Project to move old railway station needs £150,000

Stan Bell, of the Wansford Road CIC, has called on people to "rally round" the relocation project

The team relocating a disused Victorian railway station brick by brick say they need £150,000 to complete the project.

Wansford Road station in Sutton, near Peterborough, was dismantled last April and is being rebuilt at Railworld Wildlife Haven in the city.

The building was in danger of being bulldozed to make way for dualling of the A47.

Stan Bell, who has been leading the project, said: "I hope people will rally round and help us get it through."

Railworld is off Oundle Road, just south of the Peterborough city centre and the River Nene

The station, which is between the neighbouring villages of Wansford and Sutton, closed to passengers in 1929.

Its outer shell and roof have been installed at the new location in Peterborough city centre, but work is ongoing to fit out its interior.

The building has been installed but it still needs to be made fit for catering

Mr Bell said the project was going "very well" a year after it began, but £150,000 was needed to cover the remaining work.

"This is fundamental to our railway heritage," he said.

"If buildings like this weren't restored then they would be lost to posterity and people would never know what the railways were like."

The new station will act as a gateway to both Railworld and the Nene Valley Railway in Pleasure Fair Meadow Road, with a visitor centre in the building.

Brian Pearce, from Railworld, said the attraction was already receiving plenty of interest from children.

The three groups hoped they could create a place for enthusiasts to enjoy the history of Peterborough's railways.

"Prior to the railway, Peterborough was a small town," said Michael Purcell, chairman of Nene Valley Railway.

"It really kickstarted industry here, kickstarted population growth here and made Peterborough what it is today."