Former Station and Station House, Greenloaning, Strathallan, Perth and Kinross

Description

A three-bay, single-storey and attic, former railway station house and attached single storey station, built in 1848 for the Scottish Central Railway (SCR). The building is T-shaped in plan and is built of coursed rusticated sandstone with ashlar detailing, crowstepped gables and a steeply pitched slate roof. The building is set next to the railway line and there is an early 20th century glazed and timber waiting area facing the former platform to the south.

The main (west) elevation is symmetrical, with paired windows flanking a moulded and corniced doorway with a semi-circular fanlight inserted (after 2005) into the originally blank relieving arch. The north and south elevations are gabled with crowsteps, skewputts and an attic window. There are two ground floor windows to the south (railway facing) elevation with a moulded entablature over a clock. The rear (east) elevation is abutted by a two-bay single-storey station block, with a timber and glazed lean-to waiting room abutting to the south.

There is a single-storey extension to the station, which has cement rendered walls lined as stonework and a red brick store. Both extensions date from the 1960s or 1970s and are excluded from the listing.

The roofs are steeply pitched with graded slates and leaded ridges. There is a truncated, shouldered ashlar chimneystack with no pots to the station block. The openings to the house have chamfered reveals and cills. The windows are largely 12-pane replacement uPVC sashes but six-paned fixed timber glazing remains to the former passenger waiting area. The external doors are all later replacements.

The interior was seen in 2020. There have been some alterations to the layout and fabric in the later 20th century to convert the entire building for domestic use including the new internal openings to connect the house and station, as well as the 1960s and 70s extensions. The interior has been partially modernised, however later 19th and early 20th century fabric remains evident throughout, particularly in the former station house. This includes moulded cornices, window and door architraves and panelled timber shutters and doors, one of which retains early painted signage: 'Ladies Room'. The timber ticket desk and service hatch are retained in the former ticket office, which also features a painted stone fire surround with decorative Art Nouveau tiles.

There are later ancillary buildings to the northeast, west and east including a timber hut built of reclaimed railway sleepers (these are all excluded from the listing).

Legal exclusions

In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: the later single-storey, pitched and mono-pitched extensions to east, and all other buildings on the site.

The pitched and rendered extension to the east elevation of the station block, and the adjoining red-brick store, are not part of the original building and date from the 1960s or 1970s. The other ancillary buildings on the site are later additions and are not of special architectural or historic interest.

Historical development

Greenloaning Station and Station House was built by the Scottish Central Railway (SCR) Company, which was formed in 1845. It is one of ten intermediate stations on the line, which was built to link Perth and Stirling to Central Scotland, by connecting to the existing Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway (formed in 1842) at Greenhill junction (near Castlecary). The line was formally opened on 15 May 1848 (Perthshire Advertiser) however it was not opened for passengers until 15 June, as many of the intermediate stations were not completed until this time. The station, which included the station master's house in the same building, was constructed on undeveloped land on the outskirts of Greenloaning village.

Greenloaning Station is first shown on the 1^st Edition Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1863), on the north platform with a T-shaped footprint and an ancillary building to the immediate east. There is also an ancillary building on the south platform (a waiting room) and a large timber goods shed to the northeast (Ordnance Survey Name Books). Originally the Station was allocated a stationmaster, a booking clerk, two porters and one pointsman, however as it quickly got busier this increased to 23 personnel working in shifts.

In 1865 the Scottish Central Railway amalgamated with the Caledonian Railway, thus connecting Perth and central Scotland with the English network.

By the 2^nd Edition Ordnance Survey Map (published 1901) the footprint of the station remained unchanged but the ancillary building to the immediate east had been extended slightly. By this time the present signal box had been built to the far northeast, as well as the small timber shed to the immediate northeast of the station. A footbridge had also been constructed by this time, to the southwest, linking the two platforms. By the early 1970s the footbridge and the large goods shed had been removed (Ordnance Survey map, published 1973).

Historic images show that the building has been altered over the years. A postcard from around 1900 shows that originally there were three chimneystacks. The two on the station master's house were removed in the late 20th century and that to the station block was also reduced in height around this time (Canmore, Greenloaning). The postcard from around 1900 also shows the covered waiting area to the south, which was replaced or filled in during the mid-20th century by the current mono-pitched, glazed timber waiting area. The same postcard (from around 1900), along with an image from 1965 (Caledonian Railway Association, ref: CRA7/2/1, p. 14) both show the earlier double-pitched, timber ancillary buildings to the immediate east of the station.

Greenloaning Station was closed in 1956 along with many of the intermediary stations on the route, although the line is still in use today (2020). Photographs of the building from 1976 (Canmore, Greenloaning) show that the present additions to the rear return had been added by this time, replacing the earlier timber ancillaries to the immediate east. The building was converted to domestic use in the late 1950s and was occupied privately until 2019 when it was acquired by Network Rail.

Statement of Interest

Greenloaning Station meets the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:

It is a typical example of a small station dating from the early phase of railway expansion in Scotland that retains much of its early character.

It is relatively little altered when compared to other examples of intermediate stations dating from the mid-19^th century.

The early plan form remains clear and the surviving decorative features of the interior are indicative of its original function as a station.

The building is no longer in its original use but the connection with the railway line, and much of the setting, has been maintained.

It is part of a wider group of surviving buildings and infrastructure relating the early phase of railway expansion in Scotland.

Architectural interest

Design

Greenloaning Station and Station Master's House is designed to look like a domestic villa, which was typical for many stations built in smaller towns and villages across Scotland during the mid-19^th century.

The building is relatively plain in its decorative treatment, but it has features that are strongly associated with the tower house and castle architecture of medieval Scotland. These include the crowstepped gables, the steeply pitched and graded slate roof and the dressed stonework. This revival of Scottish Baronial architecture was popularised during the 1850s, primarily through Queen Victoria's use of it at Balmoral Castle, and the style became widely used in public buildings across Britain during the mid-to-late 19^th century.

The use of historical motifs is common in British railway architecture as historicist architectural treatment gave a sense of age and grandeur to what was then a new type of building for an entirely new form of modern transport. The Scots Baronial Revival was the dominant style in this early phase of railway expansion in Scotland.

As the station was the face of the railway companies, they often used contemporary architecture to impress customers. This sense of regional distinction was an important consideration in an era of increasing travel and tourism. Stations in particularly scenic locations also may have been more likely to receive more decorative treatment.

The Scottish Baronial Revival style was developed for use in the railway buildings of Scotland by the renowned London-based architect, William Tite (1798–1873). A pioneer of railway architecture, Tite was responsible for designing many of the early railway stations in Britain, including the termini of the London & South-Western railway at Vauxhall (Nine Elms) and Southampton, the terminus at Blackwall in 1840 and the citadel station at Carlisle, 1847-1848 (Dictionary of Scottish Architects).

In the late 1840s, Tite was employed by the newly established Scottish Central Railway. Like his other railway projects in the north of England and in France, this work required time commitment and a level of local supervision on site. Tite entrusted this to one of his leading associates, Ebenezer Trotman, who oversaw the work in Scotland and had an office in Perth until the 1850s (Chrimes, 2020: 27-28, 40-43).It is believed that Tite was only responsible for the design of some of the larger stations on the Caledonian and Scottish Central lines (Chrimes, 2020: 41-42). These included Dunblane (listed category C, LB48964) and Perth Central (Listed category B, LB39340), which was Tite's most significant work on the Scottish Central line and closely resembles his design for Carlisle Station.

During this period Tite's practice was also responsible for the design of a number of other stations in Scotland, including Kirknewton (listed category B, LB13466), Lockerbie (listed category B, LB37590) and Beattock (listed category B, LB9839), all of which are built in a similar Scottish Baronial Revival style. The extent to which his office was responsible for the design of intermediate stations in Scotland remains unclear but in England, much of the design work for intermediate stations was carried out by other architectural practices (Chrimes, 2020: 36).

Greenloaning conforms to a standardised design in terms of its style, use of materials, detailing and plan form. It is one of around six stations on the Scottish Central Railway that were built to this particular design template in 1847-48, although the materials used did sometimes vary. Near duplicate stations on the line include Forteviot, Larbert and Auchterarder (demolished). The design closely resembles that of Dunblane Station, which Tite was responsible for and which provided the model for many of the intermediate stations on the Scottish Central Railway.

It is unlikely that Tite was directly involved in the design of intermediate stations like Greenloaning. It remains unclear if it was the work of his Scottish practice, or whether it was the work of an architect from the Scottish Central Railway, or a local architectural firm, who emulated Tite's station designs.

The T-shaped plan of Greenloaning is typical of railway stations built in this period, both on the Scottish Central Line and across Scotland. The distinction between the private domestic quarters, of the station master's house, and the publicly accessible rooms of the station, is largely retained despite some later additions and alterations to the layout and fabric. This is a typical characteristic of the smaller stations of this period, when both functions were accommodated in a single building. The plan form is therefore of special interest as it illustrates how the early railway stations outside of larger towns and cities, would have originally functioned.

There have been a number of alterations to the interior of the building but some early features survive, including the timber panelling, decorative fireplace and the ticket hatch and ticket desk. These features are typical for a station building of this date but their retention is of some interest as they inform us about the former function of the rooms.

The building has been subject to a number of changes to the fabric and layout, such as the insertion of uPVC windows, the removal and alteration of the chimneys and the loss of the crowsteps to the rear return. However, the building retains much of its historic character, which adds to its special interest under this heading.

Greenloaning may be fairly modest and plain in terms of its architectural treatment but in terms of its overall design, it is well-detailed and is typical of the intermediate station buildings that date from this pioneering phase of railway architecture.

Setting

The former Greenloaning Station and Station House is located in a rural area to the north end of Greenloaning, a small village lying five miles north of Dunblane. The building is set in an open area of land on the north side of the railway line which runs between Perth and Stirling.

The immediate setting has been partially altered by changes made after the station ceased to operate in 1956. Both the north and southbound platforms were removed, as were many of the associated ancillary structures, including the footbridge and the southbound waiting area. The site has also been cleared and levelled in recent years, with a new shed constructed to the northeast.

The railway line and nearby signal box (which dates from 1891), are still in use. The relationship between the line and the station remains clear and this contributes to its interest under this heading. The adjacent road bridge, which carries the A822 over the railway line, and the nearby Allanbank Inn, which has origins dating to the 18^th century, also contribute to the historic setting of the station.

The wider setting is reasonably well-retained. When the station was built in the mid-19^th century, Greenloaning was a small settlement comprising a few farms, a mill and two farina works. Greenloaning underwent minor expansion during the later-20^th century but as this development mainly occurred to the south of the railway line, it had minimal impact on the setting of the station. The mill building remains opposite the station and the mill wheel and pond, which fed the water tower that refilled the steam trains, are located nearby.

The station forms part of a surviving network of historical structures on the former Scottish Central Railway line that together, represent the early phase of railway expansion across this part of Scotland.

Historic interest

Age and rarity

The former Greenloaning Station and Station Master's House is one of ten intermediate stations that were built in 1848 for the new Scottish Central Railway. Around six of these conform to the same standardised design template that was applied to Greenloaning. With the exception of the larger stations at Perth and Stirling, the other stations on the line were generally smaller in scale, with little or no architectural pretension.

Of the original stations built for the Scottish Central Railway, all have been altered to some degree, with only Stirling, Perth, Dunblane and Larbert remaining in their original use. The remainder have been extensively altered for domestic use, with a few having been demolished or replaced.

The earliest railway stations in Scotland date from the 1830s (such as Garnkirk and Newtyle) and were largely modest, functional buildings. After this initial phase, the passenger railway network rapidly expanded across Scotland during the mid-19^th century, increasing the need for new station buildings. Surviving stations from this period are not rare and can be found across much of mainland Scotland, however those that retain much of their historic character may be of interest in listing terms.

Dating from the late 1840s, Greenloaning is an example of an intermediate size station building from this early phase of railway architecture in Scotland. Greenloaning has had some alterations for domestic use but, when compared to other remaining stations from the period across Scotland, it retains much of its historic character.

Social historical interest

Social historical interest is the way a building contributes to our understanding of how people lived in the past, and how our social and economic history is shown in a building and/or in its setting.

The 1840s marked a period of intense building, known as 'railway mania', in which various railway companies competed to expand the rail networks across much of mainland Scotland. After 1850 the frenzied pace of railway construction slowed but many local and branch lines were laid down after this period. Amalgamation was common and by 1866 there were 48 railways controlling 2,244 miles of track in Scotland. All but three of these were either leased or worked by the five large firms (Caledonian, Glasgow and South Western, Great North of Scotland, North British and Highland). (Knox, p.4)

The former Greenloaning station building has social historical interest for what it can tell us about the development of the Scottish Railway network in the mid-19^th century. It forms part of a group of surviving original stations that were built for the Scottish Central Railway line in the late 1840s. Surviving railway heritage from the early phase of railway expansion illustrates how the basis of the trunk rail network was established in Scotland, much of which remains in use today. Together with the associated infrastructure, stations such as Greenloaning tell us about how this initial expansion of the railways transformed the landscape in this part of Scotland and fuelled the increasing economic growth fuelled by the Industrial Revolution.

Association with people or events of national importance

There is no association with a person or event of national importance.

Other Information

The former parcel scales were donated to the Scottish Railway Preservation Society at Bo'ness (information from a previous occupant, 2021).

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.