Description

Possibly Formans and McCall, 1903, altered circa 1970s. Single-storey, largely symmetrical, rectangular-plan, railway station with some Arts and Crafts detailing, including distinctive swept roof with deep, overhanging eaves and gables with decorative bargeboarding and timber purlins. Built in red brick with timber detailing and there is a base course, a cill course and smooth window margins. The street elevation to the north has a central section with altered openings, and flanking, advanced, half-timbered gables. The south elevation to the platform has a high red brick base course with horizontal timber boarding above and eaves projecting to form a canopy. Canted bay windows flank the central section (which was altered in the 1970s) and there are projecting part-glazed panels at the far ends. There is some timber dentilled detailing to former openings.

There is predominantly multi-pane glazing in timber framed windows with top-opening hoppers. There are grey slates to the roof with red ridge tiles and coped ridge stacks.

The interior was seen in 2015. There has been some modification to the interior, particularly to the central section in the 1970s, when a new waiting room and ticket office were created. There remain, however, some timber-lined rooms with simple timber cornicing and with some dentilled details around the former ticket hatch. There is a brick fire surround to the room to the west.

Statement of Interest

Whitecraigs Railway Station was opened in 1903 and may be by the Glasgow firm of architects, Formans and McCall. The station is notable for having a significant amount of Arts and Crafts decorative detailing, including half-timbering, bargeboards, and wide, overhanging eaves and has retained some of its internal timber features. Unusually for a station that has been in constant use, it has not been substantially altered. Its design is reminiscent of the late 19th century Swiss chalet style stations on the Caledonian Railway and West Highland Railway.

Whitecraigs was a station on the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway Line, which was operated by the Caledonian Railway and ran from Glasgow to Ardrossan with branches to Irvine and to Kilbirnie. The line was opened in 1889 and ran from Barrmill to Ardrossan but was extended between 1893 and 1923 to Newton, in Glasgow. A number of stations were closed in the early part of the 20th century, as railway companies merged and duplicate stations, of which there were a number on the line, were no longer required. Currently, only part of the line from Newton and Neilston remains operational, including Whitecraigs Station.

There is currently no known architect for the building. The architectural practice of Formans and McCall were based on Hope Street in Glasgow and are known to have designed stations for a number of railway companies, including the Callander and Oban Railway and the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway around 1901-2.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Whitecraigs railway station at Wikipedia
• Wikidata IDs Q2450424 Q77782567

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)