Steam Railway Secures Purchase Of Ashey Station - After 57 Years!

The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is delighted to announce that, 57 years after being sold by British Railways, Ashey Station is back in railway ownership.

The Isle of Wight Steam Railway has today acquired the full station grounds, the station buildings, and land to the north.

The station was built for the opening of the Ryde and Newport Railway in 1875. It was reduced to an unmanned halt in 1953 and sold into private ownership in 1968, two years after the closure of the line.

The aspiration to eventually acquire the original main station building and platforms was set out in the railway’s first ‘strategic vision’ published in 2009. Fast forward to February 2024, and the time felt right to let the Holbrook family, owners of the station since 1980, know of our continued interest should they ever decide to sell.

Marc Morgan Huws, Chief Executive at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, said:

“We are immensely grateful to the Holbrook family for their willingness to enter into exclusive negotiations and a sale directly to us. We have acquired the full station grounds, the station buildings, and land to the north. What better way to celebrate the 150th anniversary of our railway!”

“We will return the station to 1926 Southern Railway period condition externally, restore the public rooms, and allow us to achieve an income from the remainder of the property through holiday letting. This is now our priority, but we expect phase two to take up to two years, with much research, planning, and statutory approvals required before we can start the renovations.”

The plan will be to fully restore the platform, return the buildings to period condition, and bring them up to a standard in which they can be utilised. This, we estimate, will cost in the region of a further £550,000. We will be raising funds to help with the costs to return Ashey Station to its 1926 appearance—fully restored and protected for the future.