Twenty-six of England’s rarest and best-preserved railway signal boxes have been grade II-listed. Some of the boxes date from the late-Victorian era.

In the 1940s, there were as many as 10,000 signal boxes, but today fewer than 500 are in use by Network Rail (NR), which has joined English Heritage in seeking out the best examples of historic boxes.

One of the boxes on the list is in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, and dates from 1891. Another at Downham Market in Norfolk is from 1883 and, unusually, is built of wood blocks cut to resemble stone.

The heritage minister, Ed Vaizey, said: “Our interest in everything to do with trains and railways – and the ‘golden age’ of steam in particular – is one of our most endearing and enduring national preoccupations.

“Signal boxes are a big part of this, and so I am very pleased indeed to be able to list these lovely examples of the type. It is greatly to Network Rail’s credit that they have worked so constructively with English Heritage to bring this project to such a successful outcome.”

John Minnis, senior investigator at English Heritage, said: “These are very special buildings, at one time a familiar sight on our railway system. Today’s listings will ensure that many of these highly distinctive designs, which were full of character, are protected for years to come, providing a window into how railways were operated in the past.”

NR is decommissioning many mechanical signal boxes to consolidate signalling into 12 regional centres as part of a 30-year plan to modernise the system. There will be a marked acceleration in the number of signal boxes decommissioned each year.

These are the signal boxes that have been listed:

NORTH

Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire

Hensall, North Yorkshire

WEST

Bournemouth West Junction, Dorset

Lostwithiel, Cornwall

Marsh Brook, Shropshire

Par, Cornwall

Totnes, Devon

EAST

Brundall, Norfolk

Bury St Edmunds Yard, Suffolk

Downham Market, Norfolk

Skegness, Lincolnshire

Thetford, Norfolk

Wainfleet, Lincolnshire

Wymondham South Junction, Norfolk

SOUTH

Aylesford, Kent

Canterbury East, Kent

Cuxton, Kent

Eastbourne, East Sussex

Grain Crossing, Kent

Littlehampton, West Sussex

Liverpool Street, London (owned by London Underground Ltd)

Maidstone West, Kent

Rye, East Sussex

Shepherdswell, Kent

Snodland, Kent

Wateringbury, Kent