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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.10 – Details Generally for Gallery and Paxton Roofing showing General Character of Foundations for Columns

Paddington New Station: Details Generally for Gallery & Paxton Roofing shewing General Charecterists of Foundations for Columns. Four drawings on one sheet. Drawing is for roofing contract and drawing is of elevation of roof and various details.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Roof over New Offices

Paddington: Roof over New Offices. Three drawings on one sheet for roof over new offices including plan and details of structure.

1845-1855

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

Paddington New Station Roof. Three drawings on one sheet. First drawing is of mode of fixing ordinary ribs over columns, second drawing is of section thro' b, b, third drawing is of sectional plan thro' a, a.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Details of Ornament for Roof Screen

Sketch relating to iron work details at Paddington Station.

1845-1860

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Drawing No.4 – New Station Roof Mode of Fixing Ribs to Wall

Paddington New Station Roof. One drawing on sheet. Drawing is of mode of fixing ribs on wall.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Plan of Roofing

Drawing is a sketch relating to the building of Paddington Station roof.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – New Station Roof Details of Transept Skylight

Paddington New Station Roof. Six drawings on one sheet. Drawings are of details of transept skylight. First drawing is of end view of ordinary standard, second drawing is of section thro' a, a, and end view of special standard, third drawing is of end view of ordinary standard, fourth drawing is of plan of special standard, fifth drawing is of plan of ordinary standard, sixth drawing is of plan of gutter &c against wall.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Details of Roofs over Approaches and Offices

Paddington Station. Eleven drawings on one sheet of details of roofs over approaches to offices including elevations and plans.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – New Station Roof External Elevation of Framing of Front

Partial drawing. Paddington New Station (Roof). Plans, elevations and sections of framing of front. Signed I K Brunel.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Details of Gutter Fixings

Paddington Station Roof. Twenty three drawings on one sheet. Drawings include plans and details of girders, inlets and columns and plans of girders with columns.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – New Station Roof Mode of [Attaching] Ribs on Girders

Paddington Station. Three drawings on one sheet of details for part of roof at Paddington including the support ribs and girders.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Details at C – Columns for Roof

Paddington Station. Four drawings of details of columns for station.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Contract for Roofing Drawing No.9 – Details of Girders

Paddington New Station. Seven drawings on one sheet of Paddington roof for roofing contract. Details of girders B, B and C and shewing general character of main longitudinal section.

1854-1856

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Drainage Layout

Paddington Station. Drawing is a sketch relating to the foundations, drainage etc.

1845-1890

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Plan of Foundations

Drawing is of a plan of Paddington Station foundations

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station Drawing – Additional Offices Girders D & G

Paddington Station Additional Offices. Eight drawings on one sheet. Drawings include elevations and plans of girders, cast iron shoe for girders and plans. Drawing is signed by Lancaster [Owen].

05 June 1878

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Plan of New Station

Paddington Station. Drawing is a sketch relating to foundations, drainage etc.

1845-1855

Great Western Railway Paddington Station – Sections of Drainage showing Foundations

Paddington Station. Six drawings on one sheet. First drawing is of transverse section at AB, second drawing is of plan, third drawing is of transverse section at EF, fourth drawing is of transverse section at LM, fifth drawing is of transverse section at GH, sixth drawing is of longitudinal section at IK.

1845-1855

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