Festive and Homely Waiting Rooms

[parkender102]

I seem to recall in the 1990's returning home to North Wales from Glasgow (I was living up there during the week) around Christmas there was a station in the Lake District (possibly Oxenholme) with a waiting room with either a real fire or at least a log burner complete with a decorated Christmas Tree. It looked so homely and warm from the train and made you toes curl just looking at it - almost made me want to get off and spend a while there.

Does anybody remember and can confirm the Station? Also made me think - are their similar Stations with such a cosy and homely look both at Christmas or other times of the year? Kew Gardens Station always struck me as welcoming as it had a cosy looking pub on the Station platform (and still has I think) - also Chiswick with the Station Pub almost on the Platform.

 

[Mag_seven]

Berwick Upon Tweed has a nice waiting room with a selection of books.

 

[r37]

It's not huge but Romsey has a lovely little waiting room with books and some old, interesting photos of the railway on the walls.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Hereford used to be excellent - with seasonsl flowers in a vase ....

 

[sheff1]

Don't know about Oxenholme in the 1990s, or Christmas decorations, but when I first started travelling by train there was no shortage of waiting rooms / station buffets with real coal fires. At some stations you could also keep nice and warm by standing next to a steam locomotive which was standing in the platform

 

[Bletchleyite]

I seem to recall in the 1990's returning home to North Wales from Glasgow (I was living up there during the week) around Christmas there was a station in the Lake District (possibly Oxenholme) with a waiting room with either a real fire or at least a log burner complete with a decorated Christmas Tree. It looked so homely and warm from the train and made you toes curl just looking at it - almost made me want to get off and spend a while there.

I think you may be thinking of Penrith. ISTR it's still fairly homely but is an electric fire these days, though the old manual PIS board has gone (which surprised me as staff once told me it was listed).

 

[jp1147]

The waiting room at Peterborough in the late fifties when we had travelled from Market Harborough with our cheese and pickle sandwiches and our Ian Allen books to ogle at Streaks and other exotica only to turfed out into the cold by Station Staff!!!

Despite the fact that we were in possession of a valid Platform Ticket costing 1d.

These days it's "The Wating Room" on Whitby Station.

JP,ancient trainspotter!

 

[mrcheek]

I think you may be thinking of Penrith. ISTR it's still fairly homely but is an electric fire these days, though the old manual PIS board has gone (which surprised me as staff once told me it was listed).

They also have a ginger cat!

 

[philthetube]

Buxted was good last time I was there, books to borrow and a Jigsaw on the table to dabble at while waiting for your delayed Southern service.

 

[Spartacus]

Can't vote for Dewsbury's on the Down platform, closed while the barriers are installed (much appreciated during the freezing weather I can tell you......) and even at the best of times it's only marginally more inviting than your average outside toilet! The main building does tend to always have a tree through.

 

[whhistle]

I wonder whether it's just too much bother with H&S to have open fires.
I've been to a fair few waiting areas where the ticket office is located in the "booking hall/waiting room" that has a blocked off open fire. Seemed easy to open it up again and it wouldn't be unattended. Many pubs have them too, but means money, which many TOCs don't want to spend.

It's this sort of thing that makes me sad how our country has gone with H&S. MOre disadvantages than advantages I'd say.