Woody Bay Station receives Grade II status

Woody Bay Station's chalet style design reflects the area's nickname Little Switzerland, due to comparison with the Alps by contemporary poets and writers

Woody Bay Station in Devon has been listed as Grade II status as part of moves to mark 200 years of the modern railway.

The station has been granted protection alongside six other sites as part of the anniversary celebrations of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825.

Historic England said Woody Bay was built in 1898 and was the best-surviving example of a station on the former Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, which allowed easier access to Exmoor National Park.

Claudia Kenyatta and Emma Squire, who are the incoming chief executive of Historic England on a job share, said: "The development of England's railway system was one of the greatest achievements of the Victorian era."

They said: "These new listings highlight key milestones in its growth and demonstrate how the railway has shaped our local places today.

"Every newly listed station announced today is open to the public to visit, so the protection of these sites means that they will continue to be seen and enjoyed by visitors for generations to come."

The Devon station was part of the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, which operated from 1898 to 1935, and was funded by publisher and philanthropist Sir George Newnes.

The onward rail link from Barnstaple to Lynton and Lynmouth allowed tourists to travel from locations between Devon and London, but also to enable local people to access markets and events in Barnstaple.

The station has survived mostly unchanged and it still in use as the hub for The Lynton & Barnstaple heritage railway.