Quorn & Woodhouse Station

10/08/2026

This is George, he's currently taking guard of our Dig for Victory Garden this late summer.

During the Second World War "Victory Gardens" were introduced by the Ministry of Agriculture to grow food and ensure the nation was kept fed by utilising as much vacant land as possible. This included public spaces, sports fields, back gardens and railway embankments.

Our garden, which is situated on our Down-side bank, is representative of a "Victory Garden" is cared for by our volunteer gardeners.

03/08/2026

This weekend at the Great Central Railway saw the return to traffic of Deltic D9015 'Tulyar' after an overhaul of nearly three decades.

The locomotive is exellently captured here in and around Quorn & Woodhouse station by Jason Cross.

https://15c.co.uk/

26/07/2026

Yesterday we had a bittersweet day marking the retirement of our porter Roy who undertook his last volunteering turn at Quorn & Woodhouse after 38 years service.

Roy started volunteering at Quorn & Woodhouse in 1988, has worked under four Quorn Station Master's in his time and has rarely been seen without a bin bag in his hand!

A short presentation was unertaken yesterday where Roy was presented with a framed picture by Senior Station Master Jack Arthur Shaw, and a long service presentation by General Manager Malcolm Holmes. Also present were former Quorn Senior Station Master's Richard Bruce and Bruce Pollard along side numerous colleagues.

Roy has become part of the furniture at Quorn & Woodhouse and will be greatly missed. Thank you for your service Roy and enjoy your retirement!

22/07/2026

Slow summer weekdays in the 1940s at Quorn and Woodhouse.

📸 Ben Murray, Inspector.

06/07/2026

On this day in 1917, Quorn & Woodhouse's long serving station master Herbert Washington France died aged 51. He had been suffering from a long illness which was reportly the result of shock from hearing bad news. He was Quorn's second station master, arriving from Checker House station in 1899, seeing out most of the station's time under the GCR.

Mr France was a keen gardner and on the day before he did he was carried outside of the station master's house and spent a few "quiet and restful hours in his garden, enjoying the breezes that came fragrantly laden from the Charnwood Forest".

He was also a member of the Loughborough G.C. division St. John Ambulance Corps. He was remembered as being a devoted servant, having been connected with the GCR for 35 years and was held in the 'highest esteem' amongst his many friends.

His daughter Ettie was also employed as a Clerk at Quorn and Woodhouse.

His funeral took place at a crowded St. Bartholomew's church in Quorn on the 10th July where he is buried, and was attended by many locals including Quorn and Loughborough station staff.

06/07/2026

27/06/2026

It is set to be another hot weekend, particularly in our wool trousers, collars and serge jackets.

But spare a thought for those staff of the early 20th century, when the hot weather of 1906 caused one Station Master to write into the GCR Journal:

"During the hot weather we have swealtered in out frock coats, being compelled to wear them inside the office as well as on the platform. A light jacket would be preferable and comfortable, and I think too, a large economy of cloth, and consequent cutrailing of price. I would welcome with the majority any effort made in this direction. Yours, 'One of them'"

16/06/2026

On this day in 1959, the late Horace Gamble captured ex-GCR 'Director' Class No. 62661 'Gerard Powys Dewhurst' at Quorn and Woodhouse on the 7.30pm Nottingham Victoria to Leicester Central local.

13/06/2026

On this day in 1965, Quorn and Woodhouse Signal Box closed. The original Quorn signal box (pictured), was a handsome structure with a brick base of typical London Extension style. It was demolished not long after closure.

The box would have seen many interesting ocurrences in its short life, from the arrival of horseboxes for gentry to join local hunting arrangements, troop trains for the military in the 1940s and 50s for troops bound to Camp Quorn, to the Beaumanor estate clogging up the yard in the 1920s when it decided to sell much of its timber, to a train of petrol tankers catching fire and having to be put out by the fire brigage in 1949.

The biggest upgrade for the box came during the Second World War when the station underwent a major redesign to cater for additional sidings in the yard for ammunitions traffic and the installation of a passing loop, seen in the picture snaking round the back of the box.

The signal box that currently resides at Quorn and Woodhouse was originally from Market Rasen and is of 1886 MS&LR vintage making it the oldest structure on the preserved railway. It sits just north of the original site of Quorn box.

13/06/2026

Standard 5 73156 sits in the down platform today at the head of a minerals train for persons taking part in the GCR's Goods Experience.

Starting at Quorn, participants get a video introduction to the role of a goods guard in our Goods Shed before taking a full length of the line in a brakevan on a goods train.

You can book your goods experience via this link: https://tickets.gcrailway.co.uk/events/146025