Paddington Station Roof

The ornate roof of paddington station london.

Paddington station roof.

I really love the contrast between the semi circular ornate window and the more industrial windows in the foreground. I was lucky to catch the station in extreme light conditions where this stunning silhouette was just there. There are two london termini with famous station roofs paddington station and st pancras station. 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 secret corner of london. In 1916 cover was needed for platforms 9 12. Paddington station took four years to complete and opened on 29 may 1854 serving as the london terminus of the great western railway. A proposal to take down span 4 to accommodate facilities for crossrail was controversial.

Iron was used in the construction of the roof and the spans supported on cast iron pillars. This is the first print of paddington station i have done. The span 4 project began in september 2009 and includes restoring the station s ageing glass roof to provide natural light and shelter to the platforms. The restoration of span 4 is expected to be complete by the third quarter of 2011.

Bask in the sunlight or watch the clouds go by overhead. There has already been a blog about paddington station but this one concentrates on the original station roof. A false ceiling covering the platforms below and blocking natural light. Being completed in 1838 and now having over 60million passengers through the station every year paddington station is a very important hub in rail.

The station was designed by isambard brunel although much of the architectural detailing was completed by his associate matthew digby wyatt. When the new station was opened in 1854 the roof consisted of three arches or spans making it the largest train shed roof in the world at the time. In recent years the roof has had a substantial loss of light transmission down to 18 causing a lack of visibility in a thriving setting.