City’s oldest terminus will be reborn alongside the newest
THE builder of Britain's newest railway line has begun the restoration of Grade I listed Old Curzon Street station in Birmingham, one of the world's oldest surviving pieces of monumental railway architecture, alongside the planned HS2 terminus in the city.
The refurbishment project began on September 2. The next year will see a team of local experts carry out intricate restoration work on the iconic building, designed by architect Philip Hardwick and opened on June 24, 1838, as the northern terminus for the London & Birmingham Railway, including its offices and boardroom.
AThe architecture is Roman inspired, following Hardwick's trip to Italy in 1818/19. With its tall pillars running up the front of the building, the design mirrored the Euston Arch at the London end of the line.
Short heyday
The station was originally known simply as Birmingham, and the first train from London arrived on September 17, 1838. The Grand Junction Railway arrived at Curzon Street in 1839.
However, its use as a major passenger station was short-lived as it was inconveniently located on the eastern edge of the city centre and its facilities soon became overwhelmed by the growing traffic. Following the merging of the London & Birmingham and Grand Junction railways into the LNWR in 1846, work started on the new ‘Grand Central' station, which became known as Birmingham New Street, half a mile to the west and shared with the Midland Railway. New Street was completed in 1854, when most passenger services were diverted to the new station.
Having suffered extensive damage during the Birmingham blitz and surviving two applications for its demolition in the 1970s, Old Curzon Street is now listed on the Heritage at Risk Register maintained by Historic England.
The refurbishment will see this status change for the first time in over a decade, with future plans to use it as an HS2 visitor centre, with flexible facilities for office space, exhibition purposes and catering.
The project is being undertaken by national contractor KN Circet (transport and infrastructure division), which is working for HS2's enabling works contractor Laing O'Rourke and J Murphy & Sons.
Work on the old station will include a new steel structural frame to strengthen it, a lift giving access to all four levels, a glass balustrade for the historic staircase, an internal fit-out, roof repairs, structural repairs to the external façade, and a full clean of the external building masonry.
The restoration team will include local specialists with traditional skills like carpentry and stonemasonry. Companies on board include Solihull's Umberslade doing the strip-out, Redditch's Orton Group supplying mechanical and electrical design and installation, and Rugeley's JFE Attridge Scaffolding Services Ltd.
Public space
An enhanced setting will reflect the history of the old station as well as the Grade II listed Woodman pub opposite. New public space surrounding the station will feature the historic track alignments of the former goods yard that lay to its east, and the gardens and new eastern concourse façade have also been designed to complement the old station's architecture.
Birmingham City Council leader Ian Ward said: “I am delighted that the restoration of Old Curzon Street station has begun.
“As a key part of Birmingham's railway heritage, the renovation will secure its place as part of the new Curzon Street station for generations to come.
“The restoration will create highskilled jobs, further demonstrating
the economic benefit that HS2 is bringing to our city. We are entering a golden decade for Birmingham, and the arrival of HS2 is at the heart of this.”
Russell Bailey, HS2 project manager for Old Curzon Street station, added: “The revamped building is integrated into HS2's plans for the city's landmark Curzon Street station, which will be the first brand new intercity terminus station built in Britain since the 19th century.
“Work is set to start on building the new station in the next year, with the joint venture contractor Mace Dragodos set to create 1000 jobs.”
The new Curzon Street station will also have a pedestrian link to the adjacent Moor Street station, and be integrated with an extended West Midlands Metro.