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Next stop is Henley’s new station bar




IT’S full steam ahead for the next exciting phase of Henley Railway Station which officially re-opened last Thursday.

While the original 1908 station building was closed and boarded up in the 1990s, Henley has remained an operational station and it’s thanks to the determination of volunteers of Friends of Henley Railway Station who set about their task four years ago that the station has now been cleaned-up and restored and includes a bar, community hall and microbrewery.

Lord Digby Jones celebrates the reopening of the refurbished Henley Station building last Friday where he was pictured with Friends of Henley Station directors Angela Oakey, chairman, Fraser Pithie, Chris Duffin, secretary, and Gail Shuttleworth. Photo: Mark Williamson
Lord Digby Jones celebrates the reopening of the refurbished Henley Station building last Friday where he was pictured with Friends of Henley Station directors Angela Oakey, chairman, Fraser Pithie, Chris Duffin, secretary, and Gail Shuttleworth. Photo: Mark Williamson

Angela Okey, chair of Friends of Henley Railway Station, said:

“The public response has been phenomenal. Everyone has been so supportive. For example we’ve had people reminiscing about how their grandad worked in the signal box so we’ve started a memory book and we’re collecting memorabilia.

John Austin, of the Guild of Railway Artists has supplied us with some oil paintings and we’ve got a corridor of old photographs here as well.

It’s still a work in progress and ever evolving so we are still looking for volunteers but we’ve achieved something very special and it’s an ideal place to visit after a dog walk and have a hot chocolate and some cake or a drink and a snack.

We’re going to promote community elements here so there will be quiz nights, race nights, the microbrewery and a bar to enjoy.

Where possible we’ve renovated and reused so the doors are original and date back to 1908 and we’ve used original slate for the window ledges and bar top we also have a beautiful ticket stand which is metal and oak and we’ve restored the chimney

In parts, we’ve tried to create an Orient Express themed railway carriage with a modern twist.”

Representatives from the Railway Heritage Trust, Henley Parish Council, West Midlands Railway, Friends of the Shakespeare Line and Friends of Henley Railway Station joined Network Rail’s Lord Peter Hendy to open the newly refurbished station building.

Peter, Lord Hendy, chair of Network Rail, said: “It’s an absolute pleasure to officially open this brilliant new community space that has been created in the old station building.

“It is wonderful to see partners and volunteers coming together to put the railway at the heart of the local community.

“I’d like to thank everybody involved in this project and I hope passengers from Henley and beyond will experience the benefits that this repurposed building brings for years to come.”

Fraser Pithie, chair of Friends of the Shakespeare Line, said: “What has been delivered by the Friends of Henley Railway Station shows the tremendous impact that people can achieve when they come together for the benefit of their community and engage with the railway. This is an awesome facility which will benefit the local economy, railways and encourage people to travel by train.”

Tim Hedley-Jones, executive director of the Railway Heritage Trust, said:“We are pleased to have supported this project with grants to restore the building, and we have presented the station with a plaque to record its history which Lord Peter Hendy has unveiled. It is a testament to the community that they have brought the building back from dereliction.”

Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director at West Midlands Railway, said:“We are thrilled to see the opening of a new community space which will offer a new lease of life for Henley Station and we were delighted to be able to support the project through our Customer and Communities Improvement Fund.”

All income and profits from the bar and community space will be invested back into the building, facilities and station area.



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