For every boy who grew up scribbling down train makes and models, or every girl who secretly wanted to be Bobbie from the Railway Children, bravely waving her red petticoat in warning about a landslide, this unique house could be a childhood dream come true.

Rowden Mill Station in Bredenbury, Bromyard, still very much looks like the Victorian station it used to be.

Designed by William Clarke for the Great Western Railway and opened on September 15, 1897, it was the first station on the line from Bromyard to Leominster. Sadly its use was fairly short-lived. Fifty-five years to the day it opened, it was closed down and the line dismantled six years later, in 1958.

After that the station lay derelict until it was purchased in 1984 by the current owners.

Their restoration of the site won The British Rail Premier award in 1988.

The main station has become a quaint house with all the offices and functional rooms repurposed.

The kitchen diner can be found in what used to be the booking office. It has been fitted with a Smallbone painted kitchen, electric twin oven and electric cooker. Its original cast iron fire place still remains.

As a comfortable lounge, the former waiting room is now used for more long term stays rather than people just passing through. It has a woodburning stove and double doors opening on to platform under the station canopy.

What used to be the ladies waiting room is now a double bedroom with fitted wardrobe, Victorian style washbasin with cabinet and mirror and the original cast iron fire place.

A single bedroom has been created from the old porters room. Like the lounge, this also has a door onto the platform.

The gentleman’s toilet hasn’t changed in use too much as it is now the bathroom. It remains in keeping with the age of the building and has been fitted with a Victorian style suite of bath, washbasin with cabinet, high level toilet and bidet. There is a lantern light in the ceiling and a built-in airing cupboard.

The old parcel building has been put to use as a studio with wood burning stove, cloakroom, kitchenette and a full height glass sliding door that offers stunning views over the open countryside. Four Velux roof lights let even more natural light and would make it ideal for use as an artist’s studio or perhaps a writing room. It is currently being used as a lounge and cinema.

In 2010 a new building was added to the south side of the station. It has a rest room with en suite shower room and wardrobe on one side and a garage workshop with utility area and access to another shower room on the other.

Behind this building is a raised vegetable garden and large garden shed. Car parking area between the buildings allows for up to six cars.

Although the interior of the building has been updated, the exterior still looks much as it did when it was a working station, complete with old GWR fixtures and rolling stock.

At the Leominster end of the line there is a grounded 1890s Metropolitan Railway coach body which is used as a store room.

The platform features a station garden with original GWR cast lamp posts with Sugg Victorian lamps fitted to the posts and to the corners of the station building.

Poster boards contain reproduction 1950s adverts.

A rare Edward VII post box in the station side wall is used for incoming mail.

Railway track is laid along the full length of the site. There is one crossover operated by levers in the signal box with a second crossover that is manually operated.

Two large railway single track trolley sheds are rail connected with a turntable.

The cattle dock siding has rare original cattle pens with GWR design operating gates.

Other rolling stock is available for purchase separately.

It includes a GWR brake van (known as a “Toad” brake van) from 1935 with sink, cupboards, steel stove and veranda/viewing area; a 1937 Fruit C Van currently used for storage and a workshop; two 12-ton ventilated vans from 1961 and 1958 that are used for storage; a fully operational Wickham pump trolley from the 1950s and a velocipede.

Planning permission has been granted to add a further two bedrooms and a dining room to the station building, extending it considerably while still keeping its character.

It sits in good sized grounds of nearly 2.4 acres and has panoramic views of Wall Hills.

Rowden Mill Station is in a peaceful and secluded rural spot about a mile from the A44 in Bredenbury. Bromyard is two and half miles away and has shops, Post Office, pubs, builders merchant, sports centre, library, theatre and doctor’s surgery.

Worcester and Ludlow are both 17 miles away.

VIEWING INFORMATION

AGENT: Andrew Grant Country Homes

TEL: 01905 734735

WEB: www.andrew-grant.co.uk

GUIDE PRICE: £550,000