October 2021 Update:
We are delighted to report that the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways (FFWHR) has been successful in its application for a £3.1million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF). The award follows several years of hard work pulling together a detailed application and is set to help restore and conserve key areas of Boston Lodge. It will also ultimately allow visitors to tour the site and experience its unique history.
Work is expected to take around three-and-a-half years, with match funding of £900,000 being provided by supporters. You can read more about the project here – with our original post from February 2020 below…
The company’s overarching plan for Boston Lodge envisages 34 separate stages, some of which have already been completed. The £4.2 million project with the NLHF is intended to cover around 14 phases over the next 5 years or so. It will include work to conserve all the buildings on site dating from 1870 or earlier, as well as construction of a new Small Locomotive Shed.
Boston Lodge Top Yard, 1958. Copyright FRCo
The Machine Shop in the Old Engine Shed during the 1890s. Copyright FRCo
The project’s other key aim is to improve interpretation of the historical significance of the railway and bring its story to life, with opportunities to tour the site – including the Old Engine Shed (left) – promised as part of the scheme.