Railway Architecture

By Bill Fawcett

A guide to the architecture that gives British railways their identity, from stations to signal boxes.

Roots of Britain's railways lie in the wooden-railed colliery wagonways of around 1600, but it was almost 1830 before specific railway architecture became needed. This evolved rapidly down to 1850, and for some time afterwards Britain led the world in designing passenger stations. Though stylistic dress followed contemporary fashions, their handling of space and of large crowds of people was something quite new. Glass and iron were used to produce elegant platform roofs, many exploiting the decorative potential of cast iron. However, the most striking contribution was made by the great arched station sheds, often seen as the 19th century's counterpart to medieval cathedrals. Between the 20th century's two world wars, architectural progress on Britain's railways was largely confined to London Transport, but the last few decades have seen a renewal of confidence and investment, matched by some interesting new buildings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 20, 2015
• ISBN: 9781784420475

Bill Fawcett

Bill Fawcett is the author and editor of more than a dozen books, including You Did What?, It Seemed Like a Good Idea . . . , How to Lose a Battle, and You Said What? He lives in Illinois.