Plush 11-bed guesthouse converted from Prince of Wales personal railway station on market for £1.5million
Railway bosses said the station did not need to be built but the future King Edward VII insisted - wanting to use it as a way to get to the Goodwood race course
AN ORNATE railway station built on the orders of the then Prince of Wales has gone on sale for £1.5 million.
The 19th century Petworth Railway Station, which was built in 1892 for the future King Edward VII's weekend jaunts to the races, is up for sale after having been converted into an 11-bed luxury bed and breakfast.
Set in the middle of the West Sussex countryside and two miles from the nearest town, it was built on Royal command solely to give Edward a quicker path to Goodwood race course.
Known to enjoy a wager on the horses, he also considered it an ideal location to visit his friend Sir Edward James who hosted lavish parties at his nearby country estate.
While railway bosses at London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, saw no need for the station to be built, Edward ultimately over-ruled them.
The station, built on the branch line between Pulborough and Midhurst, remained in use by passengers until 1955, when it is believed to have been transporting just one customer a week and making a loss of £38,000 a year, which is the equivalent of £1 million in today's money.
It continued to be used as a freight station until 1966 but was taken out of use completely after the infamous recommendations of Dr Richard Beeching, which resulted in the mass closure of railway lines across the country.
The site, made from lavish timber, lay derelict for 14 years before being brought back into use as a house in 1980, and in the last 11 years has been subject to a major £700,000 restoration project.
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This has seen the rotting timber panels replaced, modern fittings installed and the introduction of luxury Pullman carriages from the early 1900s for guests to stay in - four of only 100 in existence.
From the outside it looks almost exactly as it did more than 100 years ago, but inside now boasts all mod-cons and a few nods to its railway station past.
It possesses a host of original period features, including 20ft high vaulted ceilings, light fittings, real wood floor and the original ticket office windows.
Owner Gudmund Olafsson, 61, who bought the site more than a decade ago, is now retiring and selling up.
He said: "It has been a labour of love over these last 11 years. It is a beautiful building and we have attracted visitors from across the world.
"What makes it remarkable is its history. It was built in 1892 for the Prince of Wales because he loved betting on the GGs and this was the closest line to Goodwood.
"We know that he used it frequently and would visit his friend Sir Edward James who lived at West Dean.
"But by the 1950s there was barely any demand, and it was completely taken out of use in 1966."
A spokesman for Chesworths Estate Agents, which is selling the property, said: "It's not every day a railway station comes to the market, but even less frequently a railway station that has been lovingly restored to the extraordinarily high standards of the Old Railway Station Hotel."
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