LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCO STATION!
SOMETIMES there’s a building going to auction that stands out from the crowd of bricks and mortar because it is truly a one-off proposition – and Pentre Berw railway station is surely that.
Hidden away on the edge of the village of the same name on Anglesey, the attractive two-tone brick building is nestled next to a tunnel and can still boast the train track, albeit overgrown, running alongside it.
The station at Pentre Berw, which was once also known as Holland Arms railway station because of the well-known hotel called Holland Arms in the village, served the central railway line across the isle of Anglesey from Gaerwn to Amlwch through the golden age of steam locomotives and right up until Britain started replacing steam engines with diesel in the 1950s.
According to author Geraint Jones in the book Anglesey Railways, the train line also served as the junction of the Red Wharf Bay branch line from 1908 onwards.
According to Jones, the original station on the site was a mainly wooden building found to the west of the track which contained a waiting room and ticket office.
However, this original structure was replaced by the brick building now going to auction with a guide price of £35,000, with the date of construction of 1891 commemorated on a stone plaque built into its facade.
At that time there was also a small goods yard on the down side, just north of the platform.
In the book Anglesey Branch Lines: Amlwch and Red Wharf Bay, author WG Rear states that When the Red Wharf Bay branch closed to all traffic in 1950 there was little traffic at Holland Arms.
The station closed in August 1952 and was the first on the Anglesey Central line to be shut down.
Inside the building comprises a large toilet block at one end that can currently only be accessed via its own external door.
It is an impressive double-height space that could, maybe, be replicated in the other rooms to reveal the roof rafters and beams.
The main mid-section of the station is the large waiting room complete with fireplace and an internal window in one wall where passengers once purchased their tickets.
There’s a door in the corner that leads into the staff ticket office complete with a large countertop and period fireplace.
At the other end of the building is a ladies’ waiting room accessed via its own external door and also offering its own WC tucked away in the corner. The last space at the station is the lamp room at the very end, which is again accessed via an external door.
It is a reminder of the duties of a stationmaster in the past, one of which was to refill the oil lamps that were needed for any signals, as well as the lamps on the station platforms, until gas or electric lighting came along.
Outside the platform is still in place, making a delightful place for relaxing, for alfresco dining and entertaining, next to the track that is still in situ too. It’s not your everyday back garden and it is a truly unique spot.
The former station, that is currently not listed, is now going to auction with a guide price of £35,000 and could become a wonderful and quirky home if planning can be secured. It would be perfect for someone who loves trains, history, unusual homes – or all three.
Find out more about the station, going to online auction with All Wales Auction, with a provisional closing date of July 11, by calling Williams & Goodwin estate agents, Llangefni, on 01248 751000.