The Signal Box
Blakedown
– Overview –
Churchill and Blakedown Parish Council was given a 19th century signal box on the condition it can move it. Network Rail has donated Blakedown signal box, in Mill Lane, after plans were made to demolish it. The signal box, built in 1888, is too close to the track to be used where it is, meaning it will need to be taken down, brick by brick, and rebuilt in a new location.
Wyre Forest District Council and community housing have agreed to its rebuild on the other side of Mill Lane in a tenant’s garden. They are going to form a historical society and want to use the signal box as a meeting room.
The takedown was done during track closures and took some 20 hours to remove over night. This was a remarkable achievement given the timescale provided and the constraints placed upon us.
Upon its rebuild the Signal box has been altered to accommodate its change of use. The building now has a disabled toilet, a main entrance which is disabled compliant, and an internal lift to allow movements between floors. The external staircase which has been made in Idigbo will replace the modern steel staircase which was removed on the takedown.
