“The winged dragon-like monster”

As Nancy Fielder, Star Editor, has now learnt, the decorative roundel over the entrance to the Midland Station is a wyvern which my dictionary says is a ‘fictitious winged dragon-like monster’.

The wyvern was adopted by the Midland Railway as its symbol during the early years of the twentieth century.

Platform one and the ‘porte cochere’ entrance, now the booking hall and featuring the wyvern, were added in 1905 to a design by the Midland Railway architect Charles Trubshaw.

The main part of the station, now platforms two to eight, opened on February 1, 1870 - 150 years this month.

East Midlands Railway who now operate the station seem unaware of the anniversary; only the enthusiastic Friends of Dronfield Station have celebrated the event (Star, February 5).

The 1870 line provided a more direct route between Chesterfield and Sheffield; the Midland railway were opening up its route from the newly opened St. Pancras Station in London, through Yorkshire via the Settle and Carlisle line to Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The original arched roof of the station was removed in the 1950’s.

There is an interesting display of photos of the station in the waiting room between platforms six and eight, provided by Howard Turner.