Survey Data
Reg No
13401105
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Social
Original Use
Railway station
In Use As
House
Date
1850 - 1860
Coordinates
238317, 282179
Date Recorded
15/08/2005
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Detached four-bay two-storey railway station, built c. 1856, with open shelter to platform (west) supported on moulded timber posts. Modern glazed entrance porch to east elevation. Now in use as a private house. Hipped natural slate roof having overhanging eaves, and with two rendered chimneystacks having cut limestone capping and terracotta chimney pots. Lean-to roof to platform shelter. Render eaves cornice and string course. Snecked rusticated limestone walls over dressed limestone plinth with dressed limestone quoins to the corners. Segmental-headed window openings with moulded tooled limestone block-and-start surrounds (flush), cut stone sills and replacement windows. Segmental-headed opening to east elevation (behind porch) with cut limestone surround, and having glazed timber door with overlight. Segmental-headed opening to former platform (west) with cut limestone surround and replacement door. Station flanked to either side by sections of rubble stone walling. Square-headed doorway with wrought-iron flat bar gate built into wall to the north of main station building; squared-headed doorway with timber door built into wall to the south of main station building. Former railway platforms to either side of disused railway track (now removed) having cut limestone kerbing. Outbuilding to the south having rubble limestone walls and hipped natural slate roof. Former water tower (on square-plan) to the south, having snecked limestone walls and dressed limestone coping, original metal water tank now removed. Decorative wrought-iron railings to the east side of former water tower. Former goods shed (13401107) and railway signal box (13401106) to the south. Located to the northeast of Granard, close to the border with County Cavan.
Appraisal
Despite conversion for use as a private house, this former railway station retains its early form, character and much of its early fabric. The fine limestone masonry and attention to detail is typical of Victorian railway architecture. High quality craftsmanship is evident throughout, particularly in the dressings and the detailing to the openings. This railway station was built by The Midland and Great Western Railway Company to serve the Inny Junction to Cavan Line, which opened in 1856. This line closed to passenger traffic in 1947 and was subsequently completely closed by CIE in 1960. The station was probably originally built to designs by George Wilkinson (1814 - 1890), a noted architect of his day, who also completed the designs for a number of other railway stations for The Midland and Great Western Railway Company. This building is similar in style to the railway stations at Edgeworthstown (13309002), at Longford Town (13004044) and at Dromod, County Leitrim (30818010). This appealing building forms the centrepiece of an interesting collection of railway-related structures along with the railway goods shed (13401107) and the railway signal box (13401106) to the south; and the railway platforms, outbuildings and the remains of the former water tower. This former water tower also represents an interesting historical reminder of the age of steam. This former station forms part of the industrial heritage of County Longford and is an interesting historical reminder of great age of railway construction during the mid-to-late nineteenth-century. The impressive decorative wrought-iron railings to the east side of the former water tower add an artistic quality to this utilitarian structure.