The Architecture and Legacy of British Railway Buildings E-Book

Robert Thornton

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 366

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

Railway buildings have always had a fascinating character all of their own, despite many no longer being in operational railway service. This book tells the story of how these buildings evolved alongside the development of the railway in Great Britain and examines how architects over the years have responded to the operational, social and cultural influences that define their work. Written for those with a keen interest in architecture and the railway, as well as those new to the subject, The Architecture and Legacy of British Railway Buildings provides an unique insight into the production of railway architecture, both in the context of railway management and the significant periods of ownership, and the swings in national mood for railway-based transportation. As well as tracing its history, the authors take time to consider the legacy these buildings have left behind and the impact of heritage on a continually forward-looking industry. Topics covered include: the context of railway architecture today; the history of how it came into existence; the evolution of different railway building types; the unique aspects of railway building design, and finally, the key railway development periods and their architectural influences.

Leseprobe

Blackfriars Station. (Drawing: Robert Thornton)

First published in 2020 byThe Crowood Press LtdRamsbury, MarlboroughWiltshire SN8 2HR

[email protected]

This e-book first published in 2020

© Robert Thornton and Malcolm Wood 2020

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication DataA catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 712 5

Cover images

Front cover: Paul Childs (St Pancras)

Back cover upper photographs, clockwise from top left: Paul Childs (Margate station);

Robert Thornton (Birmingham New Street signal box); Network Rail Archive (Margate Station); Robert Thornton (Leeds wagon hoist); Malcolm Wood (Stoke on Trent station);

Robert Thornton (Norwich Thorpe station)

Back cover lower photograph: Paul Childs (London Bridge)

Inside back flap upper photograph: Robert Thornton (Midland Hotel Morecambe) Inside back flap lower photograph: Paul Childs (Glasgow Central station)

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

List of Abbreviations

Part 1: The Inheritance

Chapter 1: Railway Buildings Today

Chapter 2: The Heritage

Part 2: The Evolution of Railway Architecture

Chapter 3: The Pioneering Victorian Period – 1825–70

Chapter 4: The Late Victorian and Edwardian Period – 1870–1922

Chapter 5: Grouping and ‘The Big Four’ – 1923–47

Chapter 6: The Nationalized Period – 1947–94

Chapter 7: The Privatized Period – 1994–2019

Part 3: Aspects of Railway Architecture

Chapter 8: Types of Building

Chapter 9: Building Materials

Chapter 10: Style and Identity

Chapter 11: Building Features and Design Considerations

Reflection

Bibliography and Further Reading

Index

Acknowledgements

MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CONSULTED and have helped in the development of this book. We should particularly like to thank Andy Savage and Paul Childs at the Railway Heritage Trust for the assistance with many of the photographs contained within it.

We are indebted to Network Rail for advice and assistance from Vicky Stretch; Trevor Dawton; Gillian Booker; Donna Mitchell; Tom Higginson; Anthony Dewar; Frank Anatole; Trevor Wilson; Ali Al-Said; and Isabelle Milford.

We have appreciated assistance and, indeed, offers of assistance from friends and former colleagues and although, in some cases, memories of events and specific projects are fading, they have nonetheless provided valuable insight into the life and times of railway architectural practice over the second half of the twentieth century and up to the present day. In this context, and in no particular order, we should like to acknowledge assistance provided by John Kitcher; Lis Ager-Harris; Alastair Lansley; Richard Golding; Julian Wormleighton; Bob Yorke; Clive Brandon; Richard Horne; Mike Soden; Barry Gray; Tony Howard; Frances and Michael Edwards; Tony Pike; Andy Parrett; John Fellows; John Ives; Roger and Holly Tillot; Peter Ledhill; Steve Warbis; John Evans; Ian Jamieson; Rob Hayward; Martyn Cornwall; John Stonor; Gordon Williams; Bert Morris; Bruce Methven; Peter Trewin; Jon Cunningham and Jerry Martin. Thank you also to Dave Harris, Coordinator, Midland Rail Study Centre; Francis Thomas at West Midlands Trains Ltd and Julie Okpa at the Department for Transport.

Particular mention should be made of former colleague, Lawrence Jackman, who passed away in 2014 and we should like to thank Lawrence’s son, Richard, for permission and assistance to reproduce his father’s original perspective drawings, some of which have not been seen since they were produced nearly sixty years ago.

A number of consultant architects involved with the works described in the book have also assisted with information, drawings or photographs and our particular thanks go to John McAslan (John McAslan and Partners); Adam Brown (Landholt and Brown); Mark Middleton (Grimshaw Global); Rob Naybour (Weston Williamson and Partners); Gary Seed (Seed Architects); Peter Jenkins (Building Design Partnership Ltd, Manchester); Tony Howard (Transport Design Consultancy); and Henry Lambon and Wallace Henning (Henning Ltd).

Note: Permission to use the British Rail corporate ID images in Chapter 10 is granted by the Secretary of State for Transport.

And finally, we would both like to thank our wives, Terry and Kuka, and our families for their patience and understanding (!), particularly during all those periods when we appeared to be concentrating on something else and putting off those essential tasks.

Preface

The history of railway buildings and the unique architectural idiom that relates to them is nearly two hundred years old and whilst there may be some low spots amongst the highlights, the story continues to be a fascinating one representing all manner of social, commercial, technological and design developments.

The architecture supporting railway operations in the current era has room for all design approaches whether this be in respect of new build, adaptation or full-on restoration. There is also, valuably, room for imaginative reinterpretation and, indeed, a combination of all three. This is a long way from the mono-directional approach of former railway eras and this book pinpoints when this change occurs.

Good and lasting railway architecture doesn’t happen on its own. It needs enthusiastic architects, engineers, project managers and, above all, ‘clients’ who share the same passion in an industry that continues to evolve. It is hoped that the examples and themes illustrated in this book help to stimulate interest and care in both the historic and current railway buildings’ portfolios.

Introduction

IF ONE WERE TO STAND IN A NEWLY MODERNIZED or refurbished station now amidst a thronging mass of commuters and had no knowledge of its history, it might be a surprise to know that one is playing a part in a transport system that is very nearly two hundred years old. Unlike many operational or industrial buildings of this vintage, it is still being used for its original purpose.

Railway architecture is one of the most interesting branches of the bigger subject matter encapsulating and expressing all manner of cultural, commercial and technological influences whilst being simultaneously driven by the unique functional requirements and imperatives of railway operations.

The railway building portfolio has comprised, at each stage in its history, many building types, large and small and of all architectural qualities. Whilst stations may be the most familiar buildings, these represent only a small part of a vast collection of buildings that made up the railway estate until well into the 1960s when cuts to the system in the face of the growth in road transport started to take hold.

The advent of the railways brought with it many new building types such as stations, signal boxes, locomotive ‘roundhouses’, grand tunnel portals, water towers and the plethora of less well-recorded buildings that supported the new system. Whilst many of these no longer exist, there remains a large and diverse range of railway buildings still evident and in use, even if not for railway purposes. These, together with many other buildings and structures such as bridges, tunnels and viaducts, make up a very rich and diverse catalogue of architectural forms that have contributed so much to the history of Great Britain since the reign of George IV.

Railway architecture across its many functions and applications is a genre that is generally well recognized as unique in this country and appears wherever railway systems spread their influence around the world. Without the functional drivers inherent in the conveyance of passengers and goods from one part of the country to the next on a track-based system, there would be no railway architecture as such.

A true monument to the early years of railway operations, the wagon hoist designed by Sir John Hawkshaw in 1854 was one of a pair standing either side of the viaduct running through Leeds station. Once standing forlorn, it now commands a central position in the developing business district off Wellington Street. (Photo: Robert Thornton)

Two principal factors lie at the heart of the physical character of today’s railway infrastructure. The first is the nature of rail operations and the need for specialist buildings to support these, sometimes unique operational needs, for example, signal boxes and stations. The second is the constraint imposed by the topography and geography of the British Isles on the requirement for a level, or as near-level track as possible.

The combination of these has conspired to produce a new idiom in the architectural canon from the advent of the first railways and which, many years later, still informs the railway buildings of today. The architecture thus produced can be joyous, monumental, awe-inspiring and endlessly fascinating, whether it is liked or reviled: it is certainly distinctive and, in many cases, unique.

The inherited legacy of the railway system, which provides many physical constraints upon infrastructure development, provides a continual challenge that all railway managers, operators, infrastructure designers and construction specialists face every day. It is important to stress that, whilst the railway system that exists today is built on these historic foundations, it is very much a live and current transport network playing a vital and essential role in the continually changing economic and cultural well-being of this country. As such, it has needed to adapt continuously to meet contemporary and predicted needs – the latter, for investment planning purposes usually being twenty-five to thirty years into the future.

The path of progress between what can be recognized as the beginnings of the system and today’s railway has not been straightforward, seeing both evolutionary and sometimes rapid growth and, in the instance of the major pruning of the system in the mid-1960s, revolutionary change.

The Book

As a subject of interest to a great many people there are, of course, many books written about aspects of railway architecture. However, those in general circulation tend to focus on passenger stations, mainly of the Victorian and Edwardian eras with only a relatively small number of references to those built in the periods since. However, the more recent flagship developments at stations such as King’s Cross and St Pancras in London, which combine contemporary architecture with historic settings, are now receiving greater attention. It is therefore hoped that this book can fill in a few gaps regarding a wider range of buildings and of later periods, particularly the time following the major railway system reorganizations of the second half of the twentieth century.

The restoration of St Pancras Station, London, to accommodate international train services perfectly illustrates the magnificence of railway architecture at its grandest. The imaginative reuse of hitherto unseen parts of the building and the exemplary conservation work amply demonstrate the part the past has to play in the future. (Photo: Paul Childs)

This book is not intended to be a critical discourse on individual pieces of railway architecture but aspires to tell the story of the practical and architectural ambitions of the wide variety of railway companies when serving the many functional needs of the industry and its customers. There is not enough room in a book such as this to do justice to the scale and variety of the architecture making up the railway portfolio as it stands today, from the humble plate-layers hut to the grandest terminal, but it is hoped that by looking at the subject from an operational viewpoint as well as an aesthetic one it opens up a wider understanding of the genre and the challenges faced in reaching built solutions.

This is not a straightforward field of architecture, as those involved will testify. While architectural historians may be critical of the design of many more recent railway buildings, it is hoped that the background story of those involved through all periods of railway history will be of value to those with an interest in this branch of architecture and how it has manifested itself over the years of diverse operational management imperatives and cultural context.

The story of railway development naturally breaks down into generally accepted chronological divisions and these have been used throughout, but it should perhaps be noted that architectural fashions and trends do not wholly align with this breakdown:

1. Pioneering Victorian 1825 to 1870

2. Later Victorian and Edwardian including World War I (1870–1922)

3. Railway Grouping including World War II (1923–47)

4. Nationalization 1947–94

5. Privatization 1994–2019 and beyond.

The text and examples generally cited constrain themselves to those buildings that once supported or are now supporting mainline railway companies and their operations rather than, for instance, those commercial buildings located on or adjacent to sites even where their form may have been influenced or constrained by the peculiarities of railway operations. Nevertheless, these have occasionally produced characterful and distinctive architecture in its own right. Witness, for example, the oversite developments at Charing Cross or Liverpool Street.

The book is aimed at all those with an interest in the design of railway buildings of any type and particularly those with an interest in the practice of architecture in the railway environment. It is hoped that it will appeal to architects and designers, engineers, railway enthusiasts, social historians and to the general reader who may have no prior knowledge of railways or the rich, complex and varied history that is embodied or manifest in its structures, buildings, landscapes and cityscapes.

Embankment Place, designed by Terry Farrell and Company Ltd and completed in 1991, sits directly over and spans the platforms at Charing Cross Station. The influence of the railway operations below is uniquely expressed in the form and outlook of the building. (Photo: Robert Thornton)

It is written by those with first-hand experience of working both as practitioners and ‘clients’ in the railway industry and acknowledges the operational, practical and commercial pressures typically brought to bear on projects of all scales and sizes within the industry. We hope to illustrate what railway building designers and architects have striven, and continue to strive, to achieve with their buildings on behalf of their company masters or clients.

List of Abbreviations

NOTE THAT WE HAVE ADOPTED ACRONYMS for railway companies widely used by other railway architecture historians and authors and have omitted ampersands where they form part of a single company title, e.g London & North Western Railway becomes LNWR, and only re-introduced them where two railway companies have joined forces, e.g. Great Northern Great North Eastern Railway Joint becomes GN &GERJ’.

AfA

‘Access for All’

BM

Backlog Maintenance Programme

BR

British Rail(ways)

BR

Bedford Railway

BREEAM

Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method

BER

Bristol & Exeter Railway

BR (E)

British Railways Eastern Region

BR (M)

British Railways London Midland Region

BR (Sc)

British Railways Scottish Region

BR (S)

British Railways Southern Region

BRUTE

British Railways Universal Trolley Equipment

BR (W)

British Railways Western Region

BTC

British Transport Commission

CR

Caledonian Railway

CHR

Chester & Holyhead Railway

CLASP

Consortium of Local Authorities Special Programme

DB

Deutsche Bahn

DAD

Director of Architecture & Design

DADE

Director of Architecture Design & Environment

D70

Design for the 1970s

ECR

Eastern Counties Railway

FfR

Ffestiniog Railway

GSWR

Glasgow & South Western Railway

GRC

Glass reinforced concrete / cement

GRP

Glass reinforced plastic

GJR

Grand Junction Railway

GCR

Great Central Railway

GER

Great Eastern Railway

GN & GERJ

Great Northern & Great Eastern Railway Joint

GNR

Great Northern Railway

GWR

Great Western Railway (1837 - 1948)

HWR

Hereford & Worcester Railway

HS1

High Speed 1

HR

Highland Railway

HMR & CC

Huddersfield Manchester Railway & Canal Co

IC

InterCity

IBR

Ipswich & Bury Railway

LCR

Lancaster & Carlisle Railway

LMR

Liverpool & Manchester Railway

LBR

London & Birmingham Railway

LGR

London & Greenwich Railway

LNER

London & North Eastern Railway

LNW & LYJ

London & North Western and Liverpool & Yorkshire Joint

LNWR

London & North Western Railway

LSWR

London & South Western Railway

LSR

London & Southampton Railway

LBSCR

London Brighton & South Coast Railway

LCDR

London Chatham & Dover Railway

LMSR

London Midland & Scottish Railway

MSLR

Manchester Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway

MR

Midland Railway

NEC

National Exhibition Centre

NSIP

National Stations Improvement Programme

NSE

Network SouthEast

NCR

Newcastle & Carlisle Railway

NBR

North British Railway

NER

North Eastern Railway

NMR

North Midlands Railway

NSR

North Staffordshire Railway

O D70

Office Design for 1970s

RTC

Railway Technical Centre, Derby

RAT-TRAD

Rationalized traditional

RIBA Royal

Institute of British Architects

SNCF

Société Nationale des Chemin de Fers (Francais)

SECR

South Eastern & Chatham Railway

SER

South Eastern Railway

SWR

South Wales Railway

SR

Southern Railway

SRP

Station Regeneration Programme

SDR

Stockton & Darlington Railway

SPR

Syston & Peterborough Railway

TVR

Taff Vale Railway

TSI-PRM

Technical Specification for Interoperability - Standards for Persons with Reduced Mobility

TOC

Train Operating company

TVR

Trent Valley Railway

WHR

West Highland Railway

WLR

West Lancashire Railway

YNMR

York & North Midlands Railway

Part 1: The Inheritance

Chapter One

Railway Buildings Today

An Aged and Architecturally Rich Operational Estate

When looking at current or former railway buildings, the observer is presented with a complex living history of the genesis and development of the railway system, which embraces the architectural fashions, whims and peccadillos of all those responsible for the production of its buildings in each period of railway history. This history is sometimes eventful, turbulent and often controversial and it provides a rich tapestry of artefacts, most of which, unlike many more recent bland structures, can be dated and attributed to specific architects, engineers and contractors or privately commissioned consultants.

Although a modern transportation network relies on up-to-date engineering and operational technology, the railway buildings in the UK comprise an eclectic mix of structures representing nearly two centuries of engineering and architectural prowess, progress and pioneering development. This lengthy timeline does have its consequences today though and it is against the sometimes conflicting mix of modern operations and historic infrastructure that the buildings should be viewed, as this presents not insubstantial challenges in respect of costs and operational practicalities.

Most station buildings reflect periods of change, development and civic context. Here at Reading the new platform access deck, designed by Grimshaw and opened in 2012, is located adjacent to the second station built on this site in 1868, which replaced Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s 1840 station. (Photo: Jon Cunningham)

The buildings and underlying infrastructure that support the current train services and passenger activities are, in the main, the legacy of the nineteenth century. However, unlike the core engineering structures such as bridges, viaducts and tunnels, the basic elements of which are often still capable of fulfilling modern needs without deleterious impact on their appearance, these buildings have often been significantly altered, adapted, replaced or removed as the nature and scale of railway operations has progressed through its historic phases. This same need for change and development continues today.

The operational railways ‘estate’ as it now stands is unique in its engineering make-up and building stock. Although other large property and landowners perhaps have more historic portfolios with buildings ranging over a wider period of history, the railway estate is the only one with physical continuity and connectivity across the entire country. This unique attribute contributes significantly to its architectural character. In addition to the operational buildings, there are also many former railway buildings across the country that have found themselves unwanted due to system cutbacks or unusable because their functionality is no longer relevant to contemporary operations. Together these combine to represent every manner of architectural development, both evolutionary and revolutionary. Many buildings, such as stations, embraced the architectural influences and manners extant at the time of building, but many represent and reflect entirely new building requirements such as signal boxes, carriage and wagon works, and locomotive roundhouses.

Architectural Styles and Diversity

The operational infrastructure of today is a complex mix of structures and buildings of all types mainly dating from the early nineteenth century onwards although there are also earlier buildings in the portfolio where, for instance, they were inherited by railway companies from the canal companies they acquired in the course of their business.

For many, the words ‘railway architecture’ conjure up images of grand Victorian or Edwardian terminals or country stations resplendent with wrought-iron filigree. Indeed, stations are probably the most familiar of railway buildings, but there has often been an equal, or greater, number of other operational buildings to accommodate supporting operations. These may include administrative offices, signal boxes, motive power and maintenance depots, warehouses, hotels, lineside buildings, water towers, sub-stations, control rooms, dockside buildings and so on. In the second half of the twentieth century, the range of building types expanded to embrace such facilities as computer systems operations centres, research establishments and even a hoverport terminal.

The railway buildings making up the ‘operational’ estate today represent only a small percentage of the total number of buildings created for railway purposes over the period of its history. Many buildings have come out of operational use as a result of cutbacks to the system or technological development, thus the demise of steam engine roundhouses and the reduction in the number of signal boxes. Fortunately, however, good representative examples of these still exist as other uses have been found for them. They were not all necessarily of great architectural quality, but many were robust and of historic interest. The multi-level stable at Paddington is a typical example; in use now as laboratory accommodation for the adjacent hospital, it once housed and cared for nearly 400 horses in service to the Great Western Railway (GWR) until as late as the 1940s.

The scale of the operational portfolio continues to ebb and flow but whilst the number of buildings has diminished over the last hundred years there are now new buildings being added to suit modern management methods. It is perhaps regrettable that, as well as those already mentioned, other operationally specific buildings such as depot control towers, water towers, transhipment sheds and motor vehicle workshops and so on, that were designed to serve the inner workings of the railway no longer exist to illustrate a bigger picture of the railway architectural story. Whilst it is possible to lament the passing of many wonderful station buildings, one should not perhaps forget the development of these more esoteric buildings, the purpose for which no longer exists.

Robert Stephenson’s tubular iron bridge over the River Conwy is in a particularly sensitive setting adjacent to both the castle and Thomas Telford’s suspension bridge. The bridge abutments were designed in conjunction with Francis Thompson to integrate with the medieval walls alongside which the tracks run. (Photo: Robert Thornton)

It should also be noted that, whilst specifically designed for the railway system, railway operations also impact on, and are associated with many historic sites of greater age, such as the periphery of Conwy Castle and aspects of Hadrian’s Wall in Newcastle. Not only this but the estate comprises many monuments, sculptures and artworks too. The lines and associated infrastructure are also often situated in areas of outstanding natural beauty or conservation areas and take on a different meaning in this context.

Victorian architectural and engineering detailing tends to dominate the historic building stock of the railways and traditional or revivalist building techniques were generally adopted for buildings during the first half of the twentieth century. However, a number of architectural fashions have been adopted since, ranging from International modernism, ‘hi-tech’, brutalism and postmodern to rationalised traditional, ‘eco’ and today’s, yet to be identified, eclectic and esoteric mix.

The bulk of the infrastructure was set down in the nineteenth century with the consequence that the opportunity to create entirely new buildings at any subsequent period did not present itself very often if at all. New elements, such as station canopies or parts of station buildings have been constructed within existing sites, but to some these do not necessarily sit comfortably with their hosts; they do, however, add a further storyline to the history of the premises.

Despite the impact of developing technology and digitization on all aspects of operations, and notwithstanding the major changes already occurring in the signalling world, the range of buildings required to support railway operations is not likely to change significantly in the near future. However, the growth in the passenger business, leading to the need for new stations or the expansion of existing ones is a key driving force in the early part of the twenty-first century.

Scale of Operations and Architecture

Over the first century of railway operations, the amount of land acquired, and the number of buildings created, rendered the railway industry ‘estate’ one of the biggest in the UK. Later aerial photographs of the great works at Swindon, Doncaster, Crewe, York and Glasgow amply demonstrate this. Whilst the amount of land in railway use has been much reduced from its maximum extent prior to World War I, this still makes it one of the largest estates in the UK alongside the National Trust, the Crown, the Ministry of Defence, Highways England, the Forestry Commission and the Church Commissioners.

Few people would be familiar with the range of buildings and the scale of the land needed to support rail operations, much of which would be hidden from view by high walls with carefully controlled access points. Whilst these sites generally contained utilitarian buildings, they often, nonetheless, embraced buildings of architectural and now industrial archaeological interest.

A feel for the scale of these operations can now be experienced following the opening up of former railway sites and yards, such as those at Swindon and now particularly at King’s Cross where the 135 acres (55 hectares) of former railway land north of St Pancras and King’s Cross stations has gradually been converted into contemporary uses whilst simultaneously exposing and exhibiting the very best of the historic architectural qualities this site has to offer. Many buildings within the works footprint at Swindon have been demolished but a number of key buildings remain, notably the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s building by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Some of the remaining workshops have been converted into a retail outlet and offices where the historic structures add significant character to the user experience.

A glance at the statistics related to route mileage and the number of stations spread across the land at three critical periods in their development may help to explain the requirements for buildings and the demands placed on them. At the peak extent of the railway network in the early years of the twentieth century the route mileage of track reached nearly 20,000mi (32,187km) and by the time of the Beeching report – The Reshaping of British Railways – released in 1962, this figure had been reduced to 17,830mi (28,695km). As a consequence of adopting the recommendations of the report, this mileage further reduced to approximately 10,000mi (16,000km) where it remains to this day. Over the same benchmark periods the number of stations dropped from approximately 9,000 in 1914 to 7,000 in 1962. The number of passenger stations closed after the Beeching report numbered 2,363 although 435 of these were already under consideration of closure or, indeed, already closed beforehand. The operational stations on the network now number more than 2,500. The discrepancy in the figures related to station closures is explained by the fact that the word ‘station’ was also applied to freight and goods-only premises in historic records.

The plan of the railway works in York in the pioneer years of railway development illustrates the scale and extent of the enterprise, which was repeated at a number of centres – usually midway along key routes. Each site had major implications for employment and the demands for specialized buildings.

Until the general adoption of ‘train-load’ freight rather than ‘wagon-load’ freight, stations were very much multi-purpose and often embraced goods sheds, coal depots, animal pens – sometimes including nearby abattoirs – and sundry other offices concerned with the upkeep and maintenance of the railway infrastructure and its rolling stock in the vicinity of the station.

Whilst the closure of a large number of stations may appear alarming it should be pointed out that they were not all of significant architectural quality: many were halts with short platforms and rudimentary forms of shelter, although it is known, of course, that there were a number of important casualties. Whether those with recognized architectural qualities would have survived, had they been preserved for consideration in our current era where ‘heritage’ is more highly valued by the industry and the communities it serves, is a moot point.

In relationship to the scale of the enterprise, it is also interesting to note that manpower requirements have changed significantly in the industry and these have a major implication for buildings of all types whether they be administrative offices, manufactories, carriage and wagon works, signal boxes or the many other specific activities related to rail operations. Up to the time of the nationalization there were approximately 650,000 staff in the employ of railway companies, and this had reduced to just under 475,000 by 1962 to be further reduced in stages to under 150,000 just prior to the privatization of 1994.

The railway ‘estate’ has seen growth and contraction over its period of operation in both usage and the physical infrastructure required to meet demand, but these two aspects have not always been analogous. After unpredicted growth in passenger travel following privatization, the passenger figures approximate to a doubling of demand over the twenty years since the new millennium and, at the time of writing, the forecast predicts a further doubling in the next twenty-five years. It is interesting to note that these figures are at their highest since the post-World War II period when there were more than twice the number of stations to accommodate travellers. The increase in passenger numbers not only affects the size and scale of station premises, but also requires more frequent and longer trains which in turn has further consequences for the infrastructure. Handling more people safely often requires wider and longer platforms, which may, in turn, require new footbridges linking the platforms, works to embankments and bridge abutments where station lengths are constrained by them, and changes to signalling and track layouts.

Pressures on railway operations and on the supporting buildings are still expected to grow. In 2017 overall usage was 4.5 million passengers per day but this is expected to grow by 100 per cent by 2041 with freight growth expected to be in the region of 90 per cent. Assessing the impact of this growth on railway premises requires sophisticated modelling techniques to ensure adequate spatial capacity and the safety and comfort of passengers.

Railway Management Influence on Design

It is inevitable that the management of the railway system and all its constituent functions has a major impact on the need for buildings and the design of them, but often it is overlooked that the style and method of management during the key historic periods also has an impact on the resultant architecture, even if not intentionally.

The railway industry as a whole has involved the services of architects and other railway building designers in a number of ways over its history and this process continues to change as design and construction methodologies change. The shift from the use of a diverse selection of private practitioners and consultants through the early Victorian period to the build-up of ‘in-house’ resources through the later Victorian and Edwardian, Grouping and nationalized periods and back again following privatization has had a tangible influence on the development of architectural styles, detailing and production methodology – the latter now being rather euphemistically labelled as ‘delivery’.

The number of consultants active in the nineteenth century and working for the many train companies produced many individualistic pieces of architecture, albeit with their own characteristic flourishes and often used before on other public, civic or ecclesiastical buildings. When railway companies amalgamated or expanded to the point where they found it more economic to recruit salaried staff, the individual flair started to be eroded and former building plans became templates for further work and an approach to standardization.

With notable exceptions it is generally clear from the design of railway buildings to which period they belong, not just by architectural ‘fashion’ but by such things as the utilization of practical architectural details or the repetition of elements.

The Victorian era was dominated by revivalist styles coupled with engineering prowess and display; the Edwardian period by the standardization of traditional forms and the Grouping period by the quest for modernity and the railway company’s ambition to express speed and glamour. The nationalized period presented the first opportunity for railway management to express a national intent and identity for its services and the subsequent privatized era gave free reign to the new railway company managers to express their services via the design of their buildings and interiors to suit their target customers.

However, there is much that was modern about the buildings of the Grouping period and which also demonstrated a stronger centralized control of design direction, particularly in the drive for standardization of design approach if not always in detailing. The later privatized period is, however, a bit of a hybrid as, whilst the infrastructure company that ‘delivers’ most of the buildings engages many diverse consultants, it does endeavour to produce standards and consistency of design in the interests of its maintenance and longer-term sustainability aspirations. A relatively short period within the nationalized era was, in fact, the only time when architecture had an opportunity to be standardized across the entire country but apart from a ‘corporate identity’ applied to graphics and industrial design this wasn’t really applied to a building programme. Yes, there was a standard approach to such things as ticket office layouts and the purchase of related, specialized furniture, but this principle did not find a national form in respect of buildings, each regional architect’s team or project architect still having the freedom to develop an individual style in the spirit of the national goal.

To those familiar with the possibilities of a coherent central design direction in the nationalized era, the fragmentation of the privatized era might appear to be a retrograde step particularly when comparisons are made to, say, Deutsche Bahn (DB) or Societé Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF) which have retained strength of identity nationally.

The strength and coherence of railway design management in the UK is of a changeable nature but the shift has definitely been away from ‘in-house’ resources to the management of external consultants since the mid-1990s. This, in effect, reflects more closely the prevalent process of design management prior to the 1922 Grouping when favoured consultant practices, led by such eminent architects as Charles Henry Driver, Francis Thompson, David Mocatta and Matthew Digby Wyatt, were at their zenith. There are now many architectural practices involved in the design of railway buildings and of course these have built up their own expertise, which in some cases has enabled them to work in an international field.

The privatized era also sees the gradual shift in emphasis towards ‘design and build’ throughout the industry with the ‘client’ railway companies generally favouring the appointment of contractor’s teams embracing all design discipliners and responding to the client via project management teams. The professional architects in the client companies, where appointed, now manage appropriate design standards and offer design review and approval services via the project management teams.

Stakeholders and Third Parties

When railway companies were entirely masters of their own destinies in terms of the design of the infrastructure they were building, the engineers and architects generally had free reign to express their engineering and architectural prowess without third-party direction or influence. This led to some of the most exciting and uncompromising artefacts that this country, or indeed the world, had seen before – and in some cases, since.

Whilst there are many architecturally interesting railway buildings away from public scrutiny, the design of stations has always been the focal point for the public’s attention, and this is where the architecture is generally most expressive and responsive to current vogues, fashions and cultural influences.

The most contentious issues surrounding these buildings were generally to do with siting and location rather than design, as most of the land required for track and infrastructure needed to be purchased from established landowners, who were not necessarily keen on having their land bisected by railway lines and the attendant cuttings, embankments, bridges, viaducts and tunnels.

The ‘stakeholders’ in almost all architectural projects on the railways in the twenty-first century are great in number and have diverse interests. These range from the funders, who may not be the railway company responsible for undertaking the work, the local communities acting independently or through their local planning authorities, the national heritage bodies, the user groups and indeed all the other consultees that these groups refer to in the course of their deliberations.

It is acknowledged that railway buildings, particularly stations of historic interest, often have ancillary civic functions to satisfy and more recently the role of stations, in particular, is seen as a potential catalyst for regeneration and the key to the development of sustainable communities supported by a wide range of stakeholders.

The architects and their immediate points of contact in respect of their instruction are left to interpret many diverse requirements, objectives and aspirations whilst still keeping an eye on cost, programme and, ultimately, the quality of the job and the need to meet all the functional objectives of the project. This is surely the most difficult of tasks in today’s climate when the inevitable overriding economies are also to be made.

The Great Western Railway routed through Bath cut through Sydney Gardens, a key promenade area but was designed in such a way as to celebrate and display the new steam train services and thus placate those affected by the changes to this popular location. (Photo: Robert Thornton)

Chapter Two

The Heritage

Age and Consequences

The underlying formation and infrastructure of the railways generally dates from the middle decades of the nineteenth century. Whilst there are many buildings of later date representing all styles and manners of architecture, the core station buildings serving railway operations tend to date from the later decades of the nineteenth century as many of the original stations required rebuilding as rail traffic grew at an unprecedented pace. Not only is the infrastructure this aged, but it was predominantly laid down within a relatively short period in two recognized ‘manias’ of building between 1830 and 1875. The scale and rapidity of this enterprise is the more astonishing when one considers that it was embracing pioneering technology.

The consequence of this is that much of what is visible today is made up of Victorian and Edwardian buildings with fewer representative buildings of the second half of the twentieth century, although this balance is being redressed to a degree by new projects now on stream or awaiting commissioning. The bridges, tunnels, cuttings and embankments that are familiar to all rail users generally appear as built but, of course, have been modified or maintained in a manner commensurate with twenty-first century operations. It is a testimony to the quality of the underlying engineering that so much of what was created in the railway building boom periods remains in use – albeit not always for railway operations – despite the intensity of the railway traffic that now runs over, under or through it.

Where they remain, the buildings, in comparison, have often been altered or decommissioned whereby their original character or meaning is lost. Nearly all existing railway buildings, certainly stations, have been modified in each of the periods identified and this is reflected in their visual make-up. This is particularly noticeable in the larger premises such as Paddington Station, which encompasses the 1852 building – itself a replacement for the original 1839 station, the 1916 additional vault, the 1930s offices and platform extensions, the 1990s ‘Lawn’ remodelling, the 2015 taxi facility and new Hammersmith and City line interchange, the 2017 further updating of the ‘Lawn’ and the major rebuilding of the former departure side of the station to form the interchange with the newly constructed Crossrail station. Manchester Piccadilly is another such a hybrid and comprises fully operational buildings dating from the 1860s (the three-span shed), the 1960s (the suburban platforms and the tower block) and the 1990s (the concourse and Metro Station).

This diagram provides an approximate guide to the age profile of railway buildings still in operational use. It also indicates where the conservation interests have been focused, bearing in mind that this activity only gained momentum in the second half of the twentieth century. (Credit: Robert Thornton)

Such buildings thus represent and reflect multiple periods of architecture and the cultural context of each of the periods within which they were altered. For this reason, there is a rich ‘archaeology’ to be experienced or explored in most railway buildings.

This engineering and architectural inheritance very much informs the current asset-management policy of the infrastructure owners and operators, which has to take account of many assessments of the remaining useful life of any particular asset, especially where condition and functional capability might impact on operational safety. These considerations do not just relate to buildings and structures but, importantly, the hidden aspects of earthworks, drainage and even lineside vegetation, although any failings here can of course have deleterious impacts on associated buildings.

Building Condition

Following the significant building repair and improvement work undertaken over the last twenty-five years, it is perhaps difficult to appreciate that the poor condition of railway buildings and the widespread experience of their down-at-heel appearance, particularly after World War II, was leading to a nationally felt desire for significant renewal, particularly by those responsible for their safety and maintenance. This motivated some improvements in the British Railways modernization plan of the 1950s but also informed many of the closures and the demolitions that followed the failings of this initiative during the 1960s and early 1970s.

Waterloo concourse in 2019 with (inset) a similar view from the 1970s. The light-coloured paving installed in the 1980s heralded a major change in the visual quality of station environments. At Waterloo, this included a fully restored roof in the 1990s and the later addition of a gallery to provide more space and facilities for passengers.

The overall impression of railway buildings and particularly stations now is of an architecturally interesting, generally well-maintained infrastructure. Of course, there are poor examples but if one compares images of, for instance, the major stations struggling through the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s to the same examples seen now, the comparison is startling.

One aspect of architectural appreciation that our current generation is largely unaware of, but which had a significant impact on the assessment of Victorian and Edwardian architecture in later periods, is that the industrial developments that accompanied and sustained the growth of the national economy, and indeed the transport system in these periods, were fuelled by coal. This led to the settlement of thick layers of carbon over many edifices, particularly in urban areas. This deposit was so thick that fine details of architectural expression could be completely hidden, and essential building qualities lost to view. Whilst the architectural qualities of strong forms such as Huddersfield or Monkwearmouth stations could still be discerned, it was perhaps more difficult to appreciate the qualities of lesser railway buildings.