One of the awards made annually at the National Railway Heritage Awards is that sponsored by First Group that covers the application of traditional craft skills in the restoration of historic railway structures.
The winner in the 2014 competition, revealed in the ceremony held at Merchant Taylors’ Hall in London on 3 December 2014, was Hardingham signalbox on the Mid-Norfolk Railway.
Entered by Nigel Teulon and colleagues, the box is a stunning restoration of an ex-Great Eastern Railway box. The success achieved by the team restoring the box was marked on Saturday 29 august when the official plaque was unveiled by Maurice Atherton, an ex-signalman with more than 50 years experience of the railway industry, in the company of Nigel Teulon, from the entrants, two committee members from the NRHA, Andy Savage and Mike Stanbury, and two of the NRHA’s judges, Mike Senatore and Mike Papps.
The exterior of Hardingham box; in one of the judge’s view you cannot fault the building, which is set in a quiet and peaceful branch-line setting, and the research, execution and restoration have been carried out in an exemplary fashion.
Nigel Teulon, left, and Maurice Atherton, right, following the official unveiling of the plaque inside Hardingham signalbox.