Looking at Buildings

, printed from the Looking at Buildings website on Thursday 18th April 2024

Big Stations

Through Station [1] and the Terminus [2].

The greatest exteriors were often to be seen at the termini, which were easier to arrange so that a grand, coherently designed building led directly to a concourse with equal access to all the platforms. Through stations generally have longer and lower buildings, though their train sheds may be just as impressive as at the greater termini. The need for passengers to cross the running lines was solved in various ways: by footbridges, by underpasses and subways, or by planning the station on different levels so that the buildings sat over the tracks or extended beneath them.

The Midland Hotel, St Pancras Station

Last updated: Saturday, 25th April 2009