Post-war station architecture

[hvordan]

I used both Broxbourne and Harlow Town station the other week, and was very intrigued by the architecture at both stations. Having learnt that they are also Grade-II listed, I'm curious to know of other examples of post-war (late 50s to early 70s) station buildings, listed or not, that I can visit.

 

[LowLevel]

I used both Broxbourne and Harlow Town station the other week, and was very intrigued by the architecture at both stations. Having learnt that they are also Grade-II listed, I'm curious to know of other examples of post-war (late 50s to early 70s) station buildings, listed or not, that I can visit.

Coventry and Stafford on the West Coast are both good examples of 1960s concrete stations in pretty good condition - Coventry is certainly listed.

 

[DarloRich]

Coventry and Stafford on the West Coast are both good examples of 1960s concrete stations in pretty good condition - Coventry is certainly listed.

The rest of them on the WCML south of a similar age are pretty dull though. Tamworth is depressing. I don't like Coventry either but it is well looked after.

 

[hvordan]

Coventry and Stafford on the West Coast are both good examples of 1960s concrete stations in pretty good condition - Coventry is certainly listed.

Were they reconstructed due to the electrification of the line? I also had thought Coventry was rebuilt recently, although I guess I was mistaken lol.

 

[LowLevel]

Were they reconstructed due to the electrification of the line? I also had thought Coventry was rebuilt recently, although I guess I was mistaken lol.

Yes. Coventry has had an extension built but the main station itself is listed.

 

[hvordan]

Yes. Coventry has had an extension built but the main station itself is listed.

Ah I see, thank you.

 

[SargeNpton]

Not a station, but Birmingham New Street's signal box is listed.

 

[The exile]

Chichester and Banbury are two examples of (I believe) 1950s designs, so a bit earlier than the WCML stations.
Stevenage and Birmingham International for mid 1970s, Milton Keynes a bit later. Of the early “Parkways”, I think Alfreton survives in near original form. Hard to credit that Bristol Parkway was once not very different!

 

[hvordan]

Chichester and Banbury are two examples of (I believe) 1950s designs, so a bit earlier than the WCML stations.
Stevenage and Birmingham International for mid 1970s, Milton Keynes a bit later. Of the early “Parkways”, I think Alfreton survives in near original form. Hard to credit that Bristol Parkway was once not very different!

Chichester looks quite impressive, as does Birmingham International.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 May 2023 ==

Alfreton survives in near original form

Alfreton has a similar look to Catford and Maze Hill in London, was this some sort of modular design implemented by BR in that era?

 

[telstarbox]

Yes - see here

CLASP (British Rail) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 May 2023 ==

Eltham has a mildly interesting design as it was built in the 1980s to replace two existing stations.

 

[Mikey C]

The latest series of "The Architecture the railways built" available on UK TV Play had a fascinating episode visiting Coventry and talking to the architect. It was built as a showpiece station

Tim Dunn also visited Manchester Oxford Road, another notable post war station, Grade II listed

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Stonebridge Park , Carpenders Park , Gospel Oak quite "of an era" .........

 

[WesternBiker]

Yes - see here

CLASP (British Rail) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 May 2023 ==

Eltham has a mildly interesting design as it was built in the 1980s to replace two existing stations.

I remember CLASP buildings. We had them in our school, and the flats roofs were always leaking (and that was in the 1970s, so only 10 years after they were constructed), and they were cold in winter and baking hot in summer.

 

[timmydunn]

I recommend David Lawrenc's book "British Rail Architecture" on Crecy imprint for pretty comprehensive coverage. Bruce Peter's "The changing face of british railways" also covers a lot more and doesn't seem to be well known. It should be; it's excellent.

Coventry and Stafford are two of my favourites. Chichester's impact was lessened unfortunately when someone in the last decade decided that the original lantern modernist chandeliers weren't good enough and they disappeared. Not impressed. It really doesn't take a lot of effort to restore such fittings rather than try to outwit the original professional creative who designed them, I tend to think... I'm sounding grumpy so I best stop there

Oh, Barking is also underrated. Or, it was.

 

[Snow1964]

Twickenham is probably the worst, planned before the war, resited with more platforms in 1950s, never finished, although did build new entrances as part of adjacent development about 5 years ago.

Crawley was rebuilt 1950s or early 1960s as part of the new town, and nearby Gatwick Airport was done as part of 1958 terminal (since massively enlarged).

The GWR rebuilt a series of stations between Acton and Ruislip on its line for the extra tracks for Central line extension 1946-48, some had been designed before the war, but altered due to materials constraints, there was to have been another one at Denham, but not built due to Green Belt introduction.

Slightly before the period you want, but Pokesdown where an island platform was replaced by 4 track layout was apparently a pilot for new generation of Southern Railway suburban stations, completed just before the war. The through tracks were removed in early 1970s and platforms slewed so canopies no longer line up but can see elements that made it into some 1950s Southern stations

 

[yorksrob]

The booking office/overbridge at Ashford (Kent) was a good, effective use of space. The whole station combined Edwardian platform canopies with modern buildings very well.

There's only a tiny bit of it left now though.

Folkestone Central is a better survivor from the Kent electrification scheme.

 

[Magdalia]

I used both Broxbourne and Harlow Town station the other week, and was very intrigued by the architecture at both stations. Having learnt that they are also Grade-II listed

I'm a fan of Broxbourne and Harlow Town. Both were built for the "Chenford" electrification scheme, completed in 1960, and opened with some fanfare.

Oh, Barking is also underrated. Or, it was.

Another "electrification" station, and visited by HM the Queen when it was new in 1962.

Coventry and Stafford on the West Coast are both good examples of 1960s concrete stations in pretty good condition - Coventry is certainly listed.

The latest series of "The Architecture the railways built" available on UK TV Play had a fascinating episode visiting Coventry and talking to the architect. It was built as a showpiece station

I used Coventry a lot when it was still fairly new and it deserves the recognition that it is now getting. The one nasty bit in those days was the car park which I think has now gone?

Stevenage and Birmingham International for mid 1970s

But I'm not a fan of Stevenage. The raft above the tracks needed to be much wider. But on the other hand, at platform level there is an unpleasant "wind tunnel effect" when trains pass through at 125mph.

Two other interesting if unspectacular 1970s stations are Peterborough and Royston.

Apart from Birmingham International there was less money available in the 1970s and it shows in the architecture. Alfreton is educational but not inspiring!

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Plymouth was rebuilt in 1962, and opened by Dr. B. himself, who then promptly recommended closure of a lot of Devon and Cornwall's rail network. The platform buildings date from 1938 when rebuilding started, but curtailed by WW2. John Betjeman was not a fan, describing it as 'copybook contemporary'. The tower block has just been reclad, but no longer in rail use and is to be used by the University.

 

[stuu]

The Beauty of Transport blog has covered a lot of those stations, with extra details and history

 

[Mikey C]

But I'm not a fan of Stevenage. The raft above the tracks needed to be much wider. But on the other hand, at platform level there is an unpleasant "wind tunnel effect" when trains pass through at 125mph.

I find Stevenage and Luton quite similar, and not in a good way. Both have a cramped raft above the tracks, and a complete lack of presence at ground level.

 

[John Webb]

I find Stevenage and Luton quite similar, and not in a good way. Both have a cramped raft above the tracks, and a complete lack of presence at ground level.

Luton is primarily a pre-WW2 build by the LMS in 1937, modified in the late 1950s to provide passenger platforms on the former Goods lines when these were converted to slow lines with the introduction of DMUs in January 1960. There is no doubt that particularly with the nearby Luton Airport Parkway station of recent years, Luton station does look rather dowdy.

 

[WesternBiker]

I recommend David Lawrenc's book "British Rail Architecture" on Crecy imprint for pretty comprehensive coverage. Bruce Peter's "The changing face of british railways" also covers a lot more and doesn't seem to be well known. It should be; it's excellent.

Coventry and Stafford are two of my favourites. Chichester's impact was lessened unfortunately when someone in the last decade decided that the original lantern modernist chandeliers weren't good enough and they disappeared. Not impressed. It really doesn't take a lot of effort to restore such fittings rather than try to outwit the original professional creative who designed them, I tend to think... I'm sounding grumpy so I best stop there

Oh, Barking is also underrated. Or, it was.

Thank you for the book recommendations.

I visited Barking for the first time last year and I was surprised how impressive it was: the "bones' are still there, so it could easily be returned to its former glory with some sensitive restoration. (My visit being to the equally impressive but largely unknown mediaeval parish church, formerly part of Barking Abbey. But I'm getting off topic...)

 

[Ken H]

@Magdalia Cov had a parcels depot next to the station. The car park to the west of the main building is on the site today.

THere were the buildings, all similar used for smaller stations built for the early stages of west coast electrification. They were/are on the lines from Crewe to Manchester & Liverpool. Hartford still has them.

 

[XAM2175]

Oh, Barking is also underrated. Or, it was.

Indeed! I have a great fondness for modernist architecture and it's nice to see good examples recognised.

 

[RailWonderer]

I used both Broxbourne and Harlow Town station the other week, and was very intrigued by the architecture at both stations. Having learnt that they are also Grade-II listed, I'm curious to know of other examples of post-war (late 50s to early 70s) station buildings, listed or not, that I can visit.

Bishops Stortford was an equally austere post war building, narrow platforms, penny pinching to the extreme. The entire WA line is a pit. The old Wolverhampton station was also a post war concrete block. Both refurbed partly.

 

[steamybrian]

The present Ashford International was rebuilt in the late 1950s but only platform 1/2 of the build now survives following reconstruction again in the 1990s for the Eurostar terminal. The Eurostar platforms now occupy the site of the original "down" island platform of the original station.

St Mary Cray was rebuilt in the late 1950s when the line was quadrupled.
Dover Priory ticket office area was rebuilt post war as it was destroyed by enemy action during WW2. Look carefully to see where the reconstructed section was stitched onto the original part of the station.
The now "preserved" closed station of Folkestone Harbour was also partially rebuilt postwar after damage during WW2.

Sevenoaks was rebuilt in the 1970s when the station was reduced from 6 to 4 platforms.

 

[Ken H]

The present Ashford International was rebuilt in the late 1950s but only platform 1/2 of the build now survives following reconstruction again in the 1990s for the Eurostar terminal. The Eurostar platforms now occupy the site of the original "down" island platform of the original station.

St Mary Cray was rebuilt in the late 1950s when the line was quadrupled.
Dover Priory ticket office area was rebuilt post war as it was destroyed by enemy action during WW2. Look carefully to see where the reconstructed section was stitched onto the original part of the station.
The now "preserved" closed station of Folkestone Harbour was also partially rebuilt postwar after damage during WW2.

Sevenoaks was rebuilt in the 1970s when the station was reduced from 6 to 4 platforms.

Folkestone Central was rebuilt as a 4 platform station in the 1960's. Dunno when it was dequadrified.

 

[steamybrian]

Folkestone Central was rebuilt as a 4 platform station in the 1960's. Dunno when it was dequadrified.

Folkestone Central was reduced to one island platform in the late 1990s in conjunction with dequadrifying the line to Cheriton Jn .

 

[Ken H]

Folkestone Central was reduced to one island platform in the late 1990s in conjunction with dequadrifying the line to Cheriton Jn .

Ta