Quirky train station home: historic Hampshire property for sale with platform terrace and signal box annexe

As the London exodus gathers pace and foreign travel restrictions show no signs of easing, the home-seeking railway fan might be tempted by a quirky property that’s on the market in Hampshire’s picturesque Meon Valley.

Opened in 1903 as part of the 22-mile Meon Valley Railway, Old Droxford Station closed to passengers in the Fifties and is now a five-bedroom house set in more than two acres of grounds.

A stretch of the platform runs the length of the home’s striking exterior, serving as an open-air drinks terrace for current owners, Antony and Jo Williams.

There’s no mistaking the terrace’s origins. Antony says: "It's unusual for its full-length train platform with cover – it’s the only one left on that line."

On the other side of the disused tracks sits the original signal box, which the couple have converted into a self-contained guesthouse.

“We totally rebuilt the signal box,” says Antony. “It's now a one-bedroom annexe with a kitchen on the first floor and a bedroom and bathroom downstairs.”

Inside the main house, many of the original train station features can be still be seen, from the booth and cabinets tucked away in the study – the old ticket office – to the fireplace with stove in the living room, which was the ladies’ waiting room.

A main staircase leads to a master suite and two further bedrooms, while a second staircase at the far end of the house takes you to a guest suite with bathroom.

But it’s the building’s rich history that truly captivates.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill used Droxford station as his base during preparations for the Second World War Normandy landings.

On June 4 in 1944, two days before the pivotal military operation, Charles de Gaulle, exiled leader of the Free French, visited Churchill at Droxford and was informed of the Allied invasion plans.

“People are fascinated by it,” says Antony. “And it’s in a lovely part of the world, being in the South Downs National Park. I wasn’t a railway nut – and I’m still not a railway nut — it’s just a lovely and unique property. Someone will see it and fall in love with it.”

George Clarendon, partner at Knight Frank Winchester, marketing Old Droxford Station, says: “Just turning up there, the nostalgia, the atmosphere of the property, it's of a bygone era. You walk into the house and it's like any normal property but with some fun features, a ticket office window for example.

“Outside on the terrace, you can be sitting there and realise it is a platform of a station – you can feel as though you're waiting for a train.”

A two-storey garage and workshop space has planning permission for the first floor to be used as an office – the dream for someone looking to continue the Covid necessity of working from home.

For those considering an eventual return to commuting, Antony says his weekly journey to London takes about an hour from Petersfield or Winchester stations, both within 30 minutes’ drive.

Old Droxford Station is on the market for £1.5 million.