Chepstow Railway Station

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on the W side of the railway at the E side of the town, Station Road leading indirectly off Beaufort Square

History

Built 1850 as a station in Isambard Kingdon Brunel's South Wales Railway in accordance with Brunel's ideas on station building and to the design of one of Brunel's assistants N. Lancaster Owen. Railway from Chepstow to Swansea completed 1850. Until Brunel's bridge was opened in 1852/3 passengers were conveyed by coach between Chepstow East at Tidenham and this station. Platform was originally 1m lower than the carriages and was raised together with the buildings in 1877 by Chepstow contractor Cuthbert Whalley. Station building on opposite side demolished.

Exterior

Small stone station building in Italianate style. Walls faced externally with roughly dressed stone laid in regular courses with bands, dressings and quoins in contrasting tooled ashlar. Hipped roof with original form of lead roof covering? and with wide overhanging and bracketed and boarded eaves forming a canopy; blue brick stack. Western (entrance) and eastern (track) elevations of 5 bays each. Windows are round-headed with impost bands and bracketed sills; battered plinth. A round-headed doorway in each projecting centre bay, each flanked each side by a wider intermediate bay with window and in turn each side by a narrower recessed end bay; a window at south end in west elevation and a doorway in south end bay of east elevation. The south end immediately adjoins a wing with hipped slate roof with boxed eaves; 2 pairs of windows in west wall and two round-headed doorways and windows in east wall. To the north, 4-bay timber canopy of 1870's or 80's, with backward sloping roof supported at rear on wooden boarded and brick wall and in front on 3 fluted and reeded iron columns with decorated caps; canopy anchored into 1850 building at south end. Incorporates weighbridge.

Reason for designation

Listed as a surviving station building from Brunel's railway. Group value with other associated listed railway buildings.