HISTORY lovers unite!

Next week will see an event marking 175 years since the opening of a Cirencester railway station.

The Isambard Kingdom Brunel-designed, grade II listed building in Tetbury Road was opened for business on May 31, 1841, and was initially the terminus for the London to Bristol line before the Sapperton Tunnel was finished in 1845.

The station was axed in 1964 as part of the Beeching Report and the site became a council car park.

Now a celebration of its sparkling history will be on display, with a detailed history, models of the station and goods yard, photographs and memorabilia.

The STEAM museum in Swindon, the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway and the Living Memory History Museum will all be the event, which runs from 10.30am to 4pm, with a plaque unveiling at 11.15am.