Listed status for Shropshire railway signal box
A railway signal box in Shropshire has been added to a list of 26 of the nation's rarest and best preserved.
The box at Marshbrook, between Church Stretton and Craven Arms, now joins the other 25 jewels of the rail network in getting Grade II listed status.
Officials at the Department for Culture Media and Sport have given them the protected status as a result of a joint English Heritage and Network Rail project to safeguard the nation's railway signal heritage.
The listings come as Network Rail decommissions many mechanical signal boxes to consolidate signalling into 14 regional centres as part of a 30-year plan to modernise the system.
Marshbrook's LNWR/GWR Type 1 box was built in 1872 for the Shrewsbury and Hereford Joint Railway and is one of only five of its kind left.
Heritage Minister Ed Vaizey said, "Our interest in everything to do with trains and railways, and the 'golden age' of steam in particular, is one of our most endearing and enduring national preoccupations.
"Signal boxes are a big part of this and so I am very pleased indeed to be able to list these lovely examples of the type."
Signal boxes were installed from the mid-19th century onwards and numbered around 10,000 at the peak of their use in the 1940s.
John Minnis, senior investigator at English Heritage said: "These are very special buildings, at one time a familiar sight on our railway system.
"Today's listings will ensure that many of these highly distinctive designs, which were full of character, are protected for years to come providing a window into how railways were operated in the past."
