Grand or Smart Stations To Arrive At In Contrast To The Town It Serves

[Llandudno]

Which towns have impressive, or smart and tidy stations…
but the town (or area surrounding the station) itself served by the station is somewhat less than impressive…?

Stoke on Trent
Rhyl
Crewe

 

[Bletchleyite]

Agreed with Stoke. It's an island of nice looking buildings - 50 yards in either direction and it's a dump.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

My hometown of Huddersfield does have other attractive buildings besides the railway station, but they all pale in comparison really.
In nearby Dewsbury once you leave the station it's downhill all the way... both physically and spiritually!

 

[MikeWM]

Agreed with Stoke. It's an island of nice looking buildings - 50 yards in either direction and it's a dump.

If you go a little further to Hanley Park, that is *really* nice though, always worth a visit.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It's not a bad place, but (as long as you avoid the 1980s bit) Reading gives you the impression of arriving in somewhere far bigger and grander than it actually is - wouldn't look out of place in Zuerich, say.

Slough is a classic GWR station serving an abject dump?

Preston station is fairly grand compared with the city centre, which is OK but nothing fancy.

Hellifield is quite big and nice when you consider how small the village is!

 

[AlterEgo]

Birmingham Moor Street.

 

[py_megapixel]

Oxenholme?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Oxenholme?

To be fair that was always more intended as an interchange for Windermere - the main entrance just being a leaky subway demonstrates that well enough.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Which towns have impressive, or smart and tidy stations…
but the town (or area surrounding the station) itself served by the station is somewhat less than impressive…?

Stoke on Trent
Rhyl
Crewe

Haymarket is quite a tidy and busy station, but the area of Edinburgh immediately surrounding it, is nothing particularly special.

Possibly in this section, Chester also, a quite impressive station frontage, but a bit of a nondescript schlep from the station to the City Centre.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Holyhead is grand in terms of size due to its previous role, and the town is a dump. However it has been allowed to fall into rack and ruin, sadly.

 

[DB]

My hometown of Huddersfield does have other attractive buildings besides the railway station, but they all pale in comparison really.
In nearby Dewsbury once you leave the station it's downhill all the way... both physically and spiritually!

Agreed - the square in front of Huddersfield station and the roads down towards the main church have some quite impressive buildings, but the rest of the town centre is at best bland!

Birmingham Moor Street.

Birmingham city centre isn't too bad - it's massively better than it was about 25 years ago, when the old Bullring centre was still there.

 

[S&CLER]

Barrow in Furness was one of the better 1950s rebuilds (along with Banbury and Chichester, with which it has architectural affinities), but the town is not up to much.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Barrow in Furness was one of the better 1950s rebuilds (along with Banbury and Chichester, with which it has architectural affinities), but the town is not up to much.

Inclined to agree. Have called at Barrow a few times in the past to either change trains and/or use the station facilities (not much there, to be fair, apart from a shop, toilets and the booking office/seated waiting area) but never felt any need to "explore" the town.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Inclined to agree. Have called at Barrow a few times in the past to either change trains and/or use the station facilities (not much there, to be fair, apart from a shop, toilets and the booking office/seated waiting area) but never felt any need to "explore" the town.

Very similar to Morecambe but without the pretty seafront. Roughest Wetherspoons I've ever disgraced with my presence. Not a nice place.

Couple of stops up to Ulverston if you want somewhere pleasant to spend a few hours.

 

[cle]

Haymarket is quite a tidy and busy station, but the area of Edinburgh immediately surrounding it, is nothing particularly special.

Possibly in this section, Chester also, a quite impressive station frontage, but a bit of a nondescript schlep from the station to the City Centre.

Haymarket is like 2 mins from some of the most beautiful, expensive West End terraces. The main road is a confusing intersection, but has the trams, and life in general. Used a lot by the offices around the Conference Centre too. I really like it.

West of there, I agree is a little bit meh (good Japanese place along the way though).

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Haymarket is like 2 mins from some of the most beautiful, expensive West End terraces. The main road is a confusing intersection, but has the trams, and life in general. Used a lot by the offices around the Conference Centre too. I really like it.

West of there, I agree is a little bit meh (good Japanese place along the way though).

You're probably right, although (IMHO) the area immediately outside Haymarket always reminds me of the futuristic City street scene in "Blade Runner" (1982 film version) and not necessarily in a good way!

 

[och aye]

Which towns have impressive, or smart and tidy stations…
but the town (or area surrounding the station) itself served by the station is somewhat less than impressive…?

Stoke on Trent
Rhyl
Crewe

As an East Coaster I have to put forward Glasgow Central

 

[jfowkes]

Nottingham. Recently done up concourse, good integration with the tram, little micropub... but you walk into the city and meet the decaying, cursed husk of the Broadmarsh shopping centre that you must negotiate before getting to the nice bits.

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

Whitley Bay in Northumberland has a very nice station with mosaics, I love the town too, but the station is some distance from the seaside area it serves and it's in a residential area.
Beeston in Nottinghamshire is also not in the nice town centre, but halfway to the Rylands industrial area.
Swinderby in Lincolnshire is a nice station in the middle of a field.

I hope this thread doesn't turn to insults calling any city a dump.

 

[prod_pep]

Reading for me, having been there recently. I rate the station but not the place one little bit.

 

[Llandudno]

Whitley Bay in Northumberland has a very nice station with mosaics, I love the town too, but the station is some distance from the seaside area it serves and it's in a residential area.
Beeston in Nottinghamshire is also not in the nice town centre, but halfway to the Rylands industrial area.
Swinderby in Lincolnshire is a nice station in the middle of a field.

I hope this thread doesn't turn to insults calling any city a dump.

Nothing wrong with Beeston, the down platform has its own exit to the wonderful Victoria pub!

At the moment though, I suspect due to Covid, the gate is closed and you have to use footbridge.

 

[vlad]

Agreed with Stoke. It's an island of nice looking buildings - 50 yards in either direction and it's a dump.

50 yards? I'd say 5.

 

[OuterDistant]

My workplace is very close to Stoke-on-Trent station, and the great thing about getting the train there is that I don't have to walk through the surrounding area (Shelton).

50 yards is about right.

It's a dump.

 

[Ianigsy]

I would imagine there are a few seaside places which were quite generously provided with stations in Victorian times but are now a bit down at heel. New Brighton for one, and Bridlington has the platform and circulating space to deal with much more traffic than it‘s seen for a long time.

 

[ScottGallagher]

Very similar to Morecambe but without the pretty seafront. Roughest Wetherspoons I've ever disgraced with my presence. Not a nice place.

Couple of stops up to Ulverston if you want somewhere pleasant to spend a few hours.

The contrast between Barrow and Ulverston is stark!

I remember years ago when Barrow had a large Greasy Spoon restaurant where the waiting room and shop is on platform 1, do miss that.

 

[Revilo]

Bridgwater has a Brunel-designed, grade II* listed station with large booking office, canopies and covered footbridge. It’s charming. The town…isn’t (apart from a few parts).

 

[EllieAquitrain]

Haymarket is quite a tidy and busy station, but the area of Edinburgh immediately surrounding it, is nothing particularly special.

Especially at the moment, with the huge construction site right nextdoor

 

[Bigman]

Keighley. Grand old station...not a great town.

 

[Wolfie]

Middlesbrough.

 

[Cdd89]

Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International. Neither place is particularly bad, but the stations are ludicrously outsized compared to their importance (albeit for obvious reasons).