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The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway has a new station and visitor centre

Originally constructed in 1875 to carry iron ore, the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is one of the Lake District National Park's most popular tourist attractions, carrying some 120,000 visitors a year. The narrow gauge line runs for seven miles from Ravenglass on the coast to Dalegarth Station, one of the Park's most remote areas.

For the best part of 80 years, the station at Dalegarth was a cramped wooden structure with a felt roof, offering very limited facilities for tourists. The operators of the line therefore decided to replace it with a new combined station and visitor centre which would sit comfortably in its setting and become a destination in its own right.

The brief was for a functional, highly sustainable building which would attract tourists and be in sympathy with the spectacular Lakeland backdrop. It had to include a ticket office, waiting room with toilets, cafe and gift shop- all large enough to accommodate a full 'trainload' of visitors and coach parties. It also had to be flexible enough to act as a venue for childrens' parties, meetings and conferences.

Pinelog's architects response to this challenging brief was to propose a two-storey structure influenced by the dramatic nature of the site. Its remote location favoured the use of a prefabricated, timber framed building, which could be easily transported to site and finished with local and renewable materials.

Negotiations between the architects, developers and the Lake District National Park Authority ensured that the proposed structure, in both design and materials, related well to the railway heritage of the site and the vernacular architecture of Eskdale. The satisfactory conclusion of the planning process reflects the quality of the scheme and attention to detail.

The form of the new building is simple and compact. It is constructed in timber frame with glulam laminated trusses, giving a vaulted roof style on the upper floor. Highly insulated, the frame is clad in Siberian larch panels and blockwork finished with a natural Lake District render.

The design was chosen to evoke memories of the line's mining and Victorian tourism heritage. The colours selected follow the livery of the original Furness Railway Company and are used in such a way to ensure that the building merges into the landscape.

Full height, narrow windows provide excellent ventilation and daylight penetration. This style was selected to echo the railway theme and give an overall elegance to the building.

The 30 degree pitched roof is finished with locally sourced reclaimed Cumbrian slate and has an overhang on the front elevation to provide a sheltered area for visitors waiting for their train.

Visitors have level access from the platform to the Ticket Office, Fellbites Cafe and the Scafell Gift Shop. A generous stair leads down to the open plan lower floor with its own toilet facilities. A self contained multi-purpose space has therefore been created for the other functions of the building. The lower floor can also be accessed from a car park at the rear.

Chief Executive of the R&ER, Jim Walker is delighted with the new facility: "The fact that Pinelog was able to provide a complete design and build solution was a tremendous benefit for us. From original design through to final landscaping, quality was paramount and they consistently delivered this. Even though it has only been in operation for a short time - the building already seems to belong in its location."

In its 'Promoting Sustainable Tourism Statement' the Lake District National Park Authority cites Dalegarth Station as an excellent example of good practice, adding -

"The Station occupies a unique location in terms of heritage and landscape and is an important tourist destination, but as there were no specific policies dealing with replacement of existing tourist facilities, the planning application for a replacement was judged on its merit in terms of design and impact on the environment."

"The new building can accommodate groups of visitors more easily, provides better facilities, especially for disabled users, and the lower floor gives more flexibility in overall use. Upgrading has improved the financial sustainability of the railway - an important consideration given its significance to the local economy of the Eskdale Valley."

Email: dawn@pinelog.co.uk