Jacobean-style gem suffering from dry rot and collapsing floors
Grade II-listed, 1846, J.W. Livock
This delicate Jacobean Revival building on the old Northampton to Peterborough line is a gem of a station, with its picturesque roof line and plentiful finials. It was designed by JW Livock , a prolific designer of railway stations of which Wansford has been described as ‘the most perfect of all’. It closed in 1957 and is now owned, but not used, by the neighbouring haulage yard. The Nene Valley Railway currently makes use of the platform, and have expressed an interest in buying the station and restoring it for the benefit of passengers and the local community, but so far the owners haven’t been persuaded to sell. The dry rot, collapsed floors and serious cracks in the façade will only worsen is a solution is not found.
Ian Dungavell, Director of the The Victorian Society said ‘The owners need to undertake urgent repairs to the station to reverse years of decay, or be persuaded to sell, so that the station can be given a new lease of life. So many historic buildings suffer from the lack of an obvious use, but here the role is clear’.
Status Update / March 2026
Seven years after appearing on our list in 2011, the building had deteriorated, and was in danger of being bulldozed to make way for the dualling of the A47. In response, a local heritage group stepped in, initially launching a crowdfunding campaign, and then commissioning a relocation project. The station building was dismantled brick by brick in April 2024 and moved to a new site in the centre of Peterborough. It now serves a dual purpose as the visitor gateway to both the Nene Valley Railway and Railworld Wildlife Haven, a tourist attraction combining heritage and environmental elements.