The Haslemere Signal Box Trust (HSBT) needs your help to help bring the town’s historic signal box and new railway museum to life. With over 220 Friends now supporting the project, the Trust is moving into the next stage: preparing the museum and signal box for refurbishment and display, and it needs volunteers to make it happen.

The Grade II‑listed signal box, which has stood at Haslemere Station since 1895, is one of the few surviving examples of its type on the Portsmouth Direct Line. After more than 130 years of service, it was officially closed in late October 2025 as signalling control moved to a modern centre in Basingstoke. Plans are underway to restore its interior to its 1930s condition, with the aim of reopening it to visitors by Easter 2026 as a working museum.

A major milestone has been achieved with the signing of a 15‑year lease on offices above the station’s booking hall, which will be transformed into a railway memorabilia museum, featuring a model of the station and its 1930s goods yard.

HSBT is now seeking volunteers to help with the refurbishment. Support is needed in decorating, painting, plastering, electrical work, plumbing, kitchen fitting, and other DIY tasks, as well as specialist restoration. Work on the museum will begin early in the New Year, followed by the signal box once permissions are in place.

Alongside the museum and memorial garden, the Trust continues to collect artefacts and encourage community involvement, highlighting the educational and heritage value of the project.

The Trust said: “We will update you again as soon as we have any further developments. In the meantime may we wish you a very happy Christmas and look forward to working with you in the New Year."