Built in 1881, the Waverley Railway Station is a rare example of the once common 'Class Four' station. Waverley was originally a military settlement called Wairoa, established on land confiscated from Ngati Ruanui in 1863. Built around a fortified redoubt, the town was one of the few in the area that remained in Pakeha hands during Titokowaru's War. This campaign was led by Ngati Ruanui leader, Riwha Titokowaru [?-1888], between 1868 and 1869, and left a legacy of hostility between Maori and Pakeha in the area. Tensions were heightened by conflict over land when pardoned Maori returned to the district in 1873. This friction prevented the government from considering the construction of a railway line through the area. In the 1870s the line from Wanganui was to extend only as far as Ihupuku at Waitotara. Local settlers petitioned the government to extend the railway, but it was not until 1881 that the line from Waitotara to Waverley was finally completed. The expansion of the railways began in 1870 when, to promote settlement and stimulate economic growth, the Government adopted Colonial Treasurer Julius Vogel's [1835-1899] proposal to build a transport network throughout the country. To ensure that the maximum length of line was laid using the funds available, Vogel suggested that the least possible amount should be spent on lines and station buildings. Accordingly, the Public Works Department developed standard plans of station buildings that would reduce construction and design costs to a minimum. The stations were ranked into five classes and the class of station allocated to a settlement became an indication of its status and prospects. Class Four stations, such as the one constructed at Waverley, were reserved for the more important rural towns and were distinctly superior to Class Five stations. Despite an economic depression during the 1880s, which spelt the end of the 'Vogel era', New Zealand Rail continued to build stations according to the plans developed by the Public Works Department. The Waverley Railway Station was completed in time for the opening of the Waverley Railway line in 1881. It was constructed around a timber frame, clad in weatherboards, and covered with a corrugated iron roof. Like all Class Four stations, it covered approximately 52 square metres [560 square feet] and originally consisted of a central lobby flanked by the station master's office on one side, and a ladies waiting room on the other. To add interest to the façade, the lobby was set back by approximately 30 centimetres [1 foot] from the rest of the building and decorated with ornamental posts and arched windows. It was a relatively simple building, although its finish and general design indicated that it was of a better quality than Class Five stations. In 1896, economic recovery allowed New Zealand Rail to comply with local requests to erect a large wooden canopy over the platform. The canopy is decorated with scalloped weatherboards and is supported by six posts made of bent steel rail lines. In the early twentieth century successive additions and alterations were made to the station building and surrounding freight facilities, reflecting Waverley's growing size and importance as an industrial centre. From the mid-twentieth century road and air travel began to challenge the railways' monopoly over transport and in the 1970s this competition caused many smaller stations to be shut down. The Waverley Railway Station was closed in 1978. Eleven years later tenders were called to remove the station, the goods shed and the tracks. The station building was saved from demolition by retired stationmaster Joss Smith, who secured a long-lease of the complex. That same year the 'Friends of the Waverley Railway Station' was formed to maintain and develop the station. In 1992 the station was reopened as a historic site and railway museum. Waverley Railway Station has national significance as a surviving example of the once common form Class Four railway station building. It has wider historical and architectural importance for the insight it provides into the influence of Julius Vogel's plan to forgo large, expensive station buildings so as to open up as much of the country as possible. The late date in which the station was erected also demonstrates the strength of the impact of wars between Maori and Pakeha in the Taranaki region in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The station is noteworthy as a part of a railway complex that includes sidings, the goods shed and loading bank. It has great local significance as the principle gateway for goods and people travelling in and out of the town, and as a mark of the status of the town at the time it was built. The local intervention that prevented the demolition of the building demonstrates that the station is held in high esteem. The Waverley Railway Station also has great potential as an educational tool in its current role as a railway museum.