A NEW café at Taunton Station will take visitors back in time as they enjoy a snack and a coffee.

The Centenary Lounge, on platform 2, has been officially opened.

The café celebrates the history of the Great Western Railway, Art Deco and the 1930s, inspired by the station’s rich heritage.

It features light fittings, flooring, wood panelling and glass mirrors reflective of a golden age of steam travel.

At the official opening, on December 3, a live 1930s-style band performed as canapés and other refreshments were served up to guests and visitors.

Centenary Lounge was launched at Birmingham Moor Street station in 2009, with another café opening in Worcester in 2019 and at Leamington Spa station in 2023.

Founder, Aasia Baig, said she was delighted to be extending the Centenary Lounge story to Taunton.

“I wanted to come up with a design appropriate for the heyday of rail travel in the 1930s and took inspiration from the original interiors of our refreshment room in Leamington Spa station, as Taunton and Leamington Spa boast similar architectural aesthetics,” Aasia said.

“Taunton station has undergone some major improvements over the past five years and our café is in a fantastic location, overlooking the plaza and square with views across to the Great Western Hotel.

“We want to become a destination not only for customers passing through the station, but for the local community who have fallen back in love with their station.”

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Over the past five years, the station has seen a multi-million-pound regeneration scheme, including a new ticket office, station entrance and forecourt, multi-storey car park and an improved bus and taxi interchange.

Lord Faulkner of Worcester, chair of the GWR Advisory Board, said: “Railways are all about connecting people, whether that is for work, for education or for leisure. They bring people together and station waiting rooms and refreshment rooms are part of that heritage.

“I’m delighted that Taunton station will now have such a special place for people to meet and start or finish their journeys.

“It is a very important station, that has seen significant investment and improvement in services and it’s wonderful that Taunton is joining the GWR Centenary Lounge family.”

GWR Business Assurance and Strategy Director, Joe Graham, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Centenary Lounge to Taunton and are thrilled they’ve been able to recreate so many of the station’s original features in this stunning new café.

“We’re incredibly proud of Great Western Railway’s rich history and this café provides some wonderful examples of the quality and heritage which are so symbolic of the railway. The project demonstrates that we are committed to our customers and care about the communities we serve.”