Former Singleton Railway Station, West Dean, West Sussex

Summary

Former railway station of 1880, by T H Myres, consisting of the station house, toilet block and a water tower.

Description

Former railway station of 1880, by T H Myres, consisting of the station house, toilet block and a water tower.

STATION HOUSE

MATERIALS: red-brick in Flemish-bond, stone detailing, timber windows, applied timber framing, hung clay tiles and a clay tile roof.

PLAN: the principal elevation faces south. To the east end, the building is two-storey and laid out as a domestic house. To the west end, there is a single-storey ticket office and waiting room. The rear elevation faces into the embankment of the raised platform to the north.

EXTERIOR: red-brick ground floor. The openings have chamfered brick architraves and a variety of stone detailing. The second floor and fascia to the west end, have applied timber framing and pargetting, although the second floor element is now covered with alternating bands of plain and fish-scale tiles. There are a number of stained-glass windows which, along with the cast-iron canopy, are decorated with circles and stars.

At the domestic east end, the principal, south-facing elevation is two-storey, and stands under a high-pitched projecting gable. The moulded barge-boards are decorated with square bosses, framing a flower motif. To the first floor there is a central, timber oriel which has a transom window of four panes, supported on timber, moulded brackets. On the ground floor, there is a central, stone transom window, with stained glass to the top row of panes. Either side, the jettied first floor is supported on a pair of timber moulded brackets with pendants. To the west of the gable there is a further bay with a pitched roof, and a single sash window with multiple panes (three-over-two), over two large panes. The upper panes have bullseye glass. The domestic entrance is set-back at the east-end where there is a five-panel timber door set under a porch, which is supported by decorative timber brackets. Above the door there is a segmental-shaped fanlight. Further to the east of the entrance, there is a single-storey brick extension with a three-over-four sash window.

The eastern elevation has a four-pane window to the ground floor with stone transom, surmounted by a stone architrave with two stained-glass windows. The rear elevation faces a concrete bank, and has functional casement windows to the ground floor. At first floor level, the gable and window treatment are repeated from the principal southern elevation. The tiled roofs have clustered-brick chimney stacks. The drain pipes are square in section, and made of cast-iron with the makers stamp applied to the connecting sections.

To the western end of the building there is a four-bay, single-storey waiting room and ticket hall. The front, south-facing elevation is of red brick, and has a stone plat band. The timber entrance doors are offset, and are surmounted by a three-pane window. The doors each have a round-headed and a circular window, above a solid panel. There are three sash windows with multiple panes (three-over-two) over two large panes, set between a chamfered-stone header and cill. The upper lights of the windows have stained glass. At the far west end there is a two-pane casement window set into a chamfered stone architrave, which is surmounted by two stone panels decorated with foliage around a shield. The left hand shield has the letters 'LB&SCR', and the right hand, the date 'AD 1880'. Running along the length of the south elevation, there is a cast-iron canopy, which is supported by decorative cast-iron pillars with Corinthian capitals, and spandrels with star-like decoration. The lean-to roof is formed of corrugated iron, and is supported by timber beams. The fascia above has applied timber-framed panels, decorated with pargetting in a pot-plant motif. The western elevation is functional and hidden by a late-C20 timber extension*. The rear, northern elevation is also functional. The waiting room roof joins to the station house at its east end and is hipped to the west-end. It has crested ridge tiles.

INTERIOR: the hallway to the house has plain terracotta tiles under a simple gothic arch. The timber stairs are dog-leg, and to the first floor, have stick balusters under a square rail with Gothic-style newel posts. The joinery throughout the house is fairly plain but of good quality, and includes a cornice, high dado rail, deep skirting, and four-panel doors. The principal rooms have slate fire place surrounds, painted in a marble effect. The kitchen has a beige, tiled fire place surround, decorated with a foliage motif. The bedrooms are fairly plain, and their fireplaces have been removed. The waiting room is functional. At the east end, there is an internal ticket window with timber architrave and a shelf supported on timber corbels.

TOILET BLOCK

MATERIALS: red-brick in Flemish-bond, timber windows, applied timber framing, and clay tile roof.

PLAN: the building is single-storey and the entrance-front faces east.

EXTERIOR: the building is symmetrical and formed of three bays under a hipped roof, surmounted by crested ridge tiles. The timber entrance doors have three panels, and stand under applied timber framing which continues as a fascia under the eaves. The panels repeat the pot-plant motif of the station building. Either side of the doors there are sash windows with multiple panes (three-over-two) over two large panes. The upper panes have stained glass. The windows are surmounted by brick, segmental-arches. The other elevations are similar, but predominantly blind.

INTERIOR: the interior is functional and has been converted to changing rooms* and showers*.

WATER TOWER

MATERIALS: red or stone-coloured brick in Flemish bond, with metal-framed windows.

PLAN: the water tower is narrow and two-storey. The ground floor is very tall, and the first floor is more domestic in scale. The tower stands below, and to the south of the former rail track. To the west side, there is chimney stack, which is linked to the tower at the base, and at mid-height by a brick supporting arch.

DESCRIPTION: the tower is symmetrical and Classical in style. The full-height southern elevation is formed of two bays, with two windows to each storey. The round-headed windows have no glass. The metal frames are three-over-five, with another six panes making up the round-headed element. The window openings have stone-coloured brick arches and cills. They are set into recessed brick panels, which form pilasters to the corners. Between the ground and first floor, there is a band of cogged bricks. The northern elevation is set into the railway bank, with only the first storey visible, along with an iron guardrail. The tower is accessed at ground and first floor level from the east, by round-headed entrances. For both, only the timber architrave survives. The supporting iron beams for the water tank are intact, but the tank (which would have been covered in tin-sheet to form a roof) has been removed. The chimney stack has a stone, moulded cap. The stack is square in plan and tapers as it rises above the roof of the tower.

* Pursuant to s1(5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of special architectural or historic interest.
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 24/06/2020

History

Singleton station was designed for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB and SCR), by the architect T H Myres (1842-1926). Myres started his career in Preston where he designed Barnacre Lodge for the Earl of Bective. This house included pargetting, a feature that became something of a 'leitmotif' for his later station work, which included around 18 buildings for the LB and SCR. Myres and his practice are represented on the List with eight entries at Grade II. They include churches such as Christchurch at Parbold Hill (National Heritage List for England (NHLE) 1073167), and three buildings at Horsted Keynes railway station (LB and SCR) including the station house (NHLE 1257915).

Singleton was the largest station on the Chichester to Midhurst line, and was built around 1880 to serve the Goodwood racecourse and West Dean house. The site was substantial, and included a station house, toilet block, platforms arranged as islands, two signal boxes, a horse docks, goods shed, a water tower and an engine turntable. Reinforced concrete was used for the track retaining banks, and although this method of construction was introduced around 1850, this is an early example of its use for railway infrastructure. The water tower housed a water tank and an engine to pump the water up to the track level. It was adjacent to the turntable, where locomotives would be turned and their water tanks replenished. Given the far reaching influence of Myers on the LB and SCR, it is probable that although the tower is Classical in style, he was the architect, or approved the design.

The high standard of finish for the station buildings was influenced by Mr James, who was the owner of the adjacent West Dean estate. He had the approach road planted with lime trees to impress visitors, including his friend, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), who was a frequent visitor to West Dean. Goodwood racecourse was reached by a three-mile uphill walk.

Singleton station closed in 1935, when the wider line was closed to passengers, although freight operations continued until 1953. A number of the buildings and structures at Singleton have been demolished including; the turntable, signal boxes, platform buildings, and the horse docks. The station house, toilet block and water tower remain. In addition, there is a goods shed by T H Myres (NHLE 1412379, Grade II).

The station house has been extended to the west at ground floor level, by the addition of a timber store, and to the east, by the addition of a small, single-storey, brick extension. The timber framing to the first floor elevations has been covered by hung tiles, but is assumed to survive. The fireplace and chimney stack have been removed from the waiting room, along with all internal fixtures and fittings. The waiting room ceiling has also been taken down, exposing the timber supporting structure. A section of the cast-iron canopy connecting the waiting room to the toilet block has been removed, and the toilet block has been internally converted to a sports changing room. The water tower tank and pump engine have been removed, and the tower has no roof or doors.

Reasons for Listing

The station house, toilet block and water tower at the former Singleton Railway Station, designed by T H Myres for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, and opened around 1880, are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

*    it is one of most architecturally accomplished station houses on the line, with distinctive detailing and good use of materials, and a particularly good example of the distinctive London, Brighton and South Coast Railway house style of T H Myres;
*    although there has been some alteration, parts of the canopy survive, and the plan of the station house and toilet block are clearly legible;
*     the railway water tower is a rare survivor on the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, and is the most architecturally impressive example on the line.

Historic interest:

* for its association with the West Dean estate, and supporting role for the Goodwood racecourse.

Group value:

* with the adjacent goods shed by T H Myres, which is listed at Grade II.
Group value:

External Links

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