For those who have waited on the platform at Haslemere train station over the past few weeks, months (and even years), you will probably be familiar with at least some of the plans in place for Haslemere’s Signal Box. We met up with the leading force behind this ambitious project – Ken Griffiths (more commonly known as Community Ken) – to find out more.

Opening on 13 June, this initiative has been 4 years in the making and owes everything to a passionate group of volunteers. The Signal Box has been a registered charity for a year now. There are currently approximately 250 ‘friends’ of the Haslemere Signal Box and around 10 active volunteers working on the project.

There are three main elements – the Signal Box, the museum and the garden. We explain each one in turn.

The Signal Box

The first is the Signal Box itself. Commuters and residents will soon see the exterior of the signal box repainted, taking it back to the Southern Rail colours it would have been seen in during the 1930s era of pre-electrification  – a beautiful combination of green and cream. You will need to wait until it’s open to view the restoration work inside. The false ceiling will be removed imminently to reveal the full beauty of the interior. A bench will be added for visitors to rest on whilst the mechanics and inner workings of the box are explained.

The Signal Box itself dates back to 1895, when the line was managed by London and South Western Railway. This company went bankrupt in the 1920s, and  Southern Railway took over. Roll forward a number of years to 2022, technology had made the signal box obsolete and plans were announced to decommission it in 2023. Ken passionately believed that it was part of not just Haslemere’s heritage but also the wider history of the UK.  He wanted to ensure that the box would not succumb to the fate of many others around the country in facing demolition. Instead, he wanted to preserve its history for future generations to enjoy. It was finally decommissioned in October 2024 but, by that time, Ken and his team had ensured its survival.

Once open, the Signal Box will welcome groups of 8-10 people at any one time, this size is pre-determined by the actual space within the building itself. Once inside, you will be treated to a tour of how the box would have worked. We were lucky enough to enjoy a sneak preview thanks to Ken. He demonstrated how the 47 levers would originally have controlled a series of cables and rods. Pre-electrification, pulling these levers was an extremely physical job – the cables could be over a mile long, requiring a lot of physical exertion to operate. Electrification made it a little easier – the lever then effectively pushed a switch.

As a listed building, health and safety rules and regulations have meant that the team involved have had to be careful about who can volunteer to restore the box itself. As a result, huge thanks must be given to Network Rail. Thanks to their emphasis on volunteering within local communities under their social value banner, weekly teams of helpers are taking time out of their jobs with the company to get the Signal Box ready for opening.

When we visited, we had the pleasure of meeting one of the volunteers, Tim. Tim has lived in Haslemere for 3 years, having moved out of London with his family post-COVID. Asked how he initially got involved in the project, he had an amusing tale of how he had visited the Information Hub one morning with his family to find out about local walks and cycling routes in and around the town. As he got talking to the volunteer on duty that day, he mentioned that he worked for Network Rail, upon which he was quickly introduced to Ken. He certainly couldn’t say no to Ken when he was asked to help out and his experience working in the sector has proved to be invaluable. For the past 6 years, Tim has been working to bring together the fragmented rail sector under a new Great British Railways banner. When complete, this organisation will employ over 100,000 people and will be second in size only to the NHS here in the UK. Working on local projects such as the Haslemere Signal Box is all part of this.

However, Tim is clearly passionate about helping others and giving up time for the benefit of the wider community. ‘Haslemere has such a great community spirit,’ he told us. ‘We are so lucky to live here. And it is so important to join local groups.’

Tim was just one of the volunteers we had the pleasure to meet. Jack is another volunteer playing a pivotal role in ensuring that the restoration work is complete in time for the grand opening in June 2026. Again, he works for the railway and his role has seen him play an important part in helping finalise lease agreements. Each week, he coordinates a group of employees from Network Rail to come and volunteer on the project. Many come from far afield. On the day we visited, volunteers had made their way from both Essex and Buckinghamshire. He told us, This is a live railway environment and so we can’t just have anyone coming off the street to help. We have a real volunteering culture at Network Rail and there is a particular passion for helping community projects like this one.’

It is certainly important to give credit where credit is due. Network Rail are not funded or paid to be involved in this project. Whilst local volunteers have been crucial in bringing the museum to life, without the help of Network Rail and their team of volunteers, the restoration of the Signal box itself would have been impossible.

The Museum

The museum will be housed on the first floor of the main station building. The space is owned by SW Railway, but it is being leased back to the Signal Box charity for at least the next 15 years at a nominal peppercorn rent. Behind a doorway adjacent to the Haslemere Information Hub is a staircase that will provide access to this space. We were  lucky to enjoy a sneak preview. A team of local volunteers has already been busy painting it from top to bottom, collecting artefacts and memorabilia and constructing a fantastic model railway. They already have an eclectic array of objects to display, thanks to local donations and with assistance from other museums such as The Watercress Line and the Romsey and St Albans Signal boxes.

We don’t want to give too much away, but just to give you a flavour of what to expect… Those entering will come across a ticket office, a massive selection of railway magazines, uniforms, model trains, toy vehicles and more. What we didn’t realise was that nearby Midhurst also used to have its own train station. In fact, it was home to 3 stations! And a layout of the old station at Midhurst will take pride of place in one of the museum’s rooms. This was kindly donated by the daughters of Vic Mitchell, the father of heritage railways. And the museum’s pièce de resistance will be a working model railway, depicting how Haslemere Station would have looked back in the 1930s. Whilst this will be in place for opening, it will be a 2 year project to complete in its entirety.

The Information Hub itself will enjoy a new lease of life too, becoming a meeting and welcoming point for those visiting the museum, as well as continuing to provide ideas for those visiting the town for the first time. For those not familiar with the history of the Information Hub, it came about back in 2016 at the time when National Rail were looking to build the current car parking facilities at the station. Back then, this was an empty shop that they had been unable to let for some time. Ken and his team saw a vision about how the Information Hub could be used to benefit the Haslemere community, attracting people to the town.

There are ambitious plans for the museum and hub space. The organisers fully expect that it will add to the attraction that Haslemere has, bringing people to the town as a destination in its own right, rather than being a point that they pass through on the way from Portsmouth to London (or vice versa).

Please note that, unfortunately, despite concerted efforts to provide access for those with disabilities, it proved impossible to install a lift. However, there are plans to create a virtual experience within the Information Hub itself, allowing everyone to enjoy the experience.

The Garden

The garden is the third element of this ambitious project. Named the ‘Peace Garden’ it will remember the 226 railway workers who died in WWII.  It will be a place to just sit and ‘be’, a place of relaxation and reflection. As well as a beautiful space, it will also be a space to understand the history of the railway. Two permanent Way Huts will be restored in the garden for visitors to see. These would once have been the place where railway workers would have sat or stored supplies and tools in. Both are being restored by volunteers from the The Railway Engineering Institution (RailEI), formerly known as The Permanent Way Institute.

The design for the garden has been drawn up by local landscape designer David O’Brien. Volunteers from Sunville Rail will be in charge of the initial landscaping.

The garden will not be open from June 2026 but the intention is that the work will be completed over the next few months, with the hope that it will be opened in Autumn 2026. You can enjoy a peak of how it will look here.

Opening Hours

Once open, the signal box and museum will be open every other weekend for visitors to enjoy, as well as at pre-arranged times for schools and other groups to visit. The garden will be open daily, however, it will closed each night.

How you can help

When we asked Ken why he has led this project, his simple answer was, ‘I am a Haslemere man. I believe in Haslemere. My heart is in Haslemere’. We love this sentiment. If you share even an ounce of his passion,  Ken and his team are actively in search of volunteers who will help man the project once open. Volunteers will be needed to provide tours of the signal box, to help out in the museum, to assist with gardening and to welcome visitors at the Hub, along with many more roles behind the scenes.

Once open, please do show your support with your feet too! People are encouraged to attend the grand opening on 13 June and after that, the attraction will be free to visit. 

But, there will be costs to maintain and upkeep the areas. Utility and insurance costs will need to be covered. Signing up to their membership scheme will be a way you can help ensure this project survives for many generations to come. Or you can make a one-off donation via the Signal Box website.

Huge thanks to Ken for giving his time so generously to spend with us. And thank you to all the other wonderful volunteers we met on the day and who have given up so much of their time to bring the Signal Box, museum and garden to life. We can’t wait until it opens!