Photos:
Tony Lyster - Rewley Road station re-erected at Quainton

This sectional steel and cast iron framed building is made from the run-on parts not needed for the building erected in Hyde Park, London for the 1851 Great Exhibition. Designed to be dismantled and re-erected in south London it later became known as the Crystal Palace, but caught fire in 1936 - the flames could be seen lighting the night sky in High Wycombe to the north west of London a distance of about 30 miles. Our building was erected at Rewley Road, Oxford immediately next to the GWR Oxford station and was, in turn, dismantled in 1998 and re-erected here at Quainton. We hope the similarities with the original will now cease as we do not wish it to catch fire.

When it opened for business it was possible to catch a train from it to the opening of the Great Exhibition, albeit a rather long way round as the train went to Bletchley (now part of Milton Keynes) before going onto London Euston. Its great claim to fame is that it was the first metal building constructed off-site and designed to be dismantled and re-erected elsewhere. Each section is bolted together. The corrugated iron in some walls is original to the building. The original full length train shed was severely truncated when it fell out of use in Oxford, and part of this has been rebuilt using modern welding techniques but in an appearance of the old style. A red fire bell on each internal wall marks the join between old and new.

Around 25 years after it was built the roof, which caught the prevailing wind, was turned round to its present north light style and pairs of old rails were erected to add strength. If you look at the pair just past the Gents loo you can still see the rolling mill marks in the rail web CREWE 1872 along with the wear from use on the track to the rail top where it is curved over. The intermittent rust patches show the position of the supporting rail chairs. The full story of the building, its restoration and re-building can be found in the book A Triumph of Restoration by Adlam & Simpson available from our shop.

We are very grateful to Oxford University Chest and the National Lottery for the funding to execute and complete this whole project which now hosts our Admin Office, shop, cafe and a meeting room, as well as a display of a locomotive and carriages. Its hire for weddings and meetings is growing in popularity.

References:
A Triumph of Restoration, Oxford Rewley Road Station - Lance Adlam and Bill Simpson - Lamplight Publications - 2008