The newly restored Wingfield Station held seven open days between October 27 and November 5.
The Victorian station has been undergoing a restoration project thanks to the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust (DHBT) and funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Representatives of the trust state that they were “delighted by the turn out” with more than 1,000 people attending their recent reopening events, with the guided tours fully booked well in advance.
Rachel Costigan, who is part of the events team at DHBT, said: “Throughout the project, it’s been really clear how much affection there is for the building locally.
“When they visit, so many people reminisce about the building before it became derelict. Even so, we were still pleasantly surprised by the number of people who turned out to see the fruits of our efforts to restore the building.”
Rachel continued: “The building has featured on Tim Dunn’s ‘The Architecture the Railways Built’ which has raised its profile with people further afield.”
The launch events began with a ribbon cutting when the daughter of William Barlow, who was Wingfield Stationmaster until 1961, took on this task.
Rachel said: “Enid Buxton spoke fondly of her time living in the Stationmaster’s house as a young girl. She felt sure that her father would have been very proud of the transformation.
“Enid was accompanied by the High Sheriff of Derbyshire, Teresa Paltier, who presented Derbyshire Historic Building Trust chair Derek Latham with an award for their work in the community.”
Rachel added: “There will be more opportunities to join guided tours at the station in the coming months. Keep an eye on Derbyshire Historic Building Trust’s website as more event dates become available.”

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Derek Latham, Chair of DHBT, said: “What an amazing response we have had from the public visiting the restored Wingfield Station.
“We were almost overwhelmed by the numbers attending over the first three open days and a steady stream continued over the following weekend.
“It was a delight talking to our visitors, many of whom had stories to tell of relations who had worked at the station – one person even having taken a photograph of the station from a passing train before it was closed in the 60s (trains travelled slower then).
“For those that missed our open days, there are more to come in November and December and also in 2024.”

Film maker, Gavin Repton, has been visiting the Wingfield Station site since 2020 to document the restoration process.
A spokesman for the trust said: “At nine minutes this one is a little longer than our usual films, but it is a great reminder of all that has been achieved and definitely worth a watch.”
Gavin Repton’s Film can be found at: https://youtu.be/CYCertwpBlA

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