Coaling Stage Great Western Railway Heritage Centre
COALING STAGE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY HERITAGE CENTRE, STATION ROAD
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1389009
- Date first listed:
- 05-Oct-2000
- List Entry Name:
- Coaling Stage Great Western Railway Heritage Centre
- Statutory Address:
- COALING STAGE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY HERITAGE CENTRE, STATION ROAD
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1389009
- Date first listed:
- 05-Oct-2000
- List Entry Name:
- Coaling Stage Great Western Railway Heritage Centre
- Statutory Address 1:
- COALING STAGE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY HERITAGE CENTRE, STATION ROAD
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- COALING STAGE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY HERITAGE CENTRE, STATION ROAD
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Oxfordshire
- District:
- South Oxfordshire (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Didcot
- National Grid Reference:
- SU 52459 90692
Details
DIDCOT
SU5290 STATION ROAD
1703/12/10003 COALING STAGE, GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY H
05-OCT-00 ERITAGE CENTRE
GV II
DIDCOT
SU5290 STATION ROAD
1703/12/10003 Coal stage, Great Western Railway
05-OCT-00 Heritage Centre
II
Railway coal stage and water tank. 1931 for the Great Western Railway. Brown engineering brick with a sheet iron water tank. Panelled brown brick walls with blue engineering brick details in two storeys, 3 x 2 bays. The trackside elevation is three storeys with a small door in the centre of the ground floor and a metal framed window with a segmental head on either side. The first floor has the canopied coal tipping mechanism again flanked by windows. A 74,250 gallon water tank above with a segmental roof. The side elevations have a window on the trackside at the west end and a personnel door accessed by a pre-cast concrete external staircase with intermediate landing at the east end. Behind is a through running arch for the coal wagons in both side elevations. These have a semi-circular head. Plain panelled wall to rear elevation. The interior has a store below and the coal stage above with the water tank supported on a central cast iron column. The original 1/2 ton capacity coal loading tubs and dumping mechanism are still in use.
History: The Didcot coal stage was built to a standard GWR design for a non-mechanical facility. Although a standard which appeared in some form at almost all the GWR motive power depots it is probably now the only surviving example and certainly the only one still in service. Didcot coal stage was built as one of the government funded improvements to the GWR in the 1930s under the Development (Loans, Guarantees and Grants) Act (1929) which was designed to provide employment in the Depression. It has been little altered and is now the only example in England still in use for its original purpose. The shed was closed by British Rail in June 1965 but continues in use by the Great Western Society.
References: Paul Bolger, BR Steam Motive Power Depots WR, Ian Allan, 1983, p 14.
Adrian Vaughan, A Pictorial Record of Great Western Architecture, OPC, 1977, pl 457 shows drawing of Didcot stage.
Chris Hawkins and George Reeve, Great Western Railway London Division Engine Sheds, Wild Swan Publications, 1987, pp 278-90.
E T Lyons, An Historical Survey of Great Western Engine Sheds 1947, Oxford Publishing Company, 1972, p 20.
Information from Michael Dean, Chief Executive, Great Western Heritage Centre.
Listing NGR: SU5245890692
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 486471
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Lyons, E T, An Historical Survey of Great Western Engine Sheds 1947, (1972), 20
Bolger, P, BR Steam Motive Power Depots, (1983), 14
Hawkins, , Reeve, , Great Western Railway: London Division Engine Sheds, (1987), 278-290
Vaughan, A, A Pictorial Record of Great Western Architecture, (1977)
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 02-Jul-2026 at 21:55:44.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.