Centenary Lounge shortlisted for National Railway Heritage Awards 2025

We’re thrilled to announce that our Centenary Lounge at Taunton Station has been shortlisted for the 2025 National Railway Heritage Awards, a prestigious recognition celebrating excellence in the restoration, re-use, and conservation of Britain’s historic railway architecture.

This shortlisting follows our 2023 success at Leamington Spa Station, where Centenary Lounge proudly received the Network Rail Conservation Award. Each achievement strengthens our ongoing commitment to reviving historic railway spaces and ensuring they continue to serve communities with the same charm and craftsmanship that defined the railway’s golden era.

The winners will be revealed at the Awards Ceremony at Merchant Taylors’ Hall, London, on Wednesday 3rd December 2025, where industry leaders and heritage champions will come together to celebrate the very best in railway preservation.

Honouring Britain’s Railway Legacy

The National Railway Heritage Awards, established in 1979, honour projects that breathe new life into our nation’s historic railway and tramway buildings. Their mission is to recognise outstanding design, restoration, and craftsmanship, ensuring these architectural treasures continue to serve modern communities while preserving their original charm.

As the only awards body dedicated exclusively to the re-use and restoration of railway heritage, the NRHA celebrates those who balance careful conservation with creative adaptation, values that lie at the heart of Centenary Lounge’s own philosophy.

Reviving Taunton’s Historic Station Building

The Taunton station buildings, dating back to 1845, were originally part of the Bristol and Exeter Railway. Built in a classic white-brick style with elegant sash windows and arched doorways, they remain Grade II listed, reflecting their importance within the nation’s railway heritage.

Our Taunton Centenary Lounge occupies a distinctive section of the south-side station buildings, a space once used for operational railway functions and later converted into an American Diner before closing in 2020.

When Centenary Lounge took on the project, our goal was to honour the building’s history while creating a warm, stylish space for today’s travellers. The result is an elegant Art Deco-inspired cafe that blends seamlessly with its surroundings, a modern tribute to 1930s railway glamour.

Judges praised the project’s quality of craftsmanship, attention to detail, and sympathetic design, noting that the transformation “creates an Art Deco 1930s ambiance that works perfectly.”

Every Centenary Lounge location is designed to evoke the golden age of railway travel, where comfort, style, and service were as much a part of the journey as the destination. Our Taunton site embodies this philosophy beautifully, combining historical respect with contemporary convenience.

The National Railway Heritage Awards noted that despite the constraints of space and visibility within the station, the Taunton lounge has achieved exceptional impact through thoughtful design and high-quality finishes, along with tasteful external signage that complements the building’s character.

We are honoured to be shortlisted for such a prestigious award and grateful to the judges and organisers for recognising the dedication and care that went into the Taunton Centenary Lounge restoration.

We look forward to the Awards Ceremony in December and to continuing our mission of celebrating Britain’s railway heritage, one beautiful station at a time.