Roofing Our Future Appeal

Midland Railway-Butterley is organizing this fundraiser to benefit Midland Railway Trust.

£40,000 URGENT APPEAL

“ROOFING OUR FUTURE”

RENOVATION OF THE MATTHEW KIRTLEY BUILDING

The Matthew Kirtley Building (MKB), the Main Exhibition Hall here at the Midland Railway- Butterley, is in urgent need of roof and guttering repairs. In periods of heavy rain, water pours into the building and is causing massive damage to the building's main structure and the vehicles it houses.

The building is currently closed to visitors and the unique collection of railway items & vehicles it houses is now suffering rapid deterioration, which will ultimately result in costly restoration if we don't act now!

Recent innovations in roof repair techniques have meant that it is now possible to implement cost effective repairs to roof and gutters. This in turn will allow the re-opening of the building and provide protection of the historically valuable collection the building houses.

The Midland Railway Trust now needs to raise £40,000 to make this happen and we need your help!

Please help us now with a donation of any size so that we can secure this historic collection, and carry on telling the story of the famous Midland Railway to future generations.

Any donation you make will help the Midland Railway

About the Collection

Most people would expect to see steam and diesel locomotives at the Midland Railway – Butterley but the Trust’s collection is much wider than that.

Our Collection includes:-

Unique restored vintage carriages dating from 1866 to 1898.
Carriages from the Royal Train, one from 1912 and the other from 1956.
The first MR Pullman Car body, and restored goods vehicles.
Railway signs, station items including a restored ticket window, platform trolleys and waiting room benches, and railway equipment not normally seen by the travelling public are all here to be discovered.
Photographs from the past, there is plenty to explore for both the enthusiast and visitor curious about the past but without a specific interest in railways.

Name Origin

The Matthew Kirtley Building is named after the Midland Railway Company’s first Locomotive Superintendent.

History of the Matthew Kirtley Building

It is a large three-bay building which utilises the framework of the former wagon works of William Rigley & Sons Ltd. This business was founded in 1905 to both make and repair wagons in a small works at Bulwell, Nottingham and the building is therefore an item of railway heritage in its own right. The building was acquired by the in 1981, transferred from Bulwell, and re-erected on its current site. The Midland Railway Trust raised the funds to buy, transport, re-erect and clad the building over a period of 10 years. As with all buildings, the time comes when essential repairs are vital. For the MKB that time is now!

Your donations will enable the Trust to tell the story of the Midland Railway, and show:

How innovations introduced by the Midland Railway (MR) became the national standard.
How a regional company in Derby came to have a national influence, still reflected in modern railways.
How the railway network and the MR enabled the efficient movement of freight and goods.
How it significantly improved passenger travel in both comfort and style between the 1860s and 1920s.
How this had an impact on the local area.

The Midland Railway Trust (MRT) is an educational charity, largely run by volunteers, that supports projects at the Midland Railway-Butterley. It operates a heritage railway offering visitors a train journey and access to a 57-acre multi-disciplinary museum complex. Its aim is to commemorate the Midland Railway Company (MR), its predecessors and its successors, thereby focusing on one railway company that was formerly based in Derby.

In addition to roof and gutter repairs, money will be spent on essential internal repairs to damage caused by water ingress, future interpretation development, lighting, access improvements, grant match funding, museum display care, security systems and ongoing building maintenance/development.