Llanelli Victorian railway goods shed to be restored

MP Nia Griffith, architect Huw Griffiths and trust secretary Richard Roper look forward to work getting under way

Work is starting on a £850,000 revamp of a Victorian railway shed to turn it into offices for community use.

The shed, built in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, in 1875, was used for cargo including sheep and cattle.

The shed ceased operation in 1966, although the office at the western end finally locked its doors in 2000.

A trust set up in 2011 to restore the Grade II-listed shed now has control of it to revamp it into offices for business and community use.

The town's MP Nia Griffith, who chairs the Llanelli Railway Goods Shed Trust, said the renovation would give a "lift" to the area.

The Grade II-listed building fell out of use more than 20 years ago

"The building is deteriorating, and unfortunately would have gone to rack and ruin - another sorry tale of heritage that could have been saved," she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Money raised from the office tenants would then be used to help fund restoration of the good shed.

Ms Griffith suggested it could be used for activities including youth theatre and skills training.

She said pupils and teachers from local schools had already been involved, exploring the industrial heritage of the town.

A report from 1931, cited in an article published on Llanelli Community Heritage's website, described how "the doors of the wagons are opened to disclose a heterogeneous collection of goods destined for the merchants of the town".

How the shed looked in the 1920s

It lists the cargo as including "cases of butter, wines, various groceries, drugs etc, bags of sugar packages of furniture, wireless sets, agricultural implements, builders materials, castings, crates of bicycles all duly labelled to various consignees for delivery within the established free delivery area of the town, or perhaps beyond, for which an extra charge is made".

Funding has come from a variety of sources including Carmarthenshire council, the Welsh Government and the Railway Heritage Trust.

Bill Kelly, route director for Network Rail Wales and Borders, said it was delighted to be finally handing over the keys to the property.

"It's a magnificent building and such an important part of our railway heritage here in Wales," he said.

"We can't wait to see it transformed into a social and economic hub for the local community."