Railway platform has to move from Trevarno Estate before sale
10:00am Friday 3rd August 2012 in Helston
By Greg Fountain, Reporter/Photographer
Volunteers at Helston’s historic railway will be forced to up sticks and move their Trevarno platform outside of the country estate, it was revealed this week.
Helston Railway Preservation Company (HRPC) currently has a mile of track, a station, shop and car park inside Trevarno Estate and Gardens, but the estate closed to the public in April and has now been put up for sale.
“Serious” interest from potential new private buyers has prompted the owners of the estate to ask HRPC to move their Trevarno station, which will be relocated to Prospidnick - half a mile down the road.
They only have seven weeks left to complete this change.
Chair of the preservation company, Richard Barnes, said: “We are not certain that the sale is going through yet but there are some fairly serious purchasers in the wings.
“The house will be sold as a private house and of course people who buy a private house want privacy.”
Up until now, access to the main car park for the railway has been via the Trevarno Estate, but this will be replaced by the “temporary” platform and car park at Prospidnick. The cafe and shop will also be wheeled to this location.
Mr Barnes said: “It’s something that we can battle through.
“It’s the cost that causes the most difficulty, because for a new platform we are talking many thousands of pounds.
“But it’s a challenge rather than a disaster and it’s going to be business as usual. It’s going to be even better than before.”
Helston Railway is open to the public every Thursday and Sunday up until the end of the season, as well as Bank Holiday weekends.
