Favourite UK Stations?

[vlad]

You could be waiting some time!

Cheeky!

Give the Great Hall a rub down and allow natural light into the platform area and it'll look very nice.

I appreciate this is all very subjective (I disagree with most of Simon Jenkins's top 100 for example) but how about York, Coventry and St Erth?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Handy for the Printworks and the fantastic Mackie Mayor pub/food court/wine bar etc!

Yes, Vic's location is quite useful now Manchester city centre has migrated northwards, but as a station it really is the pits. I find it quite hard to think of anything genuinely good about it - maybe the heritage features?

 

[Purple Orange]

Yes, Vic's location is quite useful now Manchester city centre has migrated northwards, but as a station it really is the pits. I find it quite hard to think of anything genuinely good about it - maybe the heritage features?

The facade looks good and I like how the original station has been scrubbed up too. I don’t mind the new roof, but everything after going through the barriers is a mess.

 

[SteveM70]

Hebden Bridge. Well restored, friendly staff, the best independent station cafe in the country

 

[Llandudno]

The facade looks good and I like how the original station has been scrubbed up too. I don’t mind the new roof, but everything after going through the barriers is a mess.

The new roof looks nice, but you still need a brolly though!

 

[YorksLad12]

As mentioned above, Huddersfield; especially once they diverted the road and car park away. Still needs some TLC though.

"Favourite" for me means stations I'm happy to see again because of where they take me or because of past times. So Headingley, Horsforth, Hebden Bridge, Horton-in-Ribblesdale and H'Kings Cross (before the development, oddly) all give me comfort. Moorgate and Barbican LUL, not so much.

 

[Sod]

If London Underground staions are allowed, anything by Charles Holden is exquisite - the delicate Sudbury Town and Southgate fall immediately to mind and, in a slightly different genre, the budding cathedral-like structures at Uxbridge and Cockfosters. The architects under his influence also did some delightful work, such as at Hanger Lane and Park Royal, and did I mention Osterley? Going mainline, Surbiton is stunning, as are the buildings on the Chessington branch with their soaring platform cannopies. I'd also like to mention some innovative work in the sixties at Coventry and at Stafford, where the detailing and proportion are equally gorgeous. There is simply too much amazing architecture on the railway that simply passes unnoticed.

 

[Peregrine 4903]

If London Underground staions are allowed, anything by Charles Holden is exquisite - the delicate Sudbury Town and Southgate fall immediately to mind and, in a slightly different genre, the budding cathedral-like structures at Uxbridge and Cockfosters. The architects under his influence also did some delightful work, such as at Hanger Lane and Park Royal, and did I mention Osterley? Going mainline, Surbiton is stunning, as are the buildings on the Chessington branch with their soaring platform cannopies. I'd also like to mention some innovative work in the sixties at Coventry and at Stafford, where the detailing and proportion are equally gorgeous. There is simply too much amazing architecture on the railway that simply passes unnoticed.

You can't forget Arnos Grove. The nicest Charles Holden station of the bunch.

 

[trebor79]

No mentions for London Euston yet?!

You could be waiting some time!

I like the Euston concourse, but everything beyond it in any direction is awful.

I think my favourite station is Durham. It was home for many years and has an understated elegance to it. A shame the up platform canopy was replaced with RSJs.
Glasgow Central is a good station, aside from the low level platforms and associated stairs and passages.

 

[urbophile]

Major city: London Waterloo (for managing to retain a mid-20th century vibe amidst 21st century freneticism);Newcastle Central; Liverpool Lime Street.
urban character: Birmingham Moor Street; London Marylebone; Hammersmith Met
Modernist style: any of the Holden LT ones; Hoylake (like a mini-Holden)

 

[yorksrob]

Good shout, Lewes. Surprised it never made the cut in Simon Jenkins' 2017 book "Britain's 100 Best Railway Stations".

Yes I did look through the book (have liked Jenkins since his time on The Times) but didn't notice Lewes was missing. A definite gem - particularly when changing between CIG's !

Gathurst. Local place to escape and watch the world go by (and over my head - M6 viaduct)
Manchester Piccadilly. Favourite major station. Impressive looking at all the local stations on the information screen blended in with the more exotic West Wales and Norwich bound stations.
Either Starcross, Cooden Beach, Seascale, Stromeferry or Llanaber for my favourites far away from home as clearly I like to be beside water.

Fair play, I would never have expected Cooden Beach to appear in such a list, but yes, it is a period piece - showing the Southern to good effect.

Before the refurb, I always had a love-hate relationship with Kings Cross as for most of my adult life it has been my gateway to London. It was overcrowded, dirty, crime-ridden and lacking in facilities but it was either a sign that I was on my way home ro returning to The Smoke for another adventure. However, it has now become a genuinely nice place to hangout

I love the new King's Cross, but I'm probably strange in being quite fond of the old BR era frontage. Yes, it wasn't grandiose, but it had to be low-rise so that we could see the trainshed frontage. I also liked the way that the green corrugated canopy curved around the front.

No mentions for London Euston yet?!

I love the Euston Concourse !

They're rubbish, but I would still rather use them than the horrid, oppressive, barren-of-facilities[1] mess that is Victoria, a truly nasty station.

[1] Bristol Temple Meads would have featured, but it lacks a proper concourse which marks it down heavily for such a major station, just a few food places in the manky subway. Preston similar.

That is extremely unfair on Vic.

Yes, the covered platforms are barren, but the main frontage and building remains beautiful, and the concourse is a nice place to wait/buy a ticket etc. And as someone who was extolling the virtues of Man Vic ten years ago, it has some decent retail opportunities now. M&S and Greggs, to cover all bases !

 

[Bletchleyite]

That is extremely unfair on Vic.

It's not. I hate the place, it's one of my least favourite stations. It's out of date and not designed for passenger benefit; a victim of 1990s cost cutting that nobody will properly fix. It's like old New St (which was, probably deliberately, a bit of a mini-Euston) but worse.

Yes, the tram bit looks a bit German and has some nice architecture (why does Metrolink get the best bit?), but the rest of it is just horrid. And the new plastic roof is just cheap and nasty (and leaks).

Yes, the covered platforms are barren, but the main frontage and building remains beautiful, and the concourse is a nice place to wait/buy a ticket etc. And as someone who was extolling the virtues of Man Vic ten years ago, it has some decent retail opportunities now. M&S and Greggs, to cover all bases !

I'm not even that convinced about the building. It has a nice map and an olde worlde wooden ticket office. It's impractically shaped, the roof leaks, the new bit is like New St where someone's set fire to a massive pool of diesel, its main feature is a row of ticket barriers with a big ugly advertising panel above it (couldn't they just put something useful up there instead like a departure board?), it doesn't even have a main departure board, the toilets are absolutely disgusting (even worse since they became free) and it's served mostly by a third rate TOC. Add that it's freezing in winter. It's just awful. A third world mess. Literally nothing good about it.

It was borderline adequate when it basically just played host to local services. It is now TPE's main station (a grown up TPE which is much more InterCity than previous instances of it), and for that it is downright unacceptable.

If the Arena fails when the new one opens, and I really hope it does, it'll be a great opportunity to flatten the lot (other than the small fancy building) and rebuild it to proper European Hbf standards.

Piccadilly, by contrast, 13/14 aside, is a wonderful station. Great facilites, light, airy, nice architecture etc. Feels like a proper big-city Hbf.

 

[Requeststop]

Major city: London Waterloo (for managing to retain a mid-20th century vibe amidst 21st century freneticism);Newcastle Central; Liverpool Lime Street.
urban character: Birmingham Moor Street; London Marylebone; Hammersmith Met
Modernist style: any of the Holden LT ones; Hoylake (like a mini-Holden)

Yes Hoylake - 30 years or so since I was last there. Not the station where I'd like to spend a couple of hours looking around but it does have some style to it. Wymess Bay has always held an attraction to me. A splendid station.

I do have a soft spot for St Erth (as biased as I am) the recent changes made at Platform 3 and (no longer) Platform 4 have been well done and when the little café and gift shop is open it's a pleasant place for a 30-40 minute stop.

I just had 3 months back in Cornwall and spent a few hours just sitting on the bench at Lelant. When the Hayle river tide is in, it's one of the most peaceful places I know, even when, nowadays, you have a train passing by every 15 minutes or so. It's such as shame that St Erth and Lelant have the concrete monstrosity of the Salting station in between.

 

[yorksrob]

It's not. I hate the place, it's one of my least favourite stations. It's out of date and not designed for passenger benefit; a victim of 1990s cost cutting that nobody will properly fix. It's like old New St (which was, probably deliberately, a bit of a mini-Euston) but worse.

Yes, the tram bit looks a bit German and has some nice architecture (why does Metrolink get the best bit?), but the rest of it is just horrid. And the new plastic roof is just cheap and nasty (and leaks).



I'm not even that convinced about the building. It has a nice map and an olde worlde wooden ticket office. It's impractically shaped, the roof leaks, the new bit is like New St where someone's set fire to a massive pool of diesel, its main feature is a row of ticket barriers with a big ugly advertising panel above it (couldn't they just put something useful up there instead like a departure board?), it doesn't even have a main departure board, the toilets are absolutely disgusting (even worse since they became free) and it's served mostly by a third rate TOC. Add that it's freezing in winter. It's just awful. A third world mess. Literally nothing good about it.

It was borderline adequate when it basically just played host to local services. It is now TPE's main station (a grown up TPE which is much more InterCity than previous instances of it), and for that it is downright unacceptable.

If the Arena fails when the new one opens, and I really hope it does, it'll be a great opportunity to flatten the lot (other than the small fancy building) and rebuild it to proper European Hbf standards.

Piccadilly, by contrast, 13/14 aside, is a wonderful station. Great facilites, light, airy, nice architecture etc. Feels like a proper big-city Hbf.

Disagree 100%

The problem with Vic has always been the covered platforms, and until recently a lack of cafe options.

The concourse section is perfectly adequate for the numbers using it, it now has some good catering options. I think that to say that the non-underground part is "unacceptable" is ludicrously way off the mark. It is architecturally enjoyable and has plenty of facilities for the traveller.

I must admit, I'm not too keen on the plasticky modern roof (would have preferred the old one re-glazed) but it doesn't ruin the building.

And no, much as I like the continent, I don't want Vic flattenned for some continental masterpiece.

 

[Logan Carroll]

Probably a very strange choice but Argyle Street.

It’s practically unchanged since 1979 and although some despise the atmosphere I love it.

Its also very quite and easy to get in and out without the hassle of central or queen street (although i do like Queen Street as i can get a greggs and sit in George Square while eating it).

 

[Qwerty133]

Coventry is a nice one to depart from...
Solely because it means you're getting to leave Coventry but still.

 

[apinnard]

Knaresborough.

 

[BurtonM]

Anyone that likes Man Vic is mental. For all the fanfare put to the refurb, it achieved nothing. The departure board is a joke, too.


York has a very distinct grandeur, its variety of services, passengers, and a blend of open space and bustle that just make the place feel important, make it feel a bit like Kings Cross has gone on holiday.
Marylebone is a lovely place - cosy and welcoming, and only touched up and improved where it needed to be - it has a distinctly NSE/1990s feel, but in a good way. When I lived in the Midlands I made a point of using Chiltern services to get to London instead of ones from Euston as it was just nicer. Euston is a depressing place to pass through, especially the platforms, where slogging along feels like kicking out time at a concert, without the euphoria.

 

[Whistler40145]

My favourite larger stations would have to be London St Pancras and London Kings Cross along with a far more appealing than in the past, Birmingham New Street.

if I had a pick a small station, just because of the surrounding beautiful scenery, I’d pick Kyle of Lochalsh

 

[Nicks]

Crystal Palace - beautiful brickwork.

 

[yorksrob]

I must admit,Birmingham New Street Doesn't do it for me. Yes, it's a lot better than the mess that was above the platforms until a few
years ago, but it's still a shopping centre with smokey dark platforms underneath.

 

[Whistler40145]

Manchester Victoria now lacks character, compared to my bashing days when the original platform layout was intact

 

[Iskra]

- Dewsbury. Yes, really. It's like an understated version of Huddersfield, but I like the addition of the platform canopies, the wrought-iron supports and the classic bridge. It doesn't feel like it should be in Dewsbury. The West Riding Refreshment Rooms are of course excellent, probably my favourite station pub. Also the origin of my first British Rail journey.

- Leeds. I like the approach, with the tall buildings that come into view the plurality of tracks narrowing down as if entering a funnel; the constant hustle and bustle, the light and airy North Concourse, the sheer amount and the variety of trains, there's always something going on. And you feel like you've arrived somewhere. It's just impressive, to me at least.

- Garsdale. It's a very classic Midland station in a beautiful, rugged landscape with semaphore signals and I like the signal box being on the platform too, so even though you're the only person on the station, you're not. I like the neat row of railway cottages too.

- St Erth; similar to above, but warmer. Extra points for hosting a charming branch line train service (and what a branch line it is too).

- Paddington/St Pancras/Kings Cross; grand old stations, with trains to exciting places.

- Lancaster. It has battlements. It's just a nice mainline station where there's always something going on due to it being on the WCML and the terminus station for a few branchlines. Fast trains flying through add to the drama.

- Oakworth (KWVR). My favourite preserved, my grandparents live there so I've started many a journey there. Classic station in pleasant surroundings. I like the level crossing and how you can hear the trains coming up the valley.

 

[Hadders]

I've got a bit of a soft spot for Essex Road. Creepy and a bit edgy, still retains some NSE branding and maps despite the recent 'refurbishment'.

 

[xotGD]

Nobody has mentioned King's Lynn yet. A nice, characterful station - fit for a Queen!

However I really have to choose Newcastle, not just because it was 'my' station, but because of the architecture. York a close second.

 

[Mordac]

- Dewsbury. Yes, really. It's like an understated version of Huddersfield, but I like the addition of the platform canopies, the wrought-iron supports and the classic bridge. It doesn't feel like it should be in Dewsbury. The West Riding Refreshment Rooms are of course excellent, probably my favourite station pub. Also the origin of my first British Rail journey.

- Leeds. I like the approach, with the tall buildings that come into view the plurality of tracks narrowing down as if entering a funnel; the constant hustle and bustle, the light and airy North Concourse, the sheer amount and the variety of trains, there's always something going on. And you feel like you've arrived somewhere. It's just impressive, to me at least.

- Garsdale. It's a very classic Midland station in a beautiful, rugged landscape with semaphore signals and I like the signal box being on the platform too, so even though you're the only person on the station, you're not. I like the neat row of railway cottages too.

- St Erth; similar to above, but warmer. Extra points for hosting a charming branch line train service (and what a branch line it is too).

- Paddington/St Pancras/Kings Cross; grand old stations, with trains to exciting places.

- Lancaster. It has battlements. It's just a nice mainline station where there's always something going on due to it being on the WCML and the terminus station for a few branchlines. Fast trains flying through add to the drama.

- Oakworth (KWVR). My favourite preserved, my grandparents live there so I've started many a journey there. Classic station in pleasant surroundings. I like the level crossing and how you can hear the trains coming up the valley.

Lancaster station itself is nice, but its (lack of) integration into the city's transport network is terrible. Shunted to the side of the awful one way system, barely any buses stop there, with the main bus stops requiring a fair walk.

 

[Iskra]

Lancaster station itself is nice, but its (lack of) integration into the city's transport network is terrible. Shunted to the side of the awful one way system, barely any buses stop there, with the main bus stops requiring a fair walk.

I'm not sure how relevant bus provision is for the station at Lancaster. The main places most people would be needing a bus for would be Morecambe or Carnforth which have an adequate train connection or the University which used to have the X1 straight from the station. Otherwise the city is small and fairly walkable, which is a good job as the ring road used to be a nightmare when I lived there (however that was before the dual carriageway from the M6 to Morecambe opened, so it has possibly got better now).

 

[Mordac]

I'm not sure how relevant bus provision is for the station at Lancaster. The main places most people would be needing a bus for would be Morecambe or Carnforth which have an adequate train connection or the University which used to have the X1 straight from the station. Otherwise the city is small and fairly walkable, which is a good job as the ring road used to be a nightmare when I lived there (however that was before the dual carriageway from the M6 to Morecambe opened, so it has possibly got better now).

The X1 had very poor frequency from when I worked at the Uni.

 

[Iskra]

The X1 had very poor frequency from when I worked at the Uni.

Yes, I think it was hourly, but from memory didn't one of the 3 or 4 also go near the station, while the most frequent 2 service dropped off on the ring road, which still avoided a walk from the bus station. I lived near the station for one year at uni. The main issue with Lancaster buses for me was the steep prices compared to the West Riding.

 

[Mordac]

Yes, I think it was hourly, but from memory didn't one of the 3 or 4 also go near the station, while the most frequent 2 service dropped off on the ring road, which still avoided a walk from the bus station. I lived near the station for one year at uni. The main issue with Lancaster buses for me was the steep prices compared to the West Riding.

Most of the buses stopped at Common Garden Street before the bus station. Is that what you remember? It wasn't as bad as having to go from there, no, but it was still quite poor. The ideal would have been a bus only route bypassing the one way system, but I think that'd probably require more disruption than the County Council would be willing to countenance. I don't really have the answer to how you'd integrate that station given the streetscape, but what's there *is* really bad. I remember missing my train more than once because my bus was stuck in traffic.