Whet your whistle

A STATION buffet which once banned train drivers and was later saved from demolition has a new future.

Former Stalybridge MP Lord Pendry formally opened a new conservatory which forms part of the famous buffet bar on the town’s station and replaces the original 123-year-old structure.

The buffet bar is famous throughout the North-West and has become a Mecca for real ale fans from all over the country. It has had 20 separate entries in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and landlords John Hesketh and Sylvia Wood have sold more than 6,800 guest ales in the last decade.

It became famous in the 1980s when the then landlady, Dot Redfern, barred members of the train drivers union, ASLEF, while they were on strike.

With the support of Lord Pendry and the Railway Heritage Trust, Network Rail has replaced the old conservatory with a £50,000 new one incorporating many of the original features including the stained glass windows.

Unveiling a plaque to mark the completion of the project, Lord Pendry said: “This buffet bar has a special place in my heart as one who helped resurrect it in 1994 when it was condemned to be demolished.

“I led a delegation to British Rail at Manchester Piccadilly and successfully gained a reprieve.

“In view of the state of the conservatory however, it would not have stood the test of time without the involvement of Network Rail and the Railway Heritage Trust for they, after listening to those of us who cared for this part of Stalybridge’s heritage, helped restore the conservatory to its present form.

Patrick Cawley, Network Rail’s territory buildings engineer said: “This is a perfect example of what can be achieved when hearts and minds come together to achieve a single goal. Network Rail has received financial and moral support from both Lord Pendry and the Railway Heritage Trust, and we worked closely with John and Sylvia to minimise disruption to their regular customers. The end result is a facility that could well last another 123 years.”