Looks dull, huh? But look closely and you'll see it's constructed of concrete blocks, a material developed with gusto on the M&GN. I'd guess it dates sometime around the First World War or the 1920s. And look at the detailing on it -- it may be a workmen's hut but it still has decorated finials and barge boards. Very nice.
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What was the purpose of the workman's hut?
There were two main purposes of huts like these: if you were responsible for the maintenance of a remote stretch of line (and railways were often divided up into lengths each of which was the responsibility of a designated man or gang) you needed somewhere to store your tools and kit.
And in the days before electric light signalling, if there was bad fog you needed to place workers at critical points over the network to operate such things as detonators on the tracks, to warn drivers of obstacles ahead. These men needed to shelter.
This is rather more robust than most huts, so it's likely to be the former but with some added functionality (hence the need for two doors). But now I'm just guessing.
What a dear little erection, and such nice detailing including that rather fine tall chimney to make sure the smoke all got away.
Yes the chimney.
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