Royal Opening for Severn Valley Railway’s New Visitor Centre
Although ‘The Engine House’ at Highley, Shropshire - the Severn Valley Railway’s Visitor & Education Centre, opened its doors to the public at Easter last year, it has never had a ‘formal’ opening.
The Railway is pleased to announce that His Royal Highness, The Duke of Gloucester KG, DCVO, will formally open the Centre on Tuesday 28th April.
The project has been largely supported with a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant of £3,714,000 (73% of project costs). ‘The Engine House’ accommodates eight locomotives. £250,000 of this grant was also awarded to assist with flood damage caused to the line in Summer 2007.
The Royal party, plus invited guests, will travel by train from Kidderminster to Highley for the ceremony. This special private train will be hauled by the unique British Railways three-cylinder Pacific’ steam locomotive No.71000 Duke Of Gloucester, which is currently on loan to the Railway. The Duke himself is Patron of the Severn Valley Railway and Honorary President of the 71000 Steam Locomotive Trust.
At Highley the Duke will be received by the Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire Mr. Algernon Heber-Percy. After entering ‘The Engine House’, he will meet representatives from the funding partners, members of staff, contractors, designers and rolling stock owners.
A commemorative plaque to mark the formal opening of ‘The Engine House’, will be unveiled by His Royal Highness following his tour of the Centre. The invited guests will return to Kidderminster by the special train during the afternoon.
Anne Jenkins, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in the West Midlands said : “We’re delighted to have supported this project and see the Centre and line finally open. We are sure that ‘The Engine House’ will provide great benefit to the local and wider community and bring the magic of steam travel alive for future generations.”
Further assistance for the project came from the European Regional Development Fund, Advantage West Midlands and a shareholder appeal, with pledges to fund the balance of what became a £5million project to build the Centre with full public access.
Additionally, the steam locomotive being used on the day, No.71000 Duke Of Gloucester, was the subject of another Heritage Lottery Fund grant. In 1997, the Fund awarded the 71000 Steam Locomotive Trust a total of £233,000 towards a major overhaul of the locomotive, and this was followed-up by a further grant of £85,000.
Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) PLC Chairman, Mr.Michael York, said “We are delighted that His Royal Highness was able to accept our invitation to mark the formal opening of ‘The Engine House’. Having the steam locomotive which bears his name available to pull the train, really is the icing on the cake”.
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