York firm restores historic railway kiosk

A York-based furniture restoration firm has played a key role in reviving a piece of British railway history as part of a £11 million redevelopment project at the National Railway Museum (NRM).

Andrew G Podmore & Son, specialists in furniture restoration and French polishing, spent two years restoring a 1920s WH Smith news kiosk that once stood at London’s Waterloo Station. 

The teak-built structure, now a centrepiece in the museum’s Station Hall, was unveiled by HRH The Princess Royal earlier this year.

Measuring 25 feet by 14 feet, the kiosk was one of hundreds that once lined station platforms nationwide. 

Podmores’ team meticulously restored its original features, including curved glass panels, cornices and intricate counterwork, while recreating missing elements such as glazed cupboard doors and wire grills for newspaper displays.

Using traditional craftsmanship and careful preservation, the team rebuilt the century-old structure without glue, achieving a precise millimetre-perfect finish. 

The project also involved recreating the kiosk’s original signwriting and replicating the look of its roller shutters through new display panels.

David Podmore, managing director at A G Podmore, said: “We were under no illusions about the scale of the task when the NRM approached us back in 2021.

“Designed to be under cover on station platforms, the kiosk had been outside and exposed to the elements for several years before being dismantled and put into storage.  

“But I was confident we had the team with the expertise to do justice to this unique piece of railway history.”

“Before the advent of the internet, these kiosks were the news superhighway.  

“Updated newspaper editions would be delivered to kiosks up to three times a day to be displayed alongside books for sale.  

“The counters also worked as lending libraries for those making train journeys.

“Amazingly, we managed to source teak offcuts which had been used for railway carriage building and were able to use this to replace missing parts of the structural frame and repair the post bases and cabinet feet that had rotted.

“The softwood panels under the counters we had to replace, but we are conservators at heart, and we have left these in an unfinished state internally so that people can clearly see what is original and what is new, in the resulting exhibit.”

Now standing proudly beside the royal carriage, the restored kiosk celebrates both Britain’s railway heritage and the enduring skill of York’s master craftsmen.

Andrew McLean, assistant director and head curator of the National Railway Museum, added: “The National Railway Museum are extremely proud that the restored WHSmith bookstall stands as one of the star objects in the newly reopened Station Hall. 

“The restoration and conservation of this collection item have been meticulous, and we are delighted the kiosk is now on public display.”

David added: “We’re immensely proud of the work we have done in bringing this important heritage structure back to its original glory. 

“It is by no means our first railway heritage project and we hope it won’t be our last.  

“Part of the pleasure has been in researching the subject then ensuring that we use our collective expertise in cabinet making, French polishing, restoring and conserving, and associated skills, to deliver such a nationally important project.  

“I pay tribute to the whole team at A G Podmore & Son, and to those within the railway museum team with whom we have worked closely, to bring this project to such a successful conclusion.”

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