Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Event Information

The Railway Station: Two Centuries of Transformation

Dr Bill Fawcett, author of “Railway Architecture” etc

When the Stockton & Darlington opened in 1825 it had no conception of the potential of passenger traffic, so this, along with general goods traffic, was let out to private carriers, with the railway only operating the coal and mineral trains. So their (surviving) depot at Stockton was equipped only with a weigh/toll office, based on turnpike road practice. Within 2 years they found it desirable to provide hotels (for waiting and refreshment) at 3 locations, but the first serious approach to station design is found in the termini of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway (1830).

Things then blossomed rapidly, and sometimes extravagantly, and the talk will trace this path as far as two recent stations: Liege and the Berlin Central Station, which have seen a rebirth of confidence in the great glazed train sheds which became the hallmark of major 19th century stations.

2025 celebrates the 200th anniversary of the modern railway. Events list at:

 https://railway200.co.uk/

2.30pm in the Tempest Anderson Lecture Theatre in the Yorkshire Museum

Image: Liege Station