Boston Lodge Redevelopment

Ffestiniog and West Highland Railways

This NLHF funded project for the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highlands Railway at their historic Boston Lodge site provides increased spaces to tell the story of the railway, facilitate workshops into the skills needed to maintain the railway, support the staff and allow them to undertake more activities with their volunteers and the local community. The project will include the provision of tours of the railway works to members of the public. The Ffestiniog Railway is the world’s oldest narrow gauge railway with almost 200 years of history. It is the UK’s longest heritage railway and runs for 25 miles from Caernarfon, past the foot of Snowdon through the stunning Aberglaslyn Pass and on to Porthmadog. The steam trains were built in the workshops in Porthmadog – Boston Lodge Works – and they are maintained there today. The site is within an old quarry and has been used as the railways engineering works since the beginning of the railway which is now approaching its 200 year anniversary. There are numerous existing Grade II listed buildings on the site ranging in age, construction and current use. One of the challenges was to make the most efficient use of the existing buildings so that the minimum new construction was required. The strategy makes savings for the client as well as making reducing the environmental impact of constructing new buildings. Where new construction was required the challenge was to minimise the environmental impact of the buildings. To understand more about the project see this video here.