The Neglected Castleton Railway Station

CASTLETON has been allowed to fall into decline for years as various buildings have been neglected or abandoned.  The original old library is still decaying close to the village centre, and some shops have been demolished.  There is a campaign group committed to save the old library building, but now concerns have been raised about Castleton station.

It was destaffed many years ago, and not soon after the roof tiles of the delightful old station building were savaged by thieves.  Then when the building had become 'structurally unsafe' the renovators moved-in to take down the servicable wooden bridge, and demolish the red brick station-building and build a car park in its place.  I actually acquired some ornate cast iron metal work from the demolishers to use as ornamental window boxes, otherwise they would have been lost forever in a skip.

Now, we learn that passengers at Castleton station are claiming they feel like 'second-class' travellers deprived of not only architectural features and aesthetic Victorian elegance on their station, but even any information over train delays.  Well, I can only think that they deserve everything they get, for the English people in Castleton and beyond with their notorious reserve, have allowed things to go from bad to worse throughout the decades.  What we are going to get is an endlessly ugly sameness throughout our land because of a dire lack of imagination as a people.