Castle Howard station is now a home and holiday let, but its place in rail history is assured.

The train no longer stops at Castle Howard station but rail passengers on the York to Scarborough line still wonder at the grandiose trackside property, which once served the rural stop. Now, thanks to over 30 years of research and digital technology, it only takes a couple of clicks online to find the story. The written, verbal and photographic history of this architecturally significant station has been collated on a website, castlehowardstation.com Edmund Collins, one of the country’s top racehorse vets, who bought the Grade II-listed property in 1986, his wife, Anne, and their neighbour, Steve Serowka, have collaborated to document its history.

Picture James Hardisty. Anne, and Edmund Collins, next to the restored Castle Howard Station sign along with Steve Serowka.

They are a dream team. Edmund’s interest in his home’s past has manifested itself in a vast collection of books, photographs and newspaper clippings. Anne’s degree in history and her research skills have boosted the archive and Steve, a designer, has used his talents to source images and place everything online for posterity. “It’s not just the story of the station, it includes the social and economic history of the area. Having a railway station here made a tremendous difference to the people who lived nearby. “Steam locomotives were as exciting as artificial intelligence and robots are now and the station meant that locals could sell their produce to cities. Previously, they had been limited to how far a horse and cart could go,” says Anne.

The station was built in 1845 by the York and North Midland Railway Company, which managed to secure the land from the Earl of Carlisle’s Castle Howard estate. It served the village of Welburn and the Earl, who liked the idea of letting the train take the strain while travelling at 50mph. The station was named after his stately home 2.5 miles away and a road was built to take him to from its doorstep to the platform. He also had his own waiting room in what is now a bedroom and made full use of it. “In the very early days he was even able to request a train and one would come and take him to York,” says Steve Serowka, who adds that the Atlas fountain at Castle Howard was brought from the Great Exhibition in 1850 to the station, then lugged to the big house by horses.

The Castle Howard Station house, which has been restored and given a new fountain

Architect George Townsend Andrews gave the main station property an Italianate facade plus a large garden with a fish pool and fountain. The Yorkshire Vernacular Buildings Study Group says: “The architecture used on the façade of this station is not typical of the north and east Yorkshire wayside stations. It exhibits a flourish possibly to impress the Earl of Carlisle.” Its biggest claim to fame is that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert alighted there in 1850 to stay with the Earl. It was a convenient stopover on their way to officially open Newcastle’s Central Station. Castle Howard Station was closed to passengers in 1930, along with 11 others, to make journey times quicker, though it was used for freight and parcels until the 1950s. The rail company turned a redundant waiting shed on the up platform to York into a holiday let. Richard Adler’s memory of staying there in 1958 is on castlehowardstation.com. “It was almost our last family holiday before we went our own teenage ways, and a good one. I spoke to my younger brother and he particularly remembered falling out of a tree behind the station house garden. We both remembered that the stationmaster was Mr Hollins, and my brother palled up with his son, Neil. “My brother remembered Mrs. Hollins’ cooking and her wonderful cakes. I remember the chickens running about by the level crossing, always expecting one to be reduced to blood and feathers. “My fondest memory is of the trains at night.” The website features pictures of the rudimentary holiday home, along with many other images. Some of the best finds were by Steve, who scours eBay for them. Other reminiscences include those from Herbert Hartley who worked at the station between 1918 and 1933. He said: “We had a coaching house and stalls for four horses when I was there. I have counted as many as 48 horses and carts in the station yard. Farmers brought hay, grain and potatoes for despatch, and collected fertilisers, feeding stuff and household commodities. They were busy days. Hundreds of visitors came at weekends.” The station buildings and the grounds were sold by the British Railways Board for £1,000 in 1964 to a railway inspector.

Edmund Collins bought the property in 1986 with a view to making it a live-work home. He turned the old waiting room and platform into his veterinary surgery and when he moved to premises in Welburn, it was given a new life as Platform 1, a one-bedroom holiday let.

Anne took charge of the decor and opted for “simple and stylish” “It is perfect for everyone for everyone from rail enthusiasts to those who love history and nature. It is very relaxing and rural with lots of wildlife around but the A64 is just up the road with easy access to the coast, York and the North York Moors,” says Anne. The income is ploughed back into the house and grounds.

Inside the holiday let - Platform 1

Their latest outlay was having the Castle Howard Station sign renovated. It had disappeared when Edmund bought the property but a serendipitous call led to its recovery. He went to treat a goat in Slingsby and the owner mentioned that he had the sign in one of his outbuildings. Edmund took it in lieu of payment. “It’s the icing on the cake and it’s been beautifully restored,” says Anne, who is keen to point out that the hunt for historical information continues. The digital archive is at www.castlehowardstation.com, along with details on the holiday let.