Crathes Railway Station

Crathes Railway Station, long neglected and in a state of disrepair, caught the attention of Fiddes Architects through a client eager to transform the historic structure into a modern family home while preserving its iconic heritage as part of the Great North of Scotland Railway. This ambitious renovation project involved a complete restoration of the building.

The structure was carefully stripped back to its original stone and brick walls, and the roof was replaced, with the original slates repurposed for use elsewhere on the property. The station was fully insulated, and modern services, including an Air Source Heat Pump and an electric car charging point, were installed to bring the home up to contemporary standards of comfort and sustainability.

The design introduces a spacious open-plan living area, featuring a striking vaulted ceiling as its focal point. New sliding doors, with arched fanlights that mirror the original waiting room entrance, provide seamless access to the south-facing platform and garden. The living space is lined with period-appropriate timber panelling up to dado rail height, carefully matched to the station's original interior style.

The former ticket hatch, now positioned between the hallway and the living area, serves as a nostalgic reminder of the station’s past, where passengers would once collect their tickets for trains to Aberdeen or Ballater. The old station safe has also been integrated into the open-plan space, maintaining its place as a historical artifact within the home's design. Original structural elements have been reintroduced, but now serve an ornamental function.

A new station clock, inscribed with "Crathes Station," has been mounted on the external wall in the same position as the original, evoking the spirit of the past. These careful updates, along with the newly painted, historically accurate soffits and bargeboards, create the illusion of stepping back in time, when the Great North of Scotland Railway—particularly the Royal Deeside Line—was in full operation.