AN abandoned English train station has been revamped with a £50,000 upgrade.
After years of disrepair, the 19th century station has now transformed into a luxury retreat that is opento the public.
Rowden Mill Station in North Herefordshire has been renovated into a vintage-inspired hotel, offering the perfect retreat for keen trainspotters.
Cecilia Chavez-Brandon and husband Paul Kirwan took on this dream renovation project in 2017, paying £395,000 for the 2.7 acre site that had been abandoned since the 1950s.
The site was primarily used for moving injured soldiers to field hospitals during the war and transporting livestock, losing its appeal as cars became more popular in the 1950s.
Inside were original buildings and a set of train tracks, which they have modernised into an experience that transports visitors back to the 1950s and 1960s.
To add to the vintage feel, they bought an 18ft inspection saloon coach, coated with British Railway livery for historic railway fans.
Cecilia told SWNS: “It was not until the 1980s that the former owners found the station and bought it from the farmers.
“They built the rail track back. We arrived after they had been here 32 years and helped modernise it.
“They restored the station building and the parcel office and converted it into accommodation rather than a station.
“The booking office is now the kitchen, the waiting room is now the lounge. The gentleman’s toilet is now a full bathroom.
“The parcel office is a separate building and we converted it and put central heating in and new carpets. We turned that into a full studio with an ensuite.”
A steady stream of visitors can look around the renovated station, which has transformed ladies’ waiting areas into main bedrooms and carriages into accommodations.
Tourists can pay £260 per night to enjoy a luxurious stay overlooking the countryside in their renovated coaches fitted with an en suite and heating.
The main station building also has accommodation at £430 for two nights, or the Parcel Office studio at £220 for two nights.
Cecilia said: “We have a parcel office with a studio for two on the main platform. For anyone staying here, it’s like waking up in a railway station from the 1950s and 60s.”
The couple also bought an original 20-tonne brake van back in 2018 to create another luxury accommodation for the site.
Maintaining this beloved location has become a career for the couple: “We didn’t really start out as railway buffs but you obviously become one. It’s like going down a rabbit hole.
“You end up being a whole network of railway people and it’s really something amazing.
“The very first guest arrived in September 2017 and they came with books and were clear railway buffs and knew more about the branch line than we did at the time.
“In terms of guests we obviously have the railway buffs, even children with technical knowledge. We have station masters and train drivers – we get quite a range of fans.
“The whole site is great. It’s so peaceful, with gorgeous views and our other passion is nature. We’ve got our own meadows, hedgerows and wildlife ponds.”