Heritage experts have drawn up detailed plans for the painstaking removal of the historic tea rooms at Huddersfield Railway Station.

The timber-boarded tea rooms, on the island platform, will be taken down and stored while an internal reconstruction takes place inside the station. The building will then be returned and rebuilt as it was before.

The station is to undergo a complete internal re-modelling as part of the multi-billion TransPennine Route Upgrade, which involves electrification of the line between York and Manchester.

Huddersfield station, a grade I-listed building, is renowned for its exterior façade with eight Corinthian columns which is virtually unchanged since it was opened 175 years ago.

While the outside will remain, the inside will see major works as platforms and roofs are rebuilt to accommodate electrification.

Such is the scale of the work that the station will have to be completely closed for two extended periods, likely to be in March/April in 2025 and March/April in 2026.

How the reconstructed tea room could look

Network Rail, which is carrying out the works, moved into the station on May 8 this year as preparations get underway.

The first phase of a five-phase scheme will see the tea rooms dismantled piece by piece and taken away for storage.

As a condition of listed building consent, Network Rail must have approval from Kirklees Council for a Conservation Implementation Management Plan, which details how work will be undertaken.

The timber-boarded tea room matches a drawing dated 1884 though while its internal layout has changed considerably, it has retained much of its historic character.

While such tea rooms were commonplace in stations of the time, the way the tea room sits on an island platform and can be accessed from two sides makes it significant.

Few timber tea rooms remain and an example of the quality of Huddersfield is said to be “quite rare.”

Dismantling of the tea room will be carried out by a specialist contractor with no power tools used unless prior approval is given by heritage experts.

A recording system will be used with labelling and drawings to aid the reassembly later. The aim is to re-use as much of the original fabric of the building as possible.

When it is re-constructed in the station it will be around 2.5 metres from its existing position and will be rotated 180 degrees to make the café a more prominent feature.