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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.20 – Details of Hydraulic Machinery for Turntable

Five drawings on one sheet of [hydraulic machinery for turntable at Paddington Station]. Drawing done by W Armstrong.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Drawing No.5 – Details of Skylight for Roof

Paddington New Station Roof. Several drawings on one sheet. two which are labelled. Drawings are of details of skylight. First labelled drawing is of sectional elevations, second labelled drawing is of sections of gutter, sky light bars and then half the annotation is missing.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Details of Columns and Brackets

Paddington Station. Six drawings on one sheet of details of coping, brackets and sections.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Details of Girders

Paddington New Station. Nine drawings on one sheet of various girders and sections.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Great Western Hotel Hoist Paddington Guides

WR Co Hotel Hoist Paddington. Drawing is of hotel hoist for Paddington including guides and shows plan, end and side view.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Contract for Roofing Drawing No.4 – Ordinary Ribs for Centre and Fast Spans for Principal Roof over Railway

Paddington New Station. Three drawings on one sheet and drawing is of contract for roofing. First drawing is of ordinary ribs for centre and east spans of principle roof over railway, second drawing is of section at AB, third drawing is of section at CD.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Drawing No.4 – Section through Roof

Drawing is of a transverse section of Paddington Station.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Drawing No.3 – Mode for Fixing Ordinary Roof Ribs over Columns

Paddington New Station Roof. Two unlabelled drawings on one sheet. Drawings are of mode of fixing ordinary ribs over columns.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Contract for Roofing Drawing No.6 – Wrought Iron Girder under Ribs (N)

Paddington New Station. Eleven drawing is one sheet of wrought iron girders under ribs. Drawing for roofing contract.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Drawing No.e – Sheave Proposed to be used for Hoist

Sketch relating to a proposed hotel hoist at Paddington Hotel.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Drawing Showing Traversing Frame

Sketch relating traversing machinery at Paddington Station.

February 1851

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Hotel Hoist Cage

GWR Co Paddington Hotel Hoist Cage. Three drawings on one sheet of Paddington Hotel Hoist Cage showing sections and elevation.

10 May 1854

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Contract for Roofing Drawing No.1 – General Plan of Roofing showing Extent of Contract

Paddington Station. Drawing is for roofing contract and is of general plan of roofing shewing the extent of contract bounded by the Red Line.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Drawing No.19 – Hydraulic Machinery for Turntable

Two drawings on one sheet of hydraulic machinery for turntable at Paddington Station showing both plan and elevation. Drawing done by W Armstrong.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – New Station Roof Ordinary Trussed Girder

Paddington New Station. Ten drawings on one sheet. Drawings include plans and elevations of sections for ordinary trussed gutter.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Drawing No.3 – Plan of Girders for Paxton Roofing over Railway and Gallery leading to Hotel

Paddington Station. Three drawings on one sheet showing plans, elevations and sections of girders for Paxton roofing over railway and gallery leading to hotel.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Sections Showing Elevation of Wrought Iron Girders

Paddington Station. Four drawings on one sheet. First drawing is of transverse station shewing elevation of wrought iron trussed girders, HH, second drawing is of elevation of wrought iron trussed girder A, third drawing is of longitudinal section and elevation of wrought iron trussed girders BB and C, fourth drawing is of long section shewing elevation of wrought iron trussed girders DD and E.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – New Station Roofing Details of 70ft Truss

Paddington New Station. Five drawings on one sheet. Drawings are of details of 70 ft. truss. First drawing is of timber before truss, second drawing is of plan of bottom and plan of top of truss, third drawing is of a section of the truss, fourth drawing is of a different section of the truss and fifth drawing is of another section of the truss.

1845-1855

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