A TRAIN station has scooped a national award for transforming its unused buildings into community facilities.

The empty buildings at Knaresborough Station were turned into a new tearoom, antiques shop, a picture-framing business, and a contemporary gin and real ale bar.

The Track and Sleeper bar, located on platform two, is operated by craft beer brewers The Gorilla Brothers. They transformed the former derelict storage rooms into a micropub.

National Railway Heritage Awards, held at the start of December, which recognise the best restoration projects in the UK’s historic railway infrastructure, handed Northern Rail and the Gorilla Brothers the Urban Heritage Award for enhancing Knaresborough Station while protecting the historic ambience.

Tony Baxter, Northern’s regional director said: “The Heritage Award is great recognition - the station now offers more than just trains and it is great to see the community embracing all the facilities.”

Jason White, co-founder of Gorilla Brothers, added: “Knaresborough’s Victorian facade and mix of Hercule Poirot and The Orient Express look and feel was exactly the right vibe for us." There are now two train services an hour between York and Knaresborough.