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055/056/057/058/059/060 - Great Western Railway Paddington Station [New Station]

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055/056/057/058/059/060 - Great Western Railway Paddington Station [New Station]

For the London terminus of the Great Western Railway (GWR), Isambard Kingdom Brunel was planning a grand building at Paddington, situated near to both the Grand Junction canal and the Regent’s canal. Instructed by the GWR to economise due to the soaring costs of building the main line, Brunel had to abandon his original plans. A temporary station was created using the arches of Bishop’s Bridge Road as a façade and to provide passenger facilities. This station opened on 4 June 1838, along with the new line which had been constructed as far as Maidenhead. As the main line through to Bristol was opened, and the GWR’s involvement with other companies whose railways joined with the main line increased, the temporary terminus was extended. In 1850, to accommodate the increasing traffic, the GWR agreed to the construction of a new permanent station to be designed by Brunel. Brunel was deeply influenced by the design and construction of the Crystal Palace for the Great Exhibition of 1851, and this can be seen in his use of wrought iron and glass in the three-span roof at Paddington. At the time, this was the largest train shed roof in the world with a main span (102’ 6”) and two smaller ones to the north (70’) and south (68’). These spans are crossed by two transepts, all overlooked by three oriel windows in the station building on today’s platform 1. The station decoration, including the iron tracery on the train shed screens, was provided by Matthew Digby-Wyatt, Brunel’s architect on the project. Fox Henderson & Company, were contracted as builders for the station. The main station building, which included offices, the new boardroom for the GWR and a royal waiting room, was constructed along Eastbourne Terrace. The Great Western Hotel was built along Praed Street, and opened in conjunction with the new Paddington Station in 1854. Brunel’s station was large enough to cope with the expansion of the Great Western Railway over the next 50 years. By the early 20th century new accommodation for increasing amounts of both traffic and employees was needed. On-going works from 1904 saw the footprint of Paddington Station increase, a more defined access area known as ‘The Lawn’ was created and more office space was created by extending the Company’s offices along Eastbourne Terrace. Major changes included the building of ‘Span 4’ between 1913 and 1916 which increased the number of platforms at the station, and today covers platforms 9 to 16. It was designed by the GWR’s engineer, W Armstrong, with architectural features to match Brunel’s original roof as closely as possible. Further expansion of station buildings took place in the 1930s, including a striking new ‘art deco’ office block on the west side of the station, which also remodelled passenger facilities in ‘The Lawn’. During the 1990s Paddington Station was extensively refurbished, with the glass in Brunel’s original roof replaced with polycarbonate glazing panels, the restoration of Digby-Wyatt’s ornamental tracing and significant improvements to The Lawn. A proposal to take down ‘Span 4’ to accommodate facilities for Crossrail was controversial. Between 2009 and 2010 the Edwardian roof was instead restored by Network Rail and Crossrail facilities are now housed underneath Eastbourne Terrace.

Network Rail Corporate Archive

Level of Description: Series

Reference Code: NRCA160588 - NRCA163325

Title: Great Western Railway - Paddington Station [New Station]

Extent and Medium: 183 drawings

Creator: Great Western Railway

Date: 1845-1932

Scope and Content: Drawings from the Great Western Railway for the New Station at Paddington dated between 1845 and 1932. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Contract Number: Paddington New Station

Drawing Number: n/a

Drawing Office Number: n/a

Keywords (Person): Brunel, Isambard Kingdom

Keywords (Country): England

Keywords (Structure Name): London Paddington Station

Keywords (Structure Type): Station

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Title

Description

Date

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Drawing No.5 – Carriage Department; Stores and Clerks Office

Paddington Station: Carriage Department, stores and clerks offices. Eleven drawings on one sheet. Drawings include details and elevations of columns and sections.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Details No.19 – Carriage Sheds Workshops &c Chimney Shaft Next Bishops Road Bridge

Paddington Station: Carriage, Sheds, Workshops etc. Two drawings on one sheet of carriage, sheds, workshops etc. First drawing is of chimney shaft next Bishops-Road - Bridge, second drawing is of detail No. 19.

29 January 1856

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Detail No.21 – Carriage Sheds and Workshops Girders over Carpenters and Printers Shops

Paddington Station: Carriage, Sheds, Workshops etc. Three drawings on one sheet of carriage, sheds, workshops etc. of girders over carpenters and painters shops.

13 March 1856

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Pipes for Carrying Chain Movement

Drawing is of pipes for carrying chain movement including faces of flanges.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Details No.3 – Carriage Sheds Workshops &c Cast Iron Ventilators for Roofs

Paddington Station: Carriage, Sheds, Workshops etc. Two drawings on one sheet. Drawing for carriage, sheds, workshops etc. Drawing is of cast iron ventilators in roofs and there is an elevation and a section at AB.

08 August 1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Drawing No.4 – Carriage Department; Stores and Clerks Office General Plan of Framing for Roof

Paddington Station: Carriage Department, stores and clerks offices. Five drawings on one sheet. First drawing is of an elevation of girder H, second drawing is of plan of bottom at XY, third drawing is of general plan of framing of roofs, fourth drawing is of elevation of girder I, fifth drawing is of elevation at girder K.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Paddington New Station Passenger Station showing the position for pits for Hydraulic Machines

Paddington New Station: Pits for Hydraulic Machinery. Drawing shows plan of pit for hydraulic machinery

11 August 1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Drawing No.3 – New Station Transverse Section though Principal Roof and Paxton Roofing Adjoining Arrivals Platform

Paddington New Station. Drawing is for roofing contract and is of transverse section thro' principal roof and Paxton roofing adjoining arrival platform.

1845-1855

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055/056/057/058/059/060 - Great Western Railway Paddington Station [New Station]

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Drawing No.5 – Carriage Department; Stores and Clerks Office

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Details No.19 – Carriage Sheds Workshops &c Chimney Shaft Next Bishops Road Bridge

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Detail No.21 – Carriage Sheds and Workshops Girders over Carpenters and Printers Shops

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Pipes for Carrying Chain Movement

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Details No.3 – Carriage Sheds Workshops &c Cast Iron Ventilators for Roofs

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Drawing No.4 – Carriage Department; Stores and Clerks Office General Plan of Framing for Roof

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Paddington New Station Passenger Station showing the position for pits for Hydraulic Machines

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Details No.15 – Carriage Sheds Workshops &c Windows to Shed

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Carriage Sheds and Workshops &c Gates to Queen’s Carriage Shed

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Detail No.6 – Glazed Flooring to Well Holes

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Plan of Pit for Hydraulic Machinery for 22ft Turntables

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Details No.2 – Carriage Sheds and Workshops &c Truss for One Storey Building

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Drawing No.6 – Carriage Department; Stores and Clerks Office Girder Details

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Great Western Hotel Staircase and Height of Storeys &c

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Details of Roof Girders

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Details of 120ft Girders

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Diagonal and Segmental Ribs for Roof

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Drawing No.3 – New Station Transverse Section though Principal Roof and Paxton Roofing Adjoining Arrivals Platform