The unveiling was held on Thursday 8 May, the 80th Anniversary of VE Day, and, as the group were assembled ahead of midday, the group respected the two minutes national period of silence by joining in at 12.00. The weather was clear and bright for the event.
The assembled group discussed the project and the support which had been forthcoming, not only during the restoration of the building but also through the support of the Railway Heritage Trust, DfT and West Midlands Railway, and the sponsorship of the awards by GWR.
The National Railway Heritage Awards were represented by Trustees, Andy Savage MBE (Chairman), accompanied by Robert Hayward (Awards Manager and Trustee), Malcolm Wood (Awards Manager and Trustee), and Tim Hedley-Jones MVO (Sponsorship Manager and Trustee), who was also representing the Railway Heritage Trust).
The party was welcomed by Bricket Wood Station Heritage Trust Trustee Robert Yorke who introduced fellow Trustees Paul Amsterdam, and Nigel Watson, together with supporters.
Following the unveiling of the award plaque, photographs were taken and the group, having inspected the external work on the building, including excellent brickwork repairs and cleaning and restoration of windows, doors and excellent chimneys, adjourned to the tea rooms which are the focus of the station.
The station, which was originally opened in 1858 by the London & North Western Railway as part of the St Albans branch line, grew in importance and usage with the advent of the Woodside Fairs from the 1890s to 1929, which brough vast numbers of people through the railway system.
The current brick building replaced a previous wooden structure in 1903 and stayed in full use until it was finally closed in the late 1960s and bricked up in the early 1970s, following a fire, with the chimneys removed. The station remained little more than a halt, despite electrification in the interim, but finally in May 2022 the building was taken under the wing of the Trust, who, with assistance from the DfT, the Railway Heritage Trust and operators, West Midlands Railway, undertook restoration of the building completed in August 2023, when they received their lease The work included replacing the missing chimneys and restoring the exterior whilst developing the interior to a high standard for the provision of the tea-room.
The interior work carried out is very appropriate, with care taken to replicate the original panelling details, with excellent fenestration and interior lighting details. The tea-room is an excellent facility and obviously an important asset to the local community judging by the numbers of visitors there.
The plaque at Bricket Wood following its unveiling with, from the left, Nigel Watson (BWSHT Trustee), Tim Hedley-Jones (NRHA Sponsorship Manager and Trustee also representing the Railway Heritage Trust), Andy Savage (NRHA Chairman and Trustee), Robert Yorke (BWSHT Trustee), Paul Amsterdam (BWSHT Trustee), Malcolm Wood (NRHA Awards Manager and Trustee) and Robert Hayward (NRHA Awards Manager and Trustee).
The exterior of the restored station at Bricket Wood where the work undertaken by the Bricket Wood station Heritage Trust justifiably won the project the Great Western Railway Operational Enhancement Award at the 2024 National Railway Heritage Awards.
The very attractive team room that forms an essential ingredient of the restored station; the work completed brought back into use a building that had been disused for many years and which had suffered significant deterioration over the years. The resulting tea room is already well used by local people and visitors.