The village of South Wingfield lies to the West of the town of Alfreton on
B6179 linking Derby with Chesterfield and to the East of the village of Crich of ‘Tramway Village’ fame.
In 1840, it lay on the new ‘North Midland Railway’ line that linked Derby with Rotherham and eventually Leeds.
The station building, designed by Francis Thompson, is the only one of the thirteen original stations standing in the form in which it was built.
As such, it is a Grade ll listed building.
I have a small link with the station.
In the early 1960s, I travelled on the line for some years, usually on a Friday evening on a stopping train from Sheffield to Derby.
Although it stopped at South Wingfield, in all that time I cannot remember anyone alighting from or getting on the train.
I was not at all surprised when it was eventually closed.
Having been closed since 1967, the building has suffered from a combination of the ravages of time and neglect which led to it becoming subject of a compulsory purchase order by ‘Amber Valley District Council’ in 2018.
In 2019, now owned by ‘Derbyshire Heritage Buildings Trust’, it was announced that it was to be restored with a view to finding new uses for it.
Funding being provided by ‘The National Lottery’.
So, after over 50 years since it was closed, on Saturday 28th. of October 2023 it was re-opened, and I attended the re-opening event.
South Wingfield station /1
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
Circa 1840.
North lies to the left of the image.
South Wingfield station /2
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
An image showing how dilapidated it had become.
South Wingfield station /3
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk'
This is the first view the intending passenger gets of the ‘refurbished’ station building.
The separate small building on the right was the goods shed.
South Wingfield station /4
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
The restoration has been completed to a very high standard.
South Wingfield station /5
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk
I am standing in what was the cattle dock showing the proximity of the rails which are part of the ‘Midland Mainline’.
There is no provision for trains to stop, instead they flash past in a few seconds.
The building to my left was the goods shed.
South Wingfield station /6
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
Although the station approach has been covered in a layer of gravel, the setts, which presumably are the original covering, put in an appearance.
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