St Marks Shopping Centre in Lincoln has been given the ‘Red Wheel Award’, as a recognition of their railway heritage.
The shopping centre, formally known as St Marks Station, was given this award as the Lincoln Terminus of the Midland Railway – the first to reach the city, according to the National Transport Trust.
The station was renamed in 1950 and closed in 1985.
Valerie Johnson, centre manager of St Marks Shopping Centre, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be invited and evaluated as a Red Wheel site.
“Embracing our heritage is extremely important to us and something we often celebrate. Last year, we hosted our ‘Full Steam Ahead’ event, whilst this year, we now have a plaque to celebrate our ‘hidden gem’ of the former St Marks Station.”
The National Transport Trust’s representative in Lincolnshire, Brian Ward, explained the significance of the Red Wheel Award.
“The Red Wheels are granted by the National Transport Trust to recognise and commemorate the most significance sites of historical importance, by virtue of one or more important features, to transport heritage in the U.K.,” he said.
“There are now some 120 sites across the U.K., although the current virus restrictions have resulted in some Red Wheels not being positioned as planned – or, as in the case of St. Marks, the unveiling ceremony has not been able to take place,” Mr Ward continued.
The Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire had originally been scheduled to perform this for St Marks.
Alex Bilton, a student at the University of Lincoln and train enthusiast said: “I think it’s great they have won the award and it’s quite important to understand our heritage and the people who came before us.”
The plaques are intended to serve as the transport equivalent of blue plaques, which are awarded in literary and historical fields.