Station roofs were regarded as one of the most important elements in the design of nineteenth century railway stations. In the descriptions of stations, reference is usually made to the style of the roof, the supporting intricate ironwork, the glazing techniques and means of ventilation. Both engineering and artistry were applauded by railway observers, their admiring eyes drawn up to the roof. Take, for example, the description of Manchester Victoria station by the Manchester Courier on the opening day, 1st January 1844:
“The station itself is about 800 feet in length, the whole being covered by a light castiron roof, divided into three compartments, and supported by three rows of cast-iron pillars, (27 in each row), and by a stone wall on the farther side. The centre compartment of the roof is 59 feet 6 inches in width; the one on the north side of the station, 28 feet; the one on the south, 26 feet 3 inches. One half of the compartment projects over the arrival platform, so as to afford shelter from the rain.”
This is a description of a no-nonsense station roof: there are no references to decorative or ornamental features, unlike the glowing tributes to architects and engineers who were responsible for other city stations, and who left their signature styles to posterity. W. H. Barlow’s original single-span roof at St.. Pancras station (1868) is an engineering and artistic achievement.
Partial roof collapses were taken seriously by railway officials and the Railway Inspectorate of the Board of Trade, especially when ironwork,stations, unlike derailments, overshot buffers, fatalities to passengers (who were forced to cross the lines due to lack of footbridge or subway) and fatal accidents to station staff such as porters, guards, drivers, firemen and others. In the author’s possession are many books: not one addresses the subject of roof falls at stations.
