Visitors to the Open Doors event will be able to learn of the history and restoration of the B Listed signal box.
When the Forth Rail Bridge opened on the 4th of March 1890 it meant the construction of a station at Aberdour to meet the needs of travellers using the new stretch of line. It opened to the public in June of that year.
In 1981 the building became obsolete when signalling started to be controlled from Edinburgh. It fell into disrepair, and it was some time before a use could be found for the empty shell of the building.
Not only was it historically significant, but it was also a rare survivor of a stone built signal box. While the original signalling equipment had been removed, most of the building was still intact. Though boarded up, the potential for development was there.
In 2015, artist Lynette Gray thought it could be repurposed as an artist’s studio and undertook it’s restoration. She was assisted by grants from the Railway Heritage Trust and ScotRail’s Station Community Regeneration Fund. The Signal Box Studio was completed in 2017 and is one of several restored art and heritage buildings on the railway through Fife. The Artline group was formed in 2015 as a means of showcasing these buildings.
Normally not open to the public, this event is an opportunity to see how the building is used today. Photographs will show the restoration and Lynette Gray will be there to explain how it all came about. It also offers an opportunity to look around the beautiful, award winning, Aberdour Station gardens.
The event marks the importance of the Railway as new routes were developed in Scotland and is an ideal way to celebrate 200 years of the railway.
Opening times are from 10 am – 4.30pm. Due to steps there is no disabled access.