Wolverton’s railway story goes right back to 1838, when the London & Birmingham Railway established a stopping point here roughly midway between the two cities. The railway company needed somewhere for locomotives to be fuelled and repaired, and Wolverton quickly grew around the railway works, becoming one of Britain’s earliest purpose-built railway towns.

The original station was very different to the one many people remember. The first Wolverton station operated from 1838 to 1840, on part of what later became the railway works.

By the time this photo was taken in 1990, the station building familiar to generations of local passengers was nearing the end of its life. Living Archive records show the old station building photographed in July 1990, just before demolition, despite plans having been described locally as a refurbishment.

Its loss became a sore point locally, and residents campaigned for a more suitable replacement. A new station building was eventually completed more than two decades later, with its topping-out ceremony held in February 2012.

Wolverton’s entire identity is tied to the railway. At its peak, the works became one of Britain’s most important railway manufacturing sites, later specialising in carriage construction and maintenance.