The arrival of a railway station in 1886, near Milton and Barton, became the catalyst for what has become a thriving town twixt forest and sea. We are now working to make it the centre of an exciting new chapter in local history whilst securing it for many years to come as a community asset at the heart of New Milton.
Thank you to everyone who took part in our Community Consultation in September on the future of our historic station buildings. Over 175 feedback forms were completed and we received some fantastic suggestions and ideas. We have created a wordcloud which encapsulates all the main ideas put forward. Larger text shows that more people mentioned this idea/word in their responses. It certainly seems that top of the community’s wish list is a heritage centre and café.
Other ideas which have been actioned by the architects in their new visuals include an entrance from the platform into the café area and a view of the platform from the café. There was also quite a strong desire for a more traditional style and this is now being woven into the design. The first visuals showed two options for a roof style and the feedback favoured the pitch roof over the wildflower meadow.
We will update our website with news as it is received.
We are asking the whole town to get involved to help protect the station buildings at the heart of our community and the gateway to our town. Our town grew up around the station and we now need our town to get behind this project to restore the Station Master's House and award it the status it deserves.
Sketch of New Milton from 1892
Called No. 1 New Milton, the Station Master’s House was the first building in New Milton. From when the station opened in 1888 until 2007 when the last station master retired, it was the home of the New Milton Station Master and their family.
The Station Master’s House currently stands empty, run down and unloved. The exterior is almost untouched since it was built in 1886 and many of the original features such as fingerplates and fireplaces remain in the house. With our help, it could become a stunning, historic, community building in the centre of New Milton. What an asset it could become for our town!
We are a group of like-minded people from New Milton who are passionate about our station and our town. In 2024 we formed the Friends of New Milton Station (the Friends) to ‘celebrate our station’s heritage, and create a welcoming hub for passengers, community and nature’. Our volunteers have been busy making the station and the waiting room more pleasant for everyone and now it’s time to ask the New Milton community to step in and help.
We want to renovate the Station Master’s House, the garden, and the building on the southside platform and bring them into use for the community. Ideas put forward already include a heritage centre, a meeting room, exhibition space, a tea room, a shop, an art studio and a study centre. Public consultation will be carried out to determine its final use/s.
We want to ensure that the renovation is sympathetic to the age of the buildings and preserves the original features whilst allowing access to all. The buildings would be an asset to the town and something New Milton would be rightly proud of.
Imagine an historic community space that represents our town.
By raising money and involving the experts!
The Friends are looking to raise £40,000 to kick start the project. From businesses to community groups, from philanthropists to rail enthusiasts, and in fact everyone in our town, we’d love you to get involved and make this happen! Donations over £25 will secure your Station Name on the No1 map – an artwork being created to display at the Station Master's House.
The £40k will cover the cost of the lease, legal fees, structural surveys, public consultation, planning application and working drawings with full costings.
Once the full costs of the renovations are known, grant applications will be made for the building and renovation works. Raising the £40k will also demonstrate New Milton's desire for the project to succeed and help with our grant applications.
Station Master's House interior
Introducing…
The Hampshire Community Rail Partnership (HCRP).
The project will be managed by the HCRP who are experienced in restoring our railway heritage. With award-winning projects at Shawford, Woolston, Bitterne, Petersfield and a current project at Romsey Station, they have the expertise to make our vision a reality.
The HCRP are a Community Interest Company and are National Rail Awards winners in the category “Outstanding contribution to Society” for their previous work.
All work on railway buildings must be carried out by Network Rail or Network Rail approved contractors. The HCRP are Network Rail approved and work with a group of approved contractors.
The Friends have met with the Nick Farthing, Chair of HCRP and Gary Wilburn, MD of EP Architects and we are extremely impressed with their dedication and passion for railway heritage buildings. We have also visited one of their projects at Shawford Station – their work is stunning! They are now working on the Station House at Romsey. We believe they can help us create something very special in New Milton.
For more information on our partners in this project visit:
Shawford Station Cafe exterior
• The Friends will start the process by raising the required £40k.
• The HCRP will take out the lease (community use of station buildings can be taken out at a peppercorn rent)
• The HCRP will manage the project from structural surveys to final fitting.
• The Friends will provide support to the HCRP from the New Milton perspective especially with the public consultation and grant applications.
• The HCRP will sublet the building to the final tenant/s at the peppercorn rent. The HCRP operate an open book accounting system so that all transactions are completely transparent.
• New Milton celebrates!
Shawford Station Cafe
A once in a generation opportunity to create something truly special in New Milton to be enjoyed by the whole community and a showcase for our town.
If you would like to discuss investing in this project, have any questions or would like to help the Friends, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch via our contact form.
All donations are gratefully received but we require a £25 minimum donation to secure your station name.
