Wingfield railway station

{{short description|Former railway station in Derbyshire, England}}

{{for|the railway station in South Australia|Wingfield railway station, Adelaide}}

{{Infobox station

| name = Wingfield

| status = Disused (as a station)

| classification = Grade II* listed

| image = South Wingfield Station.jpg

| caption = Wingfield railway station building in 2012

| alt = Dilapidated stone building surrounded by overgrown foliage and an old panel delivery van in front

| borough = South Wingfield, Borough of Amber Valley

| country = England

| coordinates = {{coord| 53.0975|N|1.4264|W}}

| platforms = 2

| original = North Midland Railway

| pregroup = Midland Railway

| postgroup = LMS
British Railways

| years = 11 May 1840

| events = Station opened

| years1 = 1 December 1848

| events1 = renamed Wingfield (Alfreton)
then Wingfield for Alfreton

| years2 = 11 May 1862

| events2 = renamed Wingfield

| years3 = 2 January 1967

| events3 = Station closedButt, R.V.J., (1995) The Directory of Railway Stations, Yeovil: Patrick Stephens

| grid_name = Ordnance Survey

| grid_position = SK3851055754

}}

Wingfield railway station served a rural area of Derbyshire, England between 1840 and 1967. Started in 2019, the building has been restored to how it looked in 1840, and now operates as a tea room, shop, and heritage centre, with views of the Midland mainline.

History

It was built in 1836-40 by the North Midland Railway (NMR){{cite web |title=Wingfield Station |url=https://www.bencharchitects.co.uk/projects/wingfield-station |website=Bench Architects |access-date=24 August 2023}} on its line between Derby and Leeds, close to the road between South Wingfield and Oakerthorpe. The station closed in 1967 and the buildings, by Francis Thompson,{{cite book |last1=Pevsner |first1=Nikolaus |last2=Williamson |first2=Elizabeth |date=1979 |title=The Buildings of England. Derbyshire |publisher=Penguin Books |page=323 |isbn=0140710086 }} still stand, but had become derelict until restoration work, funded by a National Lottery grant, began in 2019, with completion announced in October 2023.{{cite web |title=Wingfield Station: Restoration of one of world's oldest country railway stations is on track |url=https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/wingfield-station-restoration-worlds-oldest-7012075 |website=DerbyshireLive |access-date=27 June 2023}}

The line adjacent to the station is still in use as part of the Midland Main Line. Thompson designed thirteen stations for the NMR, of which Wingfield is the only one to survive as-built.{{cite book|last=Biddle|first=Gordon|title=Britain's Historic Railway Buildings: A Gazetteer of Structures|edition=Second|publisher=Ian Allan Publishing|location=Hersham, Surrey|isbn=9780711034914|page=8}}

In times past, this area was important for coal mining at Oakerthorpe, South Wingfield, with a branch to Shirland.The North Midland Railway Guide, (1842) Republished 1973, Leeds: Turntable EnterprisesRadford, B., (1988) Midland Through the Peak Unicorn Books

Current status

The empty station building and paved forecourt are Grade II* listed due to being one of the earliest surviving railway station buildings, and the only surviving example from the opening of the line.{{National Heritage List for England|num=1045917|desc=Wingfield Station|access-date=8 January 2020}} It was listed on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register for some years as being in a 'very bad' state.{{cite web |title=South Wingfield Station Building, Holm Lane, South Wingfield - Amber Valley|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/heritage-at-risk/search-register/list-entry/68276 |publisher=Historic England |access-date=7 February 2019}}{{cite report|title=Heritage at Risk 2018 - East Midlands |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/har-2018-registers/em-har-register2018/ |page=3|publisher=Historic England |access-date=7 February 2019}} In May 2018, the station was compulsorily purchased by Amber Valley Borough Council, due to neglect by its owner.{{cite news|last1=Bisknell|first1=Eddie|title=AMBER VALLEY: Borough seizes historic station|url=https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/amber-valley-borough-seizes-historic-station-1-9170307|access-date=19 May 2018|work=Derbyshire Times|date=18 May 2018|language=en}} A March 2017 repairs notice, served by the council with the support of Historic England, had not been acted upon.

In November 2019, the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust (DHBT) announced that it would be taking over the ownership from the council, following the receipt of lottery funding,{{cite news |title=Wingfield Station Rescued |url=https://www.derbyshirehistoricbuildingstrust.org.uk/news-events |access-date=29 December 2019 |publisher=Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust |date=22 November 2019}} and would be restoring the building with the aim of finding new uses, including holding living history events and open days.{{cite web |last1=Hawley |first1=Zena |title=Wingfield Station: Restoration of one of world's oldest country railway stations is on track |url=https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/wingfield-station-restoration-worlds-oldest-7012075 |website=Derbyshire Live |publisher=Reach plc |access-date=18 July 2022}} As of October 2023, the building has been restored to how it looked in 1840, and now operates as a tea room, shop, and heritage centre, with a model railway and views of the Midland mainline.[https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/gallery/wingfield-station-worlds-oldest-rural-8863168 Wingfield Station: World's oldest rural station reopened back to how it looked in 1840] Derbyshire Live, 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023

{{Rail line |previous=Ambergate
Line open, station open |next=Smithy Moor
Line open, station closed |route=North Midland Railway
Derby to Leeds line |col={{MR colour}} }}

{{Rail line |previous=Ambergate
Line open, station open |next=Stretton
Line open, station closed |route=Midland Railway
Derby to Leeds line |col={{MR colour}} }}