Forden Signal Box

Cadw's description

Location

On the west side of the line at former Forden Station, 1km to the south west of the village of Forden accessed via a dead end lane.

History

Built in 1897 as a Dutton type 3 signal box for the Cambrian Railways on the line between Montgomery and Welshpool. Forden station closed in 1965 when the line from Whitchurch was closed. The station had consisted of a double line and platform, waiting room amd other station buildings. The box is no longer in use and is in private ownership, currently within the garden of the nearby Station House.

Exterior

Brick and timber boarded two storey structure with projecting plinth and glazed gallery of horizontally sliding windows to trackside elevation and gable returns. Continuous dark blue brick string and plinth course banding below gallery. Gabled slate roof with deep eaves, wave pattern barge boards and gable finials.

Main (east) trackside elevation with 2 round headed small pane cast iron windows to brick ground floor with stone cills at plinth level and banding to window heads continual with string course. Glazed gallery above of 4 sliding cross windows. North elevation with projecting timber first floor with single window and open to left with timber steps and handrails. Continuation of galley behind with part glazed panelled door to the right. North elevation with return of galley with two sliding and one fixed window. Rear (west) elevation of plain banded brick with projecting boarded upper floor to the left.

Interior

Both floors converted, locking room below now workshop, lever room above retains timber floor with division for former lever frame.

Reason for designation

Included for its special architectural interest as a rare surviving example of a Dutton and Co signal box, a type commonly used on the Cambrian railways and that despite the loss of internal equipment, it survives largely intact.