Our team

Things have changed but a little since this photograph was taken.

We are fortunate to have many colleagues, male and female, of all ages and backgrounds helping to keep our visitors welcome and safe, and inevitably with the station dating from 1852, maintenance and restoration is an ongoing process to keep the buildings and surroundings in a good state of repair.

Our cheerful maintenance team meets every Tuesday. Painting is perhaps the most frequent requirement, of timber and metal, applying a recipe of many layers given to us by a heritage specialist and using authentic colours for the era we are portraying. The task list is extensive and varied with repair where possible and replacement where needed. Benches, footbridge, waste bins, barrow crossings, fences, railings, plant boxes, platform edge white lining, and substantial projects like signal box repaint, footbridge repaint, and new running in board on both platforms. The canopy valance formed of eleven panels of dagger board profile is the latest challenge as the existing had rotted beyond further repair. A new valance from cedar machined to exactly match the original will receive the paint layer recipe ready to be refixed in the correct order, in time for this year’s hanging basket display to be hung after last frosts.

Our uniformed platform team undertake a training course to equip them for this safety-critical role, as they will be receiving and dispatching passenger trains. They work with their on-train colleagues and the signalman to ensure everyone is in the right place at the right time for the timetable to run smoothly. Good knowledge of both the rest of the line, and the local facilities, enables all queries to be confidently handled with a warm smile.

Some of our colleagues are retired and enjoy both roles for the variety it provides, but everyone is appreciated for whatever time they can make available.