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The cream colored brick train station was built by The Great Western Railway during the spring and summer of 1879 and is one of the oldest buildings in Tillsonburg. It was the first railway station to be located in the town proper - just a stone’s throw from Market Square, the major hotels, and much of residential Tillsonburg. Major Empson, an employee of the The Great Western, was the builder. He followed The Great Western’s standard Gothic Revival design. Thus, the ground plan of the station was cross-shaped, with many other “churchy” features, such as low brick walls, a steep slate roof, high gables, and tall narrow window, with their tops pointed. Very wide eaves ran around the station on all four sides, providing protection from the elements for passengers who were arriving or departing. The room to the east was the waiting room, while to the west was the baggage room. The central room was the booking office and telegraph office, and to the rear were the Ladie’s lavatory and the Gent’s lavatory. Restoration started in 1982 by the Tillsonburg District Craft Guild. The exterior of the station was repaired by workmen on a job creation program, headed by Mr. Harry Saelens. Work on the exterior and interior was underway and soon both chimneys were rebuilt and relined, the main floor joists repaired, the waiting room hardwood floor replaced with plywood, wiring and insulation added, and the window replaced. The outside was painted to resemble the original in colour and design. One door was moved from the east room so that both doors to the washrooms would be next to one another. The exterior of the building has been designated a Tllsonburg Heritage site and in 1983 the Building Improvement Award was presented to the Town of Tillsonburg and the Tillsonburg District Craft Guild by the Tillsonburg District Real Estate Board. The Baggage Room was only used for storage so it had never been upgraded. Therefore, the original walls are still intact and have only been refinished. The ceiling was repainted, the brick chimney stripped of plaster and cleaned, the floor sanded and varnished, during this time the Guild spent a great deal of time and enegy on public awareness, shows and fund raisers.The room to the east and the central room were entirely gutted in the spring of 1984. The walls were stripped down to the brick so that styrofoam insulation and a vapour barrier could be added, they were then dry-walled and painted.The wainscotting in the east room is original,but has been turned “wrong side out” and refinished. In 1999 the Guild fully restored the exterior, stripping the paint from the brick, repointing the brick,replacing the roof and painting all of the exterior trim it’s original colour. |