At last! Passengers will be able to buy a cuppa at the station

The booking hall and ticket office are the latest elements of the station to be getting a welcome make-over.

A 185,000 refurbishment of the booking hall and ticket office is now underway.

In partnership with the Department for Transport, Network Rail and the Railway Heritage Trust, rail operator Southern aims to transform the station back to its Victorian splendour.

The station was declared a Listed building in 1999 and is now undergoing a sympathetic refurbishment which will re-create the features which originally existed when the station was built in 1901.

In addition, says Southern, 21st century enhancements will be added to ensure that the station is a safer, more secure and more comfortable environment.

These include making the CCTV system digital and adding new cameras installed, a new lighting scheme, improvements to staff accommodation, a new easily-accessible customer toilet and re-surfacing and re-lining of the station forecourt area.

Southern has worked closely with the Railway Heritage Trust and Network Rail in the planning stages to ensure that none of the station's original features are lost during the renovation and that several features of the original design would be brought back to their former glory.

Southern's facilities manager, Dayral Hall said: "This is another great example of working in partnership to achieve a result that all interested parties will be pleased with. We are delighted to be able to carry out these works, and are looking forward to seeing the end result in August."

The long-empty timber-built shop/kiosk built into the front of the station will be demolished and replaced with purpose-built windows and doors to replicate the original design of the station front.

The existing timber kiosk located on the footbridge side of the booking hall will undergo conservation works and will be re-opened in the near future as a coffee shop.

The small ticket window will be removed and replaced with two Chubb split-level sales windows set in an architectural surround.

To the right side of the ticket office, a new fully compliant unisex disabled toilet will be developed. This new toilet will be accessible from the booking hall.

Floors and walls will be cleaned as part of the re-decoration of the booking hall.

The canopy at the front of the station will undergo minor repairs and will be completely repainted.