Project outline:
Design and refurbishment of two waiting rooms at grade II listed Leamington Spa station, using modern and traditional techniques sympathetic to the building’s 1930’s heritage.

Location:
Leamington Spa, Warwickshire

Client:
Chiltern Railways

We provided:
Civil & structural engineering services
Project management services
Architectural services
Site surveys & investigations
Mechanical & electrical services

Key collaborators:
Chiltern Railways – our client
Network Rail – who provided advice and assistance.
English Heritage and Friends of Leamington – who advised on listed elements

We were tasked with delivering design, landlord’s consent application and management, and project management support for this unique project, combining modern and traditional construction techniques to breathe new life into the waiting rooms at Leamington Spa station.

About the works:
We developed a design to bring the waiting rooms back to use as a customer facility and additional revenue stream for Chiltern Railways.

In our design survey, we identified that Chiltern Railways could salvage and restore enough heritage paneling to cover one wall of the main waiting room. The plasterwork was repaired, the teak wooden fittings restored, and the windows and doors refurbished. Furniture and lighting were installed, along with a new tiled floor; all carefully chosen to be sympathetic to their heritage setting.

The second waiting room was refurbished as a refreshment facility, with a serving counter into the main room. This can be closed off via a shutter when not in use giving maximum flexibility.

Praise for our approach:
Since completion, Leamington Spa station waiting room has featured in the local press and we have received high praise both for design and for project delivery. The station also featured in the National Heritage Trust Annual Report in 2016. Chair of Friends of Leamington Station, Archie Pitts, said: ‘We’re really impressed with how the station looks following the refurbishment work. Everyone involved has done a fantastic job and it fits with the style that has been here since 1939.’

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