- Brookwood has been voted the top station in the South, reaching the final five of this year’s World Cup of Stations competition
- Locals and voters across the South can help bring the trophy home by casting their vote now
- Nestled between Brookwood station and Brookwood Cemetery, the Brookwood Reflective Garden offers a place to honour and remember friends and colleagues in the railway family
- The garden celebrates a unique chapter of local history and connection between the station, Brookwood Cemetery and the London Necropolis Railway
SOUTH Western is calling on the local community and voters across the South to help Brookwood station and its Reflective Garden take the top spot of this year’s World Cup of Stations competition.
Brookwood has been voted the top station in the South and is one of five finalists from across the country competing for ‘station of the year’, with this year’s competition celebrating the stations that create connections that matter.
Residents, railway enthusiasts, those with a connection with Brookwood, and anyone else can show their support and vote in the final which closes at 23:59 on Sunday 18 October.
Nestled between Brookwood station and Brookwood Cemetery, the Brookwood Reflective Garden is a peaceful space where railway colleagues, families and visitors can remember loved ones or simply have a moment of quiet.
Developed by South Western as its flagship Railway 200 legacy project, the garden is the first dedicated location on the South Western network where railway colleagues can be commemorated through permanent memorial plaques.
Created on previously disused railway land behind the station by more than 30 volunteers, the garden also brings a fascinating chapter of local history to life. Brookwood station and Cemetery were once connected by the London Necropolis Railway, which carried passengers on their final journey between London Waterloo and Brookwood Cemetery from 1854 until 1941.
Today, the station and cemetery remain physically linked, making the location a fitting place to honour both railway history and the railway family.
Visitors to the garden can enjoy a quiet green space featuring trees, flowers and crescent-shaped planters made from repurposed railway sleepers, alongside a section of railway track donated from the nearby railway. The garden is maintained through ongoing volunteer support from railway colleagues and local residents.
The project , and was conceived by South Western Community Rail Manager Paula Aldridge and brought to life through an 18-month partnership involving Brookwood Cemetery, railway colleagues, station adopters, heritage organisations, volunteers and community groups.
Paula Aldridge, Community Rail Manager at South Western, said:
“Our Brookwood Reflective Garden is a beautiful and peaceful space to honour and remember friends and colleagues in the railway family. Seeing people come together and install plaques for those who are no longer with us has been incredibly moving. Reaching the final is fantastic recognition for everyone who helped create and continues to care for this unique space.
“The garden is open to all and renews the connection between the railway, Brookwood Cemetery and the London Necropolis Railway and our volunteers have helped create this space into a special legacy for years to come. We’re incredibly proud of what has been achieved and would encourage anyone who has been inspired by the garden’s story to vote for Brookwood.”
Voting is now open – support Brookwood by visiting:
https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/our-services/celebrating-the-railway/world-cup-of-stations.html
SWR would like to acknowledge and thank the following suppliers and contractors whose generous support made this project possible: Hackwood Building Services, Jackson Fencing, LJ Thorpe, SAGE, Swift Groundworks and Transport Signs.
Source: South Western Railway