditional design with diagonal struts in each panel. The footbridge was constructed in 1937 to replace a previous bridge. The bridge is supported on metal columns with plain capitals, the bridge has lattice metalwork panels, replaced with solid panels on the span in the later twentieth century. There are two flights from each platform, with the landing supported by decorative elliptical arches. By 1923 the line had been absorbed into the London and North East Railway (LNER)

Information from NRHE : An application to list Alresford station, level crossing gates and footbridge has been received by English Heritage. It is said that the station building is under threat from plans by the rail operator, but details of these are not known. The level crossing gates are likely to be replaced with automatic barriers in due course. Interior inspection has not been possible. Alresford is a small village to the north- east of Colchester. Like so many similar settlements, Alresford has origins in the medieval period but an unremarkable history and remained a remote creek-side settlement until the coming of the railways in the 1860s. The line from Colchester St Botolph's to Walton was constructed by the Tendring Hundred Railway Company (THRC), founded 1865, whose engineer was Peter Bruff, although it was operated from the first by the Great Eastern Railway (GER). The section between Wivenhoe and Weeley was completed in 1866. The first edition OS map of 1874 shows the station adjacent to the up-line (south track). The stations on the line were most probably designed by Bruff, in conjunction with Frederick Barnes, an Ipswich architect who had designed many stations on the Ipswich, Bury and Norwich Railway and the Waveney Valley Line in Norfolk. In 1883, the Tendring Hundred and Clacton-on-Sea companies were incorporated into the GER, established in 1862, which in turn was absorbed into the London and North East Railway (LNER) in 1923. The GER did not apparently alter the station, but constructed a footbridge, waiting room with a canopy on the down-side and a signal box at the west end of the down-side platform. The small brick crossing box by the level crossing was also probably erected by the GER. The footbridge was replaced in 1937 and the level crossing gates, of traditional design, are probably twentieth century in date. It is uncertain when the down-side waiting shelter, canopy and signal box were demolished, but there is presently a late twentieth century glazed shelter on the northern platform. The station house is currently vacant and boarded up and it is unknown when it ceased to have a railway function. There appears to have been very little exterior alteration to the building. Railway Station A two storey station house, constructed from red brick laid in Flemish bond, over-painted on the first floor, with shallow gable roofs, overhanging eaves, slate covering and two ridge stacks. There is a contemporary single storey range attached to the right (east). The façade faces south and has yellow brick quoins, window surrounds and slightly projecting porch with modillion cornice above. There are pairs of arched windows on either side and a central arched window above. A small arched window is at the back of the porch and the two doors on either side presumably led into the booking hall, waiting room and accommodation above. The east and west elevations both have a pair of arched windows on first floor. On the trackside, a single storey shelter with a slate covered hipped roof is attached to the station house. A central arched window on the first floor has a pedimented gable above, supported on decorative timber brackets. The waiting shelter has a large central opening flanked by arched windows with segmented brick heads. At the rear of the shelter, there is a central window opening with a door opening on either side, leading back into the station house. The single storey addition to the east is in a poor state of repair and has been extended and remodelled. There was no interior inspection. Level Crossing Gate Manually operated timber level crossing gates, in traditional design with diagonal struts in each panel, supported by a tall concrete pillar beside the track. The gates are probably twentieth century. Footbridge The footbridge was constructed in 1937, replacing a previous bridge. Supported on metal columns with plain capitals, the bridge has lattice metalwork panels, replaced with solid panels on the span in the later twentieth century, where twentieth century plain metal overthrows support lights. There are two flights from each platform, with the landing supported by decorative elliptical arches. The timber treads are covered with ash-felt. Assessment For buildings post-dating 1840, greater selection is required when considering designation. Some 525 railway stations are already listed in grade II and there are others at a higher grade. Architecture, technical or construction interest, date, and extent of alteration are key issues in determining eligibility for designation. Rigorous selection is required for railway stations after c.1860: this reflects both the quantity of what remains and the standardisation of design. An additional factor for buildings of this date includes the rarity of company survivals. Probably designed by Bruff and Barnes, the former THRC line stations share the same design used for the Waveney Valley line stations, of which 2 remain with little modification. Of the THRC examples, only Alresford, Weeley and Kirby-Le-Soken remain comparatively little altered, all having the attached shelter on the track-side, an unusual feature, remaining intact. The stations have a rustic, simplified Italianate style, and some decorative treatment in the use of contrasting yellow bricks, the overhanging eaves supported on brackets and the projecting pediment above the centrally placed arched, first floor windows. However, from a national perspective, Alresford station lacks architectural quality in the use of material and detailing when compared with other designated railway stations of similar date, such as Woolston station (1860, grade II), Ripple station house (1864, grade II) and Plowden (1865, grade II). Those by Barnes which are already Listed include the Italianate station at Redenhall with Harleston (1849, grade II) and Tudor-Gothic Needham Market and Stowmarket railway stations, (both grade II and built 1846). Although a variety of architectural styles are used in stations of this date across the national network, all of the designated examples have distinction in composition, craftsmanship and treatment, which unfortunately is not the case for Alresford station. Level Crossing Gates The level crossing gates at Alresford are twentieth century in date and have mainly twentieth century fittings. Although they represent a focal point in the village and have local historic significance, as a structure they are not considered to have special interest in the national context. Bridge Very few railway structures dating to after 1914 will have sufficient architectural quality to warrant designation, and this applies equally to foot bridges which were increasingly constructed to standardised designs. This 1937 footbridge does not display architectural quality or innovative engineering and has been altered by the insertion of solid panelling in the span. Structural and aesthetic considerations are key judgements when considering designation and the footbridge at Alresford has insufficient quality to meet the rigorous criteria for structures of this age and type. Conclusion Whilst the rarity of unaltered stations designed by Bruff and Barnes on the former Tendring Hundred line is acknowledged, Alresford station does not possess sufficient architectural quality to be added to the statutory List. The level-crossing gates and foot-bridge are equally of local interest, but do not meet the rigorous listing criteria for railway structures of this age and type in the national context. <1> <2>