Zinga Cold Galvanizing At The Royal Train Shed, Milton Keynes
December 2018

Zinga Cold Galvanizing At The Royal Train Shed, Milton Keynes:

As part of our series on the case studies of Zinga cold galvanizing, we would like to introduce the redevelopment of the Royal Train Shed in Milton Keynes. This grade II listed building was completed in May 2009 and has won several prestigious awards due to it’s sympathetic redevelopment.
History of The Royal Train Shed, Milton Keynes

The Royal Train Shed building was constructed in 1889 as a part of the improvements to the Wolverton works. Designed by the Works Superintendent C A Park, it was a state-of-the-art railway works building for its time. It housed the original Wolverton Station between 1838-1840. At the time, the building was one of the most important integrated large-scale manufacturing sites in the world. The Royal Train Shed has had many uses at its peak. Initially it was built as a lifting shop, then evolved into a underframe shop by 1926 and a heavy machine shop in 1934.

When the works were reorganised in the sixties, the building became the storehouse for the Royal Train which was built on site. The Royal Train was then stored here until 1991, were it has been unused since.
The Building

Built in 1889 and designed by C A Park, the building was constructed of red brick with a Welsh slate and glazed roof. The building consists of a long narrow gabled three-road shed of thirty-three bays built parallel with the tracks. The south gable has triple doors with a tripartite arched opening in the gable above. The north gable has three sunk panels with a tripartite opening in the gable above. The north gable of the additional building has only two sunk panels, but it also has a tripartite opening in the gable. The long walls have thirty-three sunk panels separated by pilasters. Each bay has a large iron framed window with 5 x 6 panes, totalling 40 separate windows.

Each wall pier carries a light wrought iron or steel truss spanning the building to leave the floor space unimpeded. Since it was designed as a lifting shop, the walls were made to be very strong to support the tracks for the travelling cranes.
The Plans For The Royal Train Shed

Due to the demand for new housing, the Royal Train Shed was selected for rejuvenation. As the building had been disused for a number of years, and is in an ideal area for commuters, it is understandable why this development was appealing. The development was in construction from 2007 to 2009. Currently in 2018, the luxury houses within the shed are available for rent.

The £65m redevelopment of Wolverton’s historic railway sheds and the surrounding area has won various awards.

The regeneration of the grade two listed Royal Train Shed has now won the Modern Railway Restoration title at the National Railway Heritage Awards. The project had already been voted the country’s best mixed use development in the What House? awards.