A new book tells the fascinating story of Wolverton Park in
pictures. It documents the site's history as the country's first
'new railway town' where trains were designed, built and
maintained. It explains how we preserved the heritage and restored
the ethos of community that used to define the area.
In the 1800's trains only had a range of fifty miles and Wolverton
was the perfect location for locomotives to take on additional coal
and water in order to continue their journey. From 1889 The Royal
Train was kept there and the railway company created a velodrome,
bowling green and athletics stadium for its employees to encourage
them to keep fit.
The site was shut during the 1970's and workers moved away or
changed their jobs. As a result the site became derelict and
rundown and was close to being condemned. Careful conservation has
transformed the rail sheds into new modern homes to suit a variety
of family sizes.
We've kept the best of the old brick and iron industrial
structures. The new architecture is iconic but sympathetic to the
history of the site; the grandstand in The Park is a true replica
of the original stand which was beyond repair and the lines at the
front of The Royal Train Shed show the original railway lines which
trains used to enter the shed.
The Royal Train Shed now contains apartments while the Triangle
building where locomotives and carriages were built, contains mews
houses and maisonettes. The Reading Room, which was once an
educational facility for the railway workers, is now ready now to
be used as a restaurant and bar area.
Read the full story of Wolverton Park's historical past in our book
- which we have produced to help us share the many memories of this
fascinating site.
Early Wolverton: a new community
(1870-1905)
In the 1800s trains only had a range of 50 miles and Wolverton
was the perfect location for locomotives to take on additional coal
and water in order to continue their journey. From 1889 The Royal
Train was kept there and the railway company created a velodrome,
bowling green and athletics stadium for its employees to encourage
them to keep fit.
Lost in time
The site was shut during the 1970s and workers moved away or
changed their jobs. As a result the site became derelict and
rundown and was close to being condemned. Careful conservation has
transformed the rail sheds into new modern homes to suit a variety
of family sizes.
Rebuilding Wolverton: a new era
We've kept the best of the old brick and iron industrial
structures. The new architecture is iconic but sympathetic to the
history of the site. The grandstand in The Park is a true replica
of the original stand which was beyond repair and the lines at the
front of The Royal Train Shed show the original railway lines which
trains used to enter the shed.
The Royal Train Shed now contains apartments while the Triangle
building where locomotives and carriages were built, contains mews
houses and maisonettes. The Reading Room, which was once an
educational facility for the railway workers, is now ready now to
be used as a restaurant and bar area.
Find out more
Read the full story of Wolverton Park's historical past in our
book (pdf 5mb).
Please note that this pdf contains lots of pictures - so it may
take up to a minute to download.
