As The Station in Richmond celebrates a milestone anniversary, Laura Wilson looks back at how it has become such a renowned leisure destination

CELEBRATIONS have been going on for weeks to mark the tenth anniversary of the reopening of The Station in Richmond as a community hub for food, art and entertainment.

There have been a whole host of special performances from storytellers, illusionists, puppeteers and Richmond Operatic Society, plus a Victorian Intrigue event which saw visitors go back in time to the building's railways heyday.

There is also a 10@10 calendar, as well as a kite festival and photography exhibition.

It's no wonder that those behind the project are so keen to mark its first decade, such has been The Station's overwhelming success since the building was saved for the community.

Designed by renowned Victorian architect George Townsend Andrews, who also built the town's Old Grammar School, The Station closed and was turned into a garden centre in 1969 following the Beeching Report into British Railways.

It was put up for sale in the early 2000s by owners Richmondshire District Council, and the Friends of Richmond Station came together to try and preserve it.

From this group, the Richmondshire Building Preservation Trust (RBPT) formed in 2003 to come up with a proposal for a new use of the building.

Trustees sold their vision to the council, which gave them 12 months to come up with the funds – put at £2.3m by a feasibility study.

A community fundraising campaign swung into action, and volunteers raised a large part of the sum through events held in the empty building and at other venues.

Sufficient progress had been made during 2004 that the district council agreed to prepare a lease for the station building, and work began in 2006.

In November 2007, at a cost of £2.75m, the station re-opened as a venue for film, food and art – and it has not looked back since.

The venue now welcomes more than 350,000 visitors each year, and houses Archer’s Ice Cream, Angels Share Bakery, the Richmond Brewing Company, the Station Cinema, GSC Grays and Season’s Restaurant.

The shop stocks exclusive artist-made ceramics, jewellery, textiles, wood and glass, and is gaining a national reputation for its studio ceramics.

Its rooms hold exercise classes, education groups, self-help sessions and business meetings, while a younger audience is being enticed with craft workshops. A Cartoon Relay – a running cartoon story book which was added to by visitors over the summer – is in the process of being published.

Dave Dalton, a regular volunteer who was a trustee for three years in The Station’s early days, says: “Saving the old building brought the whole community together.

“I’m proud of The Station, and I love to see the look on visitors’ faces when they walk in.”

Thea Treweek, gallery and volunteer coordinator, adds: “Our strong volunteer team is key in helping us keep going day to day.

“They greet the public, undertake admin, offer tours and heritage information and help run groups.

“They are a cornerstone of what we are, and we are incredibly fortunate to have such brilliant people who give up their time regularly for us.”

The success of The Station was noted early on, when in 2008 it was named as a regional and national finalist in the Nationwide Community and Heritage Awards.

Sue Dewhurst, retail coordinator, says: “Customer feedback shows it has a welcoming, homely feel where people are happy to wander alone even in the evening, but the added sense of history brings an added layer of romanticism to the atmosphere.

“We still get a weekly contingency of visitors who were last here when they were doing National Service and a return visit for them is especially poignant.”

The Station prides itself in engaging with schools to deliver various programmes, including art projects.

Thea says: “We are very lucky to live in an area where all of our local secondary schools retain an arts budget."

It is this focus on art which gives The Station its major selling point. The building's art space, which has a mixture of professional groups, solo artists and community projects, is fully booked until the end of 2020. Future exhibitors include Richard Parvin with Steerdeer, a collection of faux hunting trophies created from bicycle components and found objects.

“The Station building is open to far more than just art lovers but, as a consequence, all visitors get the chance to experience beautiful things, often without realising it," says Thea.

“For young people to be able to view their work on the walls and for them to see that art is a legitimate career choice is key to generating and encouraging artists of the future.

“It is hugely important to me that a key part of the wonderful visitor experience offered by us as a whole is down to art.”

Eileen Halliday, general manager, says the next ten years are looking very exciting.

"The future is to be sustainable, vibrant and a place to visit and enjoy exhibitions as well as retaining our heritage," she says.

“We also want to develop events and activities relevant to the culture of the town. Tourism is the bread and butter for visitor centres and businesses in Richmond.”