Wansford station being moved 'brick by brick' to Peterborough museum

The station between the villages of Sutton and Wansford has been closed since 1929

Work has started to move a former Victorian railway station "brick by brick" to a museum.

Wansford Road station in Sutton, Cambridgeshire, has been saved from demolition, as it was in the path of a project to dual the A47.

It is being moved to the Nene Valley Railway (NVR) near Peterborough, as Cambridgeshire Live reported.

More than £200,000 of funding from National Highways will be used to support the work.

The station, which is located between the villages of Wansford and Sutton, was built in 1867 and closed to passengers in 1929.

Both the NVR and Railworld Wildlife Haven were involved in the plans with National Highways to dismantle and move the station.

Permission was granted by Peterborough City Council last year.

Writing on its Facebook page, an NVR spokesperson said the Wansford station house would become "a new gateway to both Railworld and the NVR".

Artist's impression of the Victorian station in its new setting at the Nene Valley Railway

They said work to dismantle the station had been delayed by "the need to relocate a population of pipistrelle bats, [but] we finally have started to take off the roof".

"An ecologist has been retained to keep an eye on proceedings and watch out for the bats and other wildlife."

It is expected to take up to 10 weeks to complete the move, most of which will be done at night.

However, it is not certain when the station will be recreated at the NVR site.

The spokesperson added: "We are currently comparing quotations for the rebuild - these are coming in higher than we expected and we're looking at additional fundraising options.

"Our target is to have the building up by March or April next year."

Work has already started on the A47 upgrade between Wansford and Sutton, and is expected to be completed in 2026 at an estimated cost of between £50m and £100m.

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