Swanage locomotive shed, turntable pit and retaining wall

Summary

A locomotive shed and turntable pit constructed for the Swanage Railway which opened in 1885. They were designed probably by Galbraith and Church. Restoration and minor alterations to the engine shed in the late C20, and the original turntable was scrapped in 1967 and a replacement installed after 2010. Although they are of late date in the context of the development of the country's railway network, they are rare and notable survivals.

Reasons for Designation

The locomotive shed, adjacent turntable pit and retaining wall at Swanage, built for the Swanage Railway which opened in 1885, are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural Interest:

* although not early examples in the context of the development of the country's railway network, they are nationally rare survivals;
* the building is well-proportioned, with a good degree of historic fabric, and is functionally legible. Despite the loss of its original turntable, the associated turntable pit and is particularly notable.

Historic interest:
* although not early in the context of railway history, they both continue to serve the functions for which they were built;
* the construction of Swanage Railway contributed to the widespread use of Purbeck stone in Dorset and beyond, and to the development of Swanage as a seaside destination.

Group value:
* for the cohesive, functional relationship between the locomotive shed and the turntable as well as group value with the nearby overbridge and goods shed which are contemporary.

History

Following the opening of the London & South West Railway (LSWR) between Southampton and Dorchester via Wareham in 1847 several unsuccessful attempts were made to establish a branch line from Wareham (at Worgret Junction to the west of the town) to Swanage. An Act of Parliament in 1880 authorised the railway and responsibility for its construction was split between the Swanage Railway Company, who financed it, and the LSWR. William Galbraith, LSWR’s engineer for new works, and his partner and former pupil, R F Church worked on a number of branch lines independently, including Swanage, and were responsible for surveying its route and drawing up specifications and plans. The line opened in May 1885, carrying passengers and freight, including quarried stone, ball clay and coal. Stations were built at Corfe Castle and at Swanage, designed by Galbraith and Church and constructed by Bull & Co of Southampton. The locomotive maintenance shed and turntable to the west of Swanage station were also built in 1885, along with a signal box and a goods yard that had a goods shed (listed at Grade II).

As the town’s popularity as a seaside resort grew, the number of passengers travelling to Swanage by rail increased significantly, and in 1938 the station was enlarged to come with the extra demand. Freight traffic to Corfe Castle and Swanage ceased in 1965, although a residual service handling mineral traffic continued along part of the line. Passenger numbers fell in the second half of the C20 as vehicle use increased, and the last passenger service from Swanage to Wareham ran on 1 January 1972. The track was lifted soon after the railway closed, though some surplus track had been removed in the late 1960s.

The turntable, its rail and mechanism were dismantled and scrapped in 1967, though the pit itself remained. The original signal box was also demolished, and the goods yard became a car park and bus terminus. In 1975 several buildings at Swanage station were leased to the Swanage Railway Society (Swanage Railway Company since 1979) and repairs were carried out. After relaying a short section of track, part of the line reopened in 1979 as a privately-run preserved railway. In 1995 the track was relaid as far as Corfe Castle, and to the main line west of Wareham in 2002. The locomotive shed was restored in the late C20; its east entrance had been damaged by a locomotive and the original arched opening was replaced with a large, flat-arched opening. In 2010 a locomotive turntable built in 1952 for British Railways and previously at a rail depot in London was re-located to Swanage. Some minor modifications were made to the original turntable pit for its installation.

Details

A railway locomotive shed and turntable pit of 1885. Designed probably by Galbraith and Church for the Swanage Railway. Restoration and minor alterations to the building in the late C20; the original turntable was scrapped in 1967. The present turntable, which was installed in the early C21 and the post-1955 ancillary building on the north side of the locomotive shed, are excluded from the listing.

MATERIALS
The engine shed is constructed of cut and squared Purbeck stone under a slate roof.

PLAN
The building is rectangular on plan and offset slightly from the track.

EXTERIOR
It is a single track, four-bay engine shed (formerly 71B sub-shed) for one locomotive. The north and south side elevations each have a chamfered plinth and four windows under cambered arches, with original frames with small panes. The west end has a segmental-arched doorway with boarded double doors. The east end is open, with boarding in the gable. It previously had an identical doorway to the west end, but after it was damaged, the opening was altered to its present form. The gabled roof has two low and two tall ventilators which have been restored.

INTERIOR
The internal walls are whitewashed stone. There is a single track, and a central inspection pit runs the length of the building with a walkway to either side. It retains timber king post truss roofs and two rows of purlins.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES
Directly associated with the locomotive shed is the uncovered turntable. It is cut into the hillslope, with a curved, stone rubble retaining wall along its north side. It consists of a circular depression, some 15.2m in diameter. The pit walls are lined with random stone rubble, and the floor is concrete. The concrete inner circle is later, added to accommodate the replacement steel locomotive turntable which was installed in the early C21. The present turntable, which was manufactured by Cowans, Sheldon & Co Ltd of Carlisle and is now manually operated, is not included in the listing.

Sources

Books and journals
Wright, A P M, The Swanage Branch (1987),

Websites
List of archive documents from Cumbria County Council related to Cowans Sheldon Civil Engineers of Carlisle, accessed 30 June 2025 from https://85a.uk/templot/archive/topics/attach/attach_1128_1562_list_of_cowans_sheldon_archive_drawings_from_cumbria_cc.pdf

End of official list entry