Lymington schoolgirl ‘s plea to save town’s train station ticket office as Railway Delivery Group eyes closures nationwide
A LYMINGTON schoolgirl is asking for help from the community to secure the future of the town’s railway station building building should the ticket office close to the public.
Rose Toogood (11) told the A&T she feared the “beautiful and historical” building in Mill Lane, which opened in 1860, could be lost to developers.
As reported in the A&T the Railway Delivery Group (RDG) has outlined plans to close rail ticket offices nationwide, including at Brockenhurst, Christchurch, Hinton Admiral, Lymington Town, New Milton, Sway and Totton.
The RDG says it has earmarked ticket booths for closure amid declining sales and an increase in people using ticket machines and buying online.
Rose said she had seen other important sites in the town lost, such as the police station, and wanted to act to prevent similar happening to the railway station building.
She said: “I really want to get it listed, as in the future I would like it to still be standing.
“I think it is lovely to look at, and with the pattern of the bricks around the windows it must have taken the builder some time to do that.”
Priestlands School pupil Rose has been busy researching the history of the landmark, which survived the Second World War, and is keen to hear from anybody who has more details about the building.
She has already checked its status with New Forest District Council, which confirmed it is not yet listed.
Rose would also like to speak to anyone who would like to help her secure the building’s future.
She said she wanted to see the building retained for use by the community, perhaps in the form of a museum, railway cafe or bed and breakfast accommodation.
A spokesperson for Historic England, which is responsible for listing buildings, told the A&T: “Listing exists to mark and celebrate buildings and places which have special architectural and historic interest.
“Not all buildings and sites can be listed in a national context, so local listing, which is controlled through local councils, may also be an option in some areas.
“Anyone can apply for a historic site to be protected and we have guidance on our website about how best to do this.”
A spokesperson for the Friends of Lymington to Brockenhurst Line, which promotes its use and cares for the stations, told the A&T it welcomed Rose’s steps to secure the building and invited her to join the group so they could work together.
