A signal box that stood at a Kent railway station for 130 years is to be given a new lease of life after being dismantled.

Network Rail has gifted Wye station’s brick and timber building to a heritage railway in Cornwall.

The 1893-built box, which had been disused for several years, was due to be demolished but was saved following months of negotiations between railway volunteers.

It resulted in 25 people being involved in a delicate operation to take down the structure in June.

It has now been transferred more than 300 miles away to Prospidnick, Cornwall, where it will be rebuilt and restored as part of Helston Railway.

The attraction’s chairman, Colin Savage, believes opting not to demolish it was the right decision.

“The intention is to site the signal box at Prospidnick using as many of the original materials as possible,” he said.

"The structure has received little investment over the past 30 years as it was no longer needed for the modern railway, so we expect the wooden upper structure will require some significant attention."

Network Rail's Terry Denyer says saving the building will prove fruitful.

The company's regional asset manager for buildings said: “We were only too pleased to be able to support the Helston Railway when it became obvious they could make better use of an otherwise redundant signal box on our network that would otherwise have been demolished.

“Our specialist contractor, Brighters, achieved the almost impossible in bringing out the historic roof structure in just two pieces and the main structural floor section in one piece – which is quite an achievement for a structure of that age.

"They have really gone above and beyond for them to make this a success and have offered to go down and help Helston Railway signal box when they’re ready to do so.”

Brighters has also provided Helston Railway with replacement windows and cladding as the existing materials were too rotten to salvage.

This is ahead of work beginning on the rebuild in the coming months, with the ambition to complete it in 2025.

Network Rail says the structure is a Saxby and Farmer Type 12 design, which the operator adds was "a typical style on the South Eastern Railway and the London, Chatham and Dover Railway between 1890 and 1894”.

It still contained about 20 levers which have all been donated to Helston Railway.

The move comes just five months after a Victorian signal box, also threatened with demolition, was saved following a successful campaign by villagers.

Contractors spruced up the charming timber building at Chartham, near Canterbury, by restoring its original historic appeal.

Like at Wye, the building was going to be pulled down by Network Rail when the manual crossing gates were automated in 2022.