A Visit to Railroad Stations in and Around Briton and the UK

Added: 03/29/2006

Railroad stations are some of the most beautiful buildings in the urban landscape. At its apex, the railroad station was considered one of the most important urban buildings. No expense was spared to decorate the "temples of steam." Few buildings have risen as fast are as important as railroad stations. So sit back and strap yourself in, let's take a visit to some railroad stations in and around Briton and the UK!

The advent and popularity of the motor car was the catalyst for the railroad stations' expeditious demise. In the 1950's and 1960's, thousands were closed and many destroyed forever. In the past twenty years, however, a new appreciation for these unique buildings has emerged.

Railway stations in the UK are still numerous and have various designs and platform layouts. There are several railroad stations in London. Charing Cross station was opened in 1864. The station was the product of the Southern Eastern Railway's need to extend westward from London Bridge. Today over 37 million people pass through Charing Cross every year. The station is situated near the river Thames close to Waterloo Station.

London Bridge is the oldest of all railroad stations in London. It was first opened in 1836. The station originated as two stations and this is still apparent in the combination of through and terminal platforms which make up the station. The through platforms lie on the Kent and South East London Routes into Charing Cross and Cannon Street. The remainder of the station is the terminus for routes from Sussex and South London.Cannon Street station lies near the river Thames. It's linked with London Bridge Station, which lies on the other side of the river.Liverpool Street Station in London was opened in 1874 - the last of London's great mainline stations to be completed. Its lines radiate too much of North East London and Essex, and out to Cambridge, Ipswich, Harwich and Norwich.

London Euston Station was built in 1838 for the London and Birmingham Railway. Built at Euston Grove, the station was for many years the only north-bound railway. Designed in the classical style, the most notable feature is the massive Doric Arch entrance. Paddington Station was built as the London terminal of the Great Western Railway, which ran to Bristol and Cardiff. The Station is situated north of
Hyde Park.

London's Marylebone Station is the newest of major London terminals which was opened in 1899. After the closure of Great Central route in 1966, even the closure of Marylebone station was planned. However, now it is used as the terminal for Chiltern Line trains, which runs trains between Birmingham and London.

Manchester has some remarkable railroad stations as well. Liverpool Road Station ranks as one of, if not the most important railroad stations in the UK. Opened to the public on 15th September 1830, it marked the terminus of the newly created line which ran from Liverpool to Manchester, and it is now part of the Museum of Science and Industry.

Originally a small single storey single platform building built in 1844 to serve the Manchester and Leeds trans-Pennine railway, by the 1880s Victoria Station had come to dominate the Long Millgate area and was one of the biggest passenger stations in Britain. Nowadays, largely serving destinations north and east of Manchester, it is the main terminus for the new Nynex Arena, and a major interface where the Metrolink train joins the streets of Manchester as an urban tramway.

Rail passengers discover that railroad stations give them the first taste of the city. So hopefully these buildings will always be there to welcome the travelers.

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