Harrow & Wealdstone railway and underground station needs to undergo urgent repair work on two of its platforms.
A station building and roofing canopy at Harrow and Wealdstone is said to be ‘deteriorating’ after being damaged by water.
Dating back to 1837, the station sits on the London to Rugby line and the London to Watford line, as well as being the northern end of the Bakerloo line. It has six platforms, including two serving the London underground and overground.
Network Rail have appealed to Harrow Council to approve planning permission to complete the works as the platform building is Grade II listed. A decision on whether to move ahead with the works on platforms two and three for the railway, which are considered “necessary to improve and extend the safe operation of the station”, will be made by the council’s planning team.
Surveys carried out at the station helped to identify parts that had been damaged and what restoration would be required. Network Rail have said that doing so will “halt the deterioration” of the listed building and provide a “watertight, safe canopy for station users”.
The repairs would take place on the south west ‘Harrow side’ of the station, which is considered to be the older part. Documents submitted to the council’s planning department suggest the building and canopy on platforms two and three have become ‘decayed and damaged’.
The station building dates back to around 1911 and is split into two separate rooms – an announcement room and a waiting room for customers – which are currently in use. Both rooms are described as in “worn condition” with evidence of damp and damage to the wall and ceiling panelling.
Surveys revealed that the canopy required fixing due to the sheer number of defects, which included damaged roof coverings and gutters, as well as decay to the timber and corrosion to the cast iron columns.
According to documents submitted to the council by Network Rail, many of the canopy’s brackets are missing infill and some of the timbers are showing “signs of distress and deterioration” and will need to be completely replaced. Likewise, the timber cladding and framing of the rooms would need replacing after becoming “decayed and damaged” due to water leaking in from above.
The beams were found to be “exhibiting fungal decay”, likely caused by wet rot, so ventilation will be installed within the roof to reduce the likelihood of more damaging dry rot developing. The guttering will also be replaced after an inspection found them to be “in poor condition and are likely to be life-expired”.
Network Rail state that doing the work will mean that the station “retains its external historic character and maintain the longevity of the building for its original intended use”, as well as making sure the station remains a “secure and safe environment”.
