The Kent and East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) is appealing for donations to its new Heritage Buildings Fund.

The Railway, which will celebrate its fiftieth birthday next year, is raising the money to  help safeguard its historic buildings. The fund’s first priorities will be restoration work on two significant landmarks in the Tenterden town conservation area which the K&ESR describes as “jewels in the crown of both the railway and the Weald”.

• the weatherboarded Tenterden Town station building which was built in 1903, and which houses the booking office, ticket hall and gift shop
• the former Chilham signal box, built in 1895 and located at the station) which are described by the K&ESR.

These two mainly-wooden structures are popular with photographers. They have survived for well over a century, but are now showing signs of significant deterioration, which can only be reversed if work is carrued out soon.

Early estimates suggest that the full cost of the restoration work could be more than forty thousand pounds.

A charitable trust has donated an initial £21,000 grant and the K&ESR is seeking to raise a further £25,000, so that all the work can be carried out over the next year.

The current and a former Mayor of Tenterden are Patrons of the new fund, who see the Railway as a key attraction for the town:

• John Crawford, former Mayor of Tenterden and Coronation-appointed Baron of the Cinque Ports, Tenterden
• Cllr Sue Ferguson, current Mayor of Tenterden, who is a local business owner.

The Tenterden station building is still used by passengers, who collect their tickets through the booking office window. Its wooden canopy provides shelter on the platform, and the waiting room has been repurposed as a gift shop.

The former Chilham signal box was an integral part of the South Eastern Railway’s signalling system. It was moved and restored in 1973, and still uses much of its original equipment in the vital role it plays in the K&ESR’s operations. A viewing area allows passengers to watch the workings of the signal box from the platform.

The K&ESR will engage specialist external contractors to carry out thr complex restoration work, but the conservation plan allows for some of the tasks to be undertaken by K&ESR volunteers. The Railway plans to deploy volunteers to remove layers of old paint, repair rotten wood and apply coats of new paint, and estimates that around 250 hours of volunteer effort will be required for this.

Donations can be made via this page of the K&ESR website and by text message.

Business can support the fund through Bronze, Silver and Gold donor packages, which offer benefits, which include freedom tickets and Sunday lunch aboard the Wealden Pullman, VIP behind-the-scenes tours and exclusive use of the luxurious Family Saloon carriage with drinks and canapes.

When K&ESR Chair Simon Marsh was a young volunteer in the 1970s, he helped to dismantle, remove and then restore and reassemble the signal box at Tenterden station. He has also operated it as a signaller. He says: “Together with the railway’s locomotives and carriages, these buildings help create an immersive experience of the rural light railway and a bygone era which delights tens of thousands of visitors every year. Their preservation is essential if we are to not only safeguard the living history they hold but also ensure that we are looking ahead to the future and our reconnection to the main rail network through Robertsbridge.”