Friday 25 October 2024 saw representatives of the National Railway Heritage Awards and the Friends of the station gather in the recently-restored refreshment rooms on Platform Two, where the plaque awarded to the Centenary Lounge Ltd for the work completed was officially unveiled by Tom Higginson, Director of Planning and Land Services at Network Rail, on behalf of the award’s sponsors.
Introducing the guests was Aasia Baig, on behalf of the entrants, whilst Andy Savage MBE, chairman of the NRHA, spoke about the awards. Representing the award sponsor, Network Rail, as Tom Higginson, who reminisced about growing up in the area and making considerable use of the station when he was a youngster. In addition there were tributes from the Friends to a number of individuals who had been instrumental in helping to safeguard the station.
Leamington Spa station was rebuilt by the GWR prior to World War 2 and, whilst the space had always been used as refreshment room, in recent years the room had suffered from poor maintenance and its condition had deteriorated. Starting in 2022, Centenary Lounge Ltd had undertaken a careful restoration of the room. The work had included the repair of the original floor, the recreation of the limestone wall facing the hardwood panelling and the careful reproduction of glass lampshades. The successful revival of the style adopted by the GWR in 1939 saw the project win the Network Rail Conservation Award at the 2023 award ceremony held in London in early December.
The unveiled plaque with, from left, Aasia Baig, from Centenary Lounge, Andy Savage MBE, Chairman of the NRHA, and Tom Higginson, Director of Planning and Land Services at Network Rail.
The interior of the Centenary lounge on the Down platform at Leamington Spa; the careful recreation of the 1930s ambience of the station resulted in the project being awarded the Network Rail Conservation Award at the 2023 National Railway Heritage Awards.