Bristol Temple Meads railway station
Encyclopedia
Bristol Temple Meads railway station is the oldest and largest railway station
in Bristol
, England. It is an important transport hub for public transport in Bristol
, with bus
services to various parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry
service to the city centre in addition to the train services. Bristol's other main-line station, Bristol Parkway
, is on the northern outskirts of the Bristol conurbation
.
It opened on 31 August 1840 as the western terminus of the Great Western Railway
from London Paddington station. The whole railway including Temple Meads was the first one designed by the British engineer
, Isambard Kingdom Brunel
. Soon the station was also used by the Bristol and Exeter Railway
, the Bristol and Gloucester Railway
, the Bristol Harbour Railway and the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway
. To accommodate the increasing number of trains the station was expanded in the 1870s by Francis Fox
; and again in the 1930s by P E Culverhouse. Brunel's terminus is no longer part of the operational station. The historical significance of the station has been noted, and most of the site is Grade 1 listed.
Temple Meads is now owned by Network Rail
and is operated under a franchise
by First Great Western
who provide the majority of trains to London, along with local services and inter-urban routes to destinations such as Cardiff
, Southampton
, Portsmouth
and . Long-distance services are provided by CrossCountry
to destinations as diverse as and in the South-West of England; Manchester Piccadilly
and in the North; and Edinburgh
and in Scotland. A few trains to London Waterloo station are provided by South West Trains
.
More than 7.8 million people entered and left the station in the twelve months to March 2010, an increase of more than 2 million in five years. This makes it the 33rd most-used Network Rail station and the 13th-busiest outside the London area. In addition, it was estimated that more than 975,000 people used the station to change trains. The platforms
are numbered from 1 to 15, but passenger trains are confined to just eight tracks. The numbering system means that most are numbered separately at each end with odd numbers at the east end, and even numbers at the west end. To further complicate matters, platform 2 is not signalled for passenger trains, and platform 14 does not exist.
, which was built by the Knights Templar
in the 12th century, rebuilt in the 14th century, and gutted by bombing during World War II
. The word "mæds" is an Old English derivation of meadow
, referring to the water meadows alongside the River Avon
that were part of Temple parish
. As late as 1820 the site was undeveloped pasture
outside the boundaries of the old city, some distance from the commercial centre. It lay between the Floating Harbour
and the city's cattle market, which was built in 1830.
The original terminal station was built in 1839-41 for the Great Western Railway
(GWR), the first passenger railway in Bristol, and was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
, the railway's engineer. For his first railway, Brunel chose to use the broad gauge
for this line. He went on to use the gauge for many more of the railways that he built in South and West Britain
. The station was on a viaduct
to raise it above the level of the Floating Harbour and River Avon; the latter being crossed via the grade I listed Avon Bridge
. The station was covered by a 200 feet (61 m) train shed
which was extended beyond the platforms by 155 feet (47.2 m) into a storage area and engine shed
, which in turn was fronted by an office building in the Tudor style
. Train services to Bath
commenced on 31 August 1840 and were extended to London Paddington station from 30 June 1841 following the completion of Box Tunnel
.
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A few weeks before the start of the services to Paddington the Bristol and Exeter Railway
(B&ER) had opened on 14 June 1841, its trains reversing in and out of the GWR station. The third railway at Temple Meads was the Bristol and Gloucester Railway
which opened on 8 July 1844 but was taken over by the Midland Railway
(MR) on 1 July 1845. This again used the GWR platforms, diverging onto its own line on the far side of the bridge over the Floating Harbour. Both these new railways were engineered by Brunel and their lines too were initially built to the broad gauge. Brunel also designed the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway
, but this was not opened until 25 August 1863, nearly four years after his death. It too terminated at Temple Meads.
In 1845 the B&ER built its own station at right angles to the GWR station and an "express platform
" on the curve linking the two lines so that through trains no longer had to reverse. The wooden B&ER station was known locally as "The Cowshed"; but a grand headquarters was built at street level on the west side of its station in 1852-54 to the Jacobean
designs of Samuel Fripp. The Bristol and Portishead Pier and Railway
opened a branch off the Bristol and Exeter line west of the city on 18 April 1867, the trains being operated by the B&ER and using their platforms at Temple Meads.
In 1850 an engine shed
had been opened on the south bank of the River Avon on the east side of the lines leading to the B&ER station. Between 1859 and 1875, 23 new engines were built in the workshops attached to the shed, including several of the distinctive Bristol and Exeter Railway 4-2-4T locomotives
.
on the north side of the station adjacent to the Floating Harbour, with a small dock for transhipment of goods to barge
s (though not to sea-going ships as the wharf was upstream of Bristol Bridge
). Wagons had to be lowered 12 feet (4 m) to the goods shed on hoists
. On 11 March 1872, a direct connection to the harbour was made in the form of the Bristol Harbour Railway, a joint operation of the three railways, which ran between the passenger station and the goods yard, across the street outside on a bridge, and then descended into a tunnel under the churchyard of St. Mary Redcliffe on its way to a wharf in a more convenient position downstream of Bristol Bridge.
The B&ER had a goods depot at Pylle Hill (south of the station) from 1850; and the MR had an independent yard at Avonside Wharf on the opposite side of the Floating Harbour from 1858.
so that they could operate standard gauge
passenger trains while broad gauge goods trains could still run to collieries north of Bristol. Sidings at South Wales Junction allowed traffic to be transhipped between wagons on the two different gauges. The GWR continued to operate its trains on the broad gauge, but on 3 September 1873 it opened the standard gauge Bristol and North Somerset Railway
. This had a junction nearly 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) from the station on the London line and so the mixed gauge was extended to that point. During the following year mixed gauge track was continued beyond Bath in connection with the conversion of the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
to standard gauge. The mixed gauge was then laid through Box Tunnel
on 16 May 1875 and so standard gauge trains could run from Bristol all the way to London, although the broad gauge was retained west of Temple Meads and through trains from London to Penzance
and other stations in Devon
and Cornwall
continued to be formed of broad gauge trains. Goods traffic was transhipped between the two gauges in the B&ER yard at Pylle Hill.
The B&ER converted to mixed gauge the line from Bristol as far as Taunton
by 1 June 1875, but the remainder of the line to Exeter
was not done until 1 March 1876, three months after the B&ER had amalgamated
with the GWR. The remainder of the lines beyond Exeter were converted to standard gauge on 21 May 1892 so the extra rails at Temple Meads fell into disuse and were removed to leave a purely standard gauge layout. This allowed the through station to be rebuilt with two additional platform faces.
The additional railway routes put the two short – 140 yards (128 m) – platforms of Brunel's terminus under pressure and so a scheme was developed to extend the station. An enabling Act of Parliament
was passed in 1865 and between 1871 and 1878 the station was extensively rebuilt. Brunel's platforms were extended by 212 yards (193.9 m) towards London, and a new three-platform through station built on the site of the express platform, while the B&ER station was closed and the site used for a new carriage shed. This work is usually attributed to Brunel's former associate Matthew Digby Wyatt
, however there is no documentary evidence of his involvement in the Minutes of the Station Joint Committee. The only signature on the drawings is that of Francis Fox who was the engineer of the B&ER. The curved wrought-iron train shed over the new through platforms was 500 feet (152.4 m) long on the platform wall. The goods depot was rebuilt with the inconvenient wagon hoists replaced by a steep incline connection from the east end of Temple Meads, which meant that the sidings in the goods shed were turned at right angles to their original alignment and the barge dock was filled in.
Trains on the Bristol and South Wales Union and the Midland
routes operated from the terminal platforms while GWR services used the new through platforms. The capital
costs of the new work were split 4/14 GWR/B&ER and 10/14 MR. The ongoing costs were split GWR 3/8, MR 3/8 and B&ER 2/8. Hence when the GWR absorbed the B&ER in 1876 the split was GWR 5/8 and MR (later LMS
) 3/8 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948.
In 1924 the goods depot was rebuilt with 15 platforms, each 575 feet (175.3 m) long. Large warehousing and cellar space was provided to store goods; although by this time another city centre goods depot had been opened at Canons Marsh.
Between 1930 and 1935 the through station was expanded under the direction of architect P E Culverhouse, both eastwards over the old cattle market, and southwards on a new wider bridge across Cattle Market Road and the New Cut
of the River Avon. This made room for the addition of five new through-platform faces, while the removal of the narrow island platforms in the middle of the train shed allowed the main Up and Down platforms to be both widened and lengthened. All the routes approaching Temple Meads were widened to four tracks to allow more flexibility.
As part of this work four existing manual
signal box
es were replaced by three new Power Signal Boxes; and the semaphore signals
and mechanical point
linkages were replaced by colour light signals
and point motors. The new Bristol Temple Meads East box was the largest on the GWR with 368 miniature levers operated by three signalmen assisted by a "booking boy". The other two boxes were one at Bristol Temple Meads West, and one controlling the movements in and out of the new Bath Road Depot
which replaced the old B&ER locomotive works in 1934.
During World War II
the station was bombed, which led to the destruction of the wooden spire of the clock tower above the ticket office on 3 January 1941. Gas lighting
was replaced by fluorescent
electric lights in 1960.
A second main-line station serving Bristol, , opened in 1972. It is on the northern outskirts of the Bristol conurbation
close to the M32 motorway
and was initially designed as a park and ride
facility for long-distance travellers.
In 1990–1991 £2,000,000 was spent on a renovation of the main train shed and another £7,000,000 on restoring some of the older areas of the station, including the refurbishment of the subway and construction of new retail outlets. The shorter of the two 1935 platform islands had been used only for parcels traffic since the 1960s but was temporarily brought back into passenger use during this work. It was fully restored for passenger use in 2001.
The Reshaping of British Railways
in 1963. The connection to the Bristol Harbour Railway was closed on 6 January 1964; passenger trains to Portishead were withdrawn on 7 September 1964; and most local services in the north of the city were withdrawn on 23 November 1964. The following year saw local services on the Midland Railway route to Gloucester withdrawn and the former Midland route to via was closed on 7 March 1966. and on the line towards Bath survived until 5 January 1970.
On 12 September 1965 the terminal platforms were closed. This allowed the platforms to be renumbered but with the order being reversed (see list below). The redundant train shed became a covered car park in February the following year, but from 1989 until 1999 Brunel's station was an interactive science centre known as The Exploratory and exhibition space. It later housed the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum
, until that closed in 2008 for relocation to London, although this relocation has since been delayed and the museum remains closed.
Bristol Panel Signal Box was built on the site of the Platform 14 after it closed. When opened it controlled 280 multiple-aspect signals and 243 motor-worked points on 114 miles (183.5 km) of routes around Bristol, the largest area controlled by a single signal box on British Rail
at the time.
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Although it is now possible to reach the station through the Temple Quay office development (which is on the former site of the goods shed
), or from the Bristol Ferry Boat Company landing stage on the Floating Harbour
, the traditional and main approach is from Temple Gate. Isambard Kingdom Brunel
's Tudor-style offices, which was later used by the former British Empire and Commonwealth Museum
, face this road and are flanked on the north side by an archway that used to be the main station entrance for departing passengers; a matching arch on the other side was the arrivals gateway but was removed when the station was expanded in the 1870s.
Opposite these offices are the Grosvenor Hotel and the derelict George Railway Hotel, which were built in the 1870s, on either side of the Bristol Harbour Railway bridge. A modern pub
named The Reckless Engineer as a tribute to Brunel faces the approach road that rises up to the station.
On the right of this Station Approach but at a lower level is the B&ER office building designed by Samuel Fripp; the 1930s offices known as "Collett House" (named afer Charles Collett
) and a disused parcels depot lie beyond. On the left is Brunel's original station building. The train shed
is 72 feet (21.9 m) wide with a wooden box-frame roof and cast iron
columns disguised as hammerbeams
above Tudor arches. It is believed to be the widest hammerbeam roof in England and, along with most of the station, is a Grade 1 listed building, and forms part of a proposed Great Western Railway World Heritage Site
. At the top of the slope an entrance on the left to the covered car park marks the junction between the original terminus and Fox's 1870s extension.
Ahead is the turreted main station building, and to the right a flat area marks the site of the B&ER station. The tunnel beneath this area was the route for passengers to and from the Down platform of the station from 1878 until the station was enlarged in 1935.
. All platforms are signalled for trains in either direction and the flexible layout means that trains on any route can use any part of the station. At Temple Meads platforms with odd numbers are at the east end, and those with even numbers at the west end (though geographically this is the south due to the curvature of the platforms).
Entrance to the platforms is controlled by automatic ticket gates and is situated on Platform 3 which is used by many of the northbound CrossCountry
trains and local services to Bristol Parkway
and Gloucester
. The main station restaurant and bar is on the left and the short Platform 1, a terminus bay
, is beyond this. This is most frequently used by Severn Beach Line
trains but is long enough to handle any four-car Diesel Multiple Unit
(DMU) that does not need to run through to the west. Behind Platform 1 is a brick wall that forms part of the Panel Signal Box and on this are some metal artworks created by artists with learning difficulties to celebrate Brunel's 200th anniversary in 2006; an interpretation panel can be found nearby. The High Level Siding beyond Platform 1 is the rump of the Bristol Harbour Railway, and Barton Hill TMD (traction maintenance depot
) can be seen in the distance alongside Bristol East Junction (formerly South Wales Junction) where the lines to Bristol Parkway and Bath diverge. The large grey box structure above the tracks at this end of the station is a bridge installed in the 1970s for postal traffic; it links with the derelict sorting office
beyond Platform 15.
On the right of the entrance is the subway that links all the platforms (it can be reached either by steps or lift
); it houses the main public toilets, automated teller machine
s (ATM) and several catering outlets (there is catering on all platform islands
except 13-15). A passenger information office and lounge is situated above the subway, the British Transport Police
office and passenger cycle racks are beyond, and at the far end is Platform 4 which is occasionally used by trains heading westwards. Alongside this is Platform 2, another bay platform but this is not signalled for passenger services and is now only used for stabling empty trains, as is the former Motorail unloading bay alongside. At the far end of this track is the old Fish Dock which is occasionally used for stabling engineers' on-track equipment. Beyond the end of the platform the tracks swing to the right (the west) and pass out-of-sight beneath Bath Road Bridge, a girder bridge that carries the A4 road out of the city.
The first island platform comprises platforms 5 to 8. Platform 5 is inside the main train shed while 6 is a southerly extension and 7 and 8 were added outside the supporting wall in the 1930s. Platform 5 is used by many trains towards Cardiff
and platform 7 for those to Portsmouth
; platforms 6 and 8 are the main platforms for trains to Weston-super-Mare
and stations as far as Penzance
. Between platforms 5 and 7 are the two Spur Sidings that are long enough to stable a single Class 143 railbus
or Class 153 DMU
.
The third island platform comprises platforms 9 to 12 and also dates from the 1930s. It is longer than platforms 5-8 but the rear of a High Speed Train
on the west end platforms will block part of the east end platform. A wide variety of trains use these platforms, including trains to and from London Paddington and London Waterloo stations and also Weymouth
.
The final island platform is shorter and only has east-end platforms 13 and 15, although 15 is used by most trains from Paddington that continue westwards from Temple Meads to Weston-super-Mare or beyond. Platform 13 is a terminus platform and is used by many trains from Paddington and some local services too. There is another siding beyond platform 15 that used to be the In/Out Road for Bath Road Traction Maintenance Depot. This depot has been demolished and is being redeveloped for non-railway purposes. Between platforms 3/4 and 5/6 are the Up Through line and the Middle Siding; the Down Through line runs between platforms 11/12 and 13.
Other facilities include pay phones, public Wi-Fi
, a post box, photo booth, and passenger assistance such as information points, waiting rooms, a lost property office, first aid room
, and CCTV
.
station; this makes it the 13th busiest outside London and the third busiest First Great Western station, after Paddington and . Comparing the year from April 2009 to that which started in April 2002, passenger numbers increased by 52%.
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
The station is operated by First Great Western
who provide main line services to London Paddington station, long distance services to Cardiff Central
and the South Coast, and local services to Weston-super-Mare
, Taunton
and Gloucester
.
An alternative route to London Waterloo station is provided by South West Trains
, while regular CrossCountry
services run westwards to Plymouth
and Penzance
in the West, and northwards to Birmingham, Manchester and Scotland.
Temple Meads is served by many bus
es. From the station approach bus stops First Bristol
operates services 8, 8A, 9 and 9A that provide a frequent service to the City Centre, Clifton
, Bristol Zoo
, and Redland
.
There is also a half-hourly free bus service F1, currently only operating Saturday daytimes that links the station with Cabot Circus, Broadmead and the Centre. http://www.freebus.org.uk/
The A1 and A2 services to Bristol Airport
and services 121, 672 and 674 which serve the airport and then continue to various villages around the Mendip Hills
such as Wrington
, Winscombe
and Cheddar
.
On Temple Way, the main road outside the station, there are country services to Wells
and Bath via Saltford
.
There are also local bus services. Service 1 runs from Broomhill
to Cribbs Causeway
), service 51 from Centre
to Rookery Farm, service 52 from Hengrove
to Inns Court and service 54 from Stockwood
to Cribbs Causeway
.First Group Timetables
calls at a landing stage in the Floating Harbour
outside the station on a route to Bristol Bridge
, St Augustine's Reach in the City Centre, the SS Great Britain
, and Hotwells
.
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England. It is an important transport hub for public transport in Bristol
Public transport in Bristol
The majority of public transport users in the Bristol Urban Area are transported by bus, although rail has experienced growth and does play an important part, particularly in peak hours...
, with bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
services to various parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service to the city centre in addition to the train services. Bristol's other main-line station, Bristol Parkway
Bristol Parkway railway station
Bristol Parkway railway station is situated in Stoke Gifford in the northern suburbs of Bristol, England. It is part of the British railway system owned by Network Rail, and is managed by First Great Western....
, is on the northern outskirts of the Bristol conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
.
It opened on 31 August 1840 as the western terminus of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
from London Paddington station. The whole railway including Temple Meads was the first one designed by the British engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
, Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
. Soon the station was also used by the Bristol and Exeter Railway
Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...
, the Bristol and Gloucester Railway
Bristol and Gloucester Railway
The Bristol and Gloucester Railway opened in 1844 between Bristol and Gloucester, meeting the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway. It is now part of the main line from the North-East of England through Derby and Birmingham to the South-West.-History:...
, the Bristol Harbour Railway and the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway
Bristol and South Wales Union Railway
The Bristol and South Wales Union Railway was built to connect Bristol, England, with south Wales. The route involved a ferry crossing of the River Severn but was considerably shorter than the alternative route through Gloucester...
. To accommodate the increasing number of trains the station was expanded in the 1870s by Francis Fox
Sir Francis Fox
Sir Francis Fox was an English civil engineer, who was responsible for the bridges over the Victoria Falls of the Zambesi and Sydney Harbour, the Mersey Railway Tunnel and the Liverpool Overhead Railway, and extending the London Underground....
; and again in the 1930s by P E Culverhouse. Brunel's terminus is no longer part of the operational station. The historical significance of the station has been noted, and most of the site is Grade 1 listed.
Temple Meads is now owned by Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
and is operated under a franchise
Government-granted monopoly
In economics, a government-granted monopoly is a form of coercive monopoly by which a government grants exclusive privilege to a private individual or firm to be the sole provider of a good or service; potential competitors are excluded from the market by law, regulation, or other mechanisms of...
by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
who provide the majority of trains to London, along with local services and inter-urban routes to destinations such as Cardiff
Cardiff Central railway station
Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network, the tenth busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London , based on 2007/08...
, Southampton
Southampton Central railway station
Southampton Central railway station is a main line railway station serving the city of Southampton in Hampshire, southern England. It is on the Wessex Main Line, the South Western Main Line and the West Coastway Line...
, Portsmouth
Portsmouth Harbour railway station
Portsmouth Harbour railway station is a railway station in Portsmouth, England. It is situated beside Gunwharf Quays in the city's harbour, and is an important transport terminal, with a bus interchange and ferry services to Gosport and the Isle of Wight. The station currently has four platforms:...
and . Long-distance services are provided by CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
to destinations as diverse as and in the South-West of England; Manchester Piccadilly
Manchester Piccadilly station
Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales, the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central, and routes throughout northern England...
and in the North; and Edinburgh
Edinburgh Waverley railway station
Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Covering an area of over 25 acres in the centre of the city, it is the second-largest main line railway station in the United Kingdom in terms of area, the largest being...
and in Scotland. A few trains to London Waterloo station are provided by South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
.
More than 7.8 million people entered and left the station in the twelve months to March 2010, an increase of more than 2 million in five years. This makes it the 33rd most-used Network Rail station and the 13th-busiest outside the London area. In addition, it was estimated that more than 975,000 people used the station to change trains. The platforms
Railway platform
A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
are numbered from 1 to 15, but passenger trains are confined to just eight tracks. The numbering system means that most are numbered separately at each end with odd numbers at the east end, and even numbers at the west end. To further complicate matters, platform 2 is not signalled for passenger trains, and platform 14 does not exist.
History
The name of the station, Temple Meads, derives from the nearby Temple ChurchTemple Church, Bristol
Temple Church is a ruined church building in central Bristol, England, which was founded in the mid 12th century by Robert of Gloucester and the Knights Templar....
, which was built by the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
in the 12th century, rebuilt in the 14th century, and gutted by bombing during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The word "mæds" is an Old English derivation of meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
, referring to the water meadows alongside the River Avon
River Avon, Bristol
The River Avon is an English river in the south west of the country. To distinguish it from a number of other River Avons in Britain, this river is often also known as the Lower Avon or Bristol Avon...
that were part of Temple parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
. As late as 1820 the site was undeveloped pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
outside the boundaries of the old city, some distance from the commercial centre. It lay between the Floating Harbour
Bristol Harbour
Bristol Harbour is the harbour in the city of Bristol, England. The harbour covers an area of . It has existed since the 13th century but was developed into its current form in the early 19th century by installing lock gates on a tidal stretch of the River Avon in the centre of the city and...
and the city's cattle market, which was built in 1830.
Brunel's station
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
(GWR), the first passenger railway in Bristol, and was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
, the railway's engineer. For his first railway, Brunel chose to use the broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
for this line. He went on to use the gauge for many more of the railways that he built in South and West Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. The station was on a viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
to raise it above the level of the Floating Harbour and River Avon; the latter being crossed via the grade I listed Avon Bridge
Avon Bridge
Avon Bridge is a railway bridge over the River Avon in Brislington, Bristol, England.It was built in 1839 by Isambard Kingdom Brunel has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building....
. The station was covered by a 200 feet (61 m) train shed
Train shed
A train shed is an adjacent building to a railway station where the tracks and platforms are covered by a roof. It is also known as an overall roof...
which was extended beyond the platforms by 155 feet (47.2 m) into a storage area and engine shed
Motive power depot
Motive power depot, usually abbreviated to MPD, is a name given to places where locomotives are stored when not being used, and also repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds", or, for short, just sheds. Facilities are provided for refuelling and...
, which in turn was fronted by an office building in the Tudor style
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
. Train services to Bath
Bath Spa railway station
Bath Spa railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Bath, in South West England.-Architecture:Bath Spa station was built in 1840 for the Great Western Railway by Brunel and is a grade II* listed building...
commenced on 31 August 1840 and were extended to London Paddington station from 30 June 1841 following the completion of Box Tunnel
Box Tunnel
Box Tunnel is a railway tunnel in Western England, between Bath and Chippenham, dug through Box Hill, and is one of the most significant structures on the Great Western Main Line...
.
Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...
(B&ER) had opened on 14 June 1841, its trains reversing in and out of the GWR station. The third railway at Temple Meads was the Bristol and Gloucester Railway
Bristol and Gloucester Railway
The Bristol and Gloucester Railway opened in 1844 between Bristol and Gloucester, meeting the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway. It is now part of the main line from the North-East of England through Derby and Birmingham to the South-West.-History:...
which opened on 8 July 1844 but was taken over by the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
(MR) on 1 July 1845. This again used the GWR platforms, diverging onto its own line on the far side of the bridge over the Floating Harbour. Both these new railways were engineered by Brunel and their lines too were initially built to the broad gauge. Brunel also designed the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway
Bristol and South Wales Union Railway
The Bristol and South Wales Union Railway was built to connect Bristol, England, with south Wales. The route involved a ferry crossing of the River Severn but was considerably shorter than the alternative route through Gloucester...
, but this was not opened until 25 August 1863, nearly four years after his death. It too terminated at Temple Meads.
Bristol and Exeter Railway station
Railway platform
A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
" on the curve linking the two lines so that through trains no longer had to reverse. The wooden B&ER station was known locally as "The Cowshed"; but a grand headquarters was built at street level on the west side of its station in 1852-54 to the Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
designs of Samuel Fripp. The Bristol and Portishead Pier and Railway
Portishead Railway
The Portishead Railway was a branch line railway running from Portishead in Somerset to the Great Western Main Line in Bristol, England. It was constructed in the 1860s by the Bristol & Portishead Pier and Railway, which was incorporated to build a pier and a broad gauge link to the Bristol and...
opened a branch off the Bristol and Exeter line west of the city on 18 April 1867, the trains being operated by the B&ER and using their platforms at Temple Meads.
In 1850 an engine shed
Traction maintenance depot
In the United Kingdom, a traction maintenance depot, or TMD, is a railway depot where locomotives are serviced and maintained. A traction and rolling stock maintenance depot, or T&RSMD, is a maintenance depot where locomotives, multiple units and rolling stock are serviced and maintained. Each rail...
had been opened on the south bank of the River Avon on the east side of the lines leading to the B&ER station. Between 1859 and 1875, 23 new engines were built in the workshops attached to the shed, including several of the distinctive Bristol and Exeter Railway 4-2-4T locomotives
Bristol and Exeter Railway 4-2-4T locomotives
The 14 Bristol and Exeter Railway 4-2-4T locomotives were broad gauge 4-2-4T steam locomotives built to three different designs. The first entered service in 1853...
.
Goods stations
The GWR built a 326 by 138 ft (99.4 by 42.1 m) goods shedGoods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
on the north side of the station adjacent to the Floating Harbour, with a small dock for transhipment of goods to barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
s (though not to sea-going ships as the wharf was upstream of Bristol Bridge
Bristol Bridge
Bristol Bridge is an old bridge over the floating harbour in Bristol, England, the original course of the River Avon.-History:Bristol's name is derived from the Saxon 'Brigstowe' or 'place of the bridge', but it is unclear when the first bridge over the Avon was built. The Avon has the 2nd highest...
). Wagons had to be lowered 12 feet (4 m) to the goods shed on hoists
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
. On 11 March 1872, a direct connection to the harbour was made in the form of the Bristol Harbour Railway, a joint operation of the three railways, which ran between the passenger station and the goods yard, across the street outside on a bridge, and then descended into a tunnel under the churchyard of St. Mary Redcliffe on its way to a wharf in a more convenient position downstream of Bristol Bridge.
The B&ER had a goods depot at Pylle Hill (south of the station) from 1850; and the MR had an independent yard at Avonside Wharf on the opposite side of the Floating Harbour from 1858.
Effects of the change of gauge
On 29 May 1854 the Midland Railway had laid a third rail along their tracks from Bristol to Gloucester to give a mixed gaugeDual gauge
A dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway has railway track that allows trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally, a dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail...
so that they could operate standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
passenger trains while broad gauge goods trains could still run to collieries north of Bristol. Sidings at South Wales Junction allowed traffic to be transhipped between wagons on the two different gauges. The GWR continued to operate its trains on the broad gauge, but on 3 September 1873 it opened the standard gauge Bristol and North Somerset Railway
Bristol and North Somerset Railway
The Bristol and North Somerset Railway was a railway line in the West of England that connected Bristol with towns in the Somerset coalfield. The line ran almost due south from Bristol and was 16 miles long.-The main railway:...
. This had a junction nearly 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) from the station on the London line and so the mixed gauge was extended to that point. During the following year mixed gauge track was continued beyond Bath in connection with the conversion of the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
The Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Great Western Railway at Chippenham in 'Wilts' with Weymouth in Dorset, England. Branches ran to Devizes, Bradford-on-Avon and Salisbury in Wiltshire, and to Radstock in Somerset. The majority of the line survives...
to standard gauge. The mixed gauge was then laid through Box Tunnel
Box Tunnel
Box Tunnel is a railway tunnel in Western England, between Bath and Chippenham, dug through Box Hill, and is one of the most significant structures on the Great Western Main Line...
on 16 May 1875 and so standard gauge trains could run from Bristol all the way to London, although the broad gauge was retained west of Temple Meads and through trains from London to Penzance
Penzance railway station
Penzance railway station serves the town of Penzance, Cornwall, UK. The station is the western terminus of the Cornish Main Line from London Paddington station. The current journey time to or from London is about five hours....
and other stations in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
continued to be formed of broad gauge trains. Goods traffic was transhipped between the two gauges in the B&ER yard at Pylle Hill.
The B&ER converted to mixed gauge the line from Bristol as far as Taunton
Taunton railway station
Taunton railway station is a junction station on the route from London to Penzance, from London Paddington station. It is situated in Taunton, Somerset, England and is operated by First Great Western...
by 1 June 1875, but the remainder of the line to Exeter
Exeter St Davids railway station
Exeter St Davids station is the most important of seven National Rail stations in the city of Exeter in southwest England. Today the station is owned by Network Rail and operated by First Great Western.-History:...
was not done until 1 March 1876, three months after the B&ER had amalgamated
Consolidation (business)
Consolidation or amalgamation is the act of merging many things into one. In business, it often refers to the mergers and acquisitions of many smaller companies into much larger ones. In the context of financial accounting, consolidation refers to the aggregation of financial statements of a group...
with the GWR. The remainder of the lines beyond Exeter were converted to standard gauge on 21 May 1892 so the extra rails at Temple Meads fell into disuse and were removed to leave a purely standard gauge layout. This allowed the through station to be rebuilt with two additional platform faces.
1870s expansion
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
was passed in 1865 and between 1871 and 1878 the station was extensively rebuilt. Brunel's platforms were extended by 212 yards (193.9 m) towards London, and a new three-platform through station built on the site of the express platform, while the B&ER station was closed and the site used for a new carriage shed. This work is usually attributed to Brunel's former associate Matthew Digby Wyatt
Matthew Digby Wyatt
Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt was a British architect and art historian who became Secretary of the Great Exhibition, Surveyor of the East India Company and the first Slade Professor of Fine Art at the University of Cambridge.-Life:...
, however there is no documentary evidence of his involvement in the Minutes of the Station Joint Committee. The only signature on the drawings is that of Francis Fox who was the engineer of the B&ER. The curved wrought-iron train shed over the new through platforms was 500 feet (152.4 m) long on the platform wall. The goods depot was rebuilt with the inconvenient wagon hoists replaced by a steep incline connection from the east end of Temple Meads, which meant that the sidings in the goods shed were turned at right angles to their original alignment and the barge dock was filled in.
Trains on the Bristol and South Wales Union and the Midland
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
routes operated from the terminal platforms while GWR services used the new through platforms. The capital
Capital (economics)
In economics, capital, capital goods, or real capital refers to already-produced durable goods used in production of goods or services. The capital goods are not significantly consumed, though they may depreciate in the production process...
costs of the new work were split 4/14 GWR/B&ER and 10/14 MR. The ongoing costs were split GWR 3/8, MR 3/8 and B&ER 2/8. Hence when the GWR absorbed the B&ER in 1876 the split was GWR 5/8 and MR (later LMS
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
) 3/8 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948.
Twentieth century changes
Between 1930 and 1935 the through station was expanded under the direction of architect P E Culverhouse, both eastwards over the old cattle market, and southwards on a new wider bridge across Cattle Market Road and the New Cut
New Cut (Bristol)
The New Cut is an artificial waterway which was constructed between 1804 and 1809 to divert the tidal river Avon through south and east Bristol, England. This was part of the process of constructing Bristol's Floating Harbour, under the supervision of engineer William Jessop...
of the River Avon. This made room for the addition of five new through-platform faces, while the removal of the narrow island platforms in the middle of the train shed allowed the main Up and Down platforms to be both widened and lengthened. All the routes approaching Temple Meads were widened to four tracks to allow more flexibility.
As part of this work four existing manual
Lever frame
Mechanical railway signalling installations rely on lever frames for their operation to interlock the signals and points to allow the safe operation of trains in the area the signals control...
signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
es were replaced by three new Power Signal Boxes; and the semaphore signals
Railway semaphore signal
One of the earliest forms of fixed railway signal is the semaphore. These signals display their different indications to train drivers by changing the angle of inclination of a pivoted 'arm'. Semaphore signals were patented in the early 1840s by Joseph James Stevens, and soon became the most...
and mechanical point
Railroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
linkages were replaced by colour light signals
British railway signals
Modern British signalling is based on a two, three, and four aspect colour light system using non-permissive block rules. It is a basic progression of the original semaphore signalling that can still be found on many secondary lines...
and point motors. The new Bristol Temple Meads East box was the largest on the GWR with 368 miniature levers operated by three signalmen assisted by a "booking boy". The other two boxes were one at Bristol Temple Meads West, and one controlling the movements in and out of the new Bath Road Depot
Bristol Bath Road TMD
Bristol Bath Road TMD was a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in Bristol.Originally built for the Bristol and Exeter Railway, it was rebuilt in 1934 by the Great Western Railway. The depot was rebuilt again in the early 1960's as its role changed from maintaining steam locomotives to...
which replaced the old B&ER locomotive works in 1934.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the station was bombed, which led to the destruction of the wooden spire of the clock tower above the ticket office on 3 January 1941. Gas lighting
Gas lighting
Gas lighting is production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, including hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, or natural gas. Before electricity became sufficiently widespread and economical to allow for general public use, gas was the most...
was replaced by fluorescent
Fluorescent lamp
A fluorescent lamp or fluorescent tube is a gas-discharge lamp that uses electricity to excite mercury vapor. The excited mercury atoms produce short-wave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor to fluoresce, producing visible light. A fluorescent lamp converts electrical power into useful...
electric lights in 1960.
A second main-line station serving Bristol, , opened in 1972. It is on the northern outskirts of the Bristol conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
close to the M32 motorway
M32 motorway
The M32 is a motorway in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, England. It provides a link from Bristol city centre to the M4 and is part of the Bristol Parkway. At about , it is one of Britain's shortest motorways...
and was initially designed as a park and ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
facility for long-distance travellers.
In 1990–1991 £2,000,000 was spent on a renovation of the main train shed and another £7,000,000 on restoring some of the older areas of the station, including the refurbishment of the subway and construction of new retail outlets. The shorter of the two 1935 platform islands had been used only for parcels traffic since the 1960s but was temporarily brought back into passenger use during this work. It was fully restored for passenger use in 2001.
Closure of lines
Passenger traffic on the old North Somerset line ceased on 2 November 1959 but many more closures followed after the publication of Dr Beeching'sRichard Beeching
Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching , commonly known as Doctor Beeching, was chairman of British Railways and a physicist and engineer...
The Reshaping of British Railways
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
in 1963. The connection to the Bristol Harbour Railway was closed on 6 January 1964; passenger trains to Portishead were withdrawn on 7 September 1964; and most local services in the north of the city were withdrawn on 23 November 1964. The following year saw local services on the Midland Railway route to Gloucester withdrawn and the former Midland route to via was closed on 7 March 1966. and on the line towards Bath survived until 5 January 1970.
On 12 September 1965 the terminal platforms were closed. This allowed the platforms to be renumbered but with the order being reversed (see list below). The redundant train shed became a covered car park in February the following year, but from 1989 until 1999 Brunel's station was an interactive science centre known as The Exploratory and exhibition space. It later housed the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum
British Empire and Commonwealth Museum
The British Empire and Commonwealth Museum was a museum in Bristol, United Kingdom exploring the history of the British Empire and the effect of British colonial rule on the rest of the world....
, until that closed in 2008 for relocation to London, although this relocation has since been delayed and the museum remains closed.
| Old | New | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | |
| 2 | 13 | |
| 3 | 12 | |
| 4 | 11 | |
| 5 | 9 | Split to become nos. 9 & 10 |
| 6 | 8 | Split to become nos. 7 & 8 |
| 7 | 5 | Main train shed |
| 8 | 6 | |
| 9 | 3 | Main train shed |
| 10 | 4 | |
| 11 | 2 | West end bay |
| 12 | 1 | East end of arrival platform |
| 13 | Closed | West end of arrival platform |
| 14 | Closed | East end of departure platform |
| 15 | Closed | West end of departure platform |
Bristol Panel Signal Box was built on the site of the Platform 14 after it closed. When opened it controlled 280 multiple-aspect signals and 243 motor-worked points on 114 miles (183.5 km) of routes around Bristol, the largest area controlled by a single signal box on British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
at the time.
Description
Approaches
Goods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
), or from the Bristol Ferry Boat Company landing stage on the Floating Harbour
Bristol Harbour
Bristol Harbour is the harbour in the city of Bristol, England. The harbour covers an area of . It has existed since the 13th century but was developed into its current form in the early 19th century by installing lock gates on a tidal stretch of the River Avon in the centre of the city and...
, the traditional and main approach is from Temple Gate. Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
's Tudor-style offices, which was later used by the former British Empire and Commonwealth Museum
British Empire and Commonwealth Museum
The British Empire and Commonwealth Museum was a museum in Bristol, United Kingdom exploring the history of the British Empire and the effect of British colonial rule on the rest of the world....
, face this road and are flanked on the north side by an archway that used to be the main station entrance for departing passengers; a matching arch on the other side was the arrivals gateway but was removed when the station was expanded in the 1870s.
Opposite these offices are the Grosvenor Hotel and the derelict George Railway Hotel, which were built in the 1870s, on either side of the Bristol Harbour Railway bridge. A modern pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
named The Reckless Engineer as a tribute to Brunel faces the approach road that rises up to the station.
On the right of this Station Approach but at a lower level is the B&ER office building designed by Samuel Fripp; the 1930s offices known as "Collett House" (named afer Charles Collett
Charles Collett
Charles Benjamin Collett was chief mechanical engineer of the Great Western Railway from 1922 to 1941. He designed the GWR's 4-6-0 Castle and King Class express passenger locomotives.-Career:...
) and a disused parcels depot lie beyond. On the left is Brunel's original station building. The train shed
Train shed
A train shed is an adjacent building to a railway station where the tracks and platforms are covered by a roof. It is also known as an overall roof...
is 72 feet (21.9 m) wide with a wooden box-frame roof and cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
columns disguised as hammerbeams
Hammerbeam roof
Hammerbeam roof, in architecture, is the name given to an open timber roof, typical of English Gothic architecture, using short beams projecting from the wall.- Design :...
above Tudor arches. It is believed to be the widest hammerbeam roof in England and, along with most of the station, is a Grade 1 listed building, and forms part of a proposed Great Western Railway World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. At the top of the slope an entrance on the left to the covered car park marks the junction between the original terminus and Fox's 1870s extension.
Ahead is the turreted main station building, and to the right a flat area marks the site of the B&ER station. The tunnel beneath this area was the route for passengers to and from the Down platform of the station from 1878 until the station was enlarged in 1935.
Station
Entering the main building, the ticket office and ticket machines are immediately ahead, and the route from Temple Quay and the ferry is on the left; a bookshop is on the right, next to the platform entrance. Customer Information System screens by the entrance show the arrival and departure information (including any delays) for next services on all platforms, as do local displays on each of the platformsRailway platform
A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
. All platforms are signalled for trains in either direction and the flexible layout means that trains on any route can use any part of the station. At Temple Meads platforms with odd numbers are at the east end, and those with even numbers at the west end (though geographically this is the south due to the curvature of the platforms).
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
trains and local services to Bristol Parkway
Bristol Parkway railway station
Bristol Parkway railway station is situated in Stoke Gifford in the northern suburbs of Bristol, England. It is part of the British railway system owned by Network Rail, and is managed by First Great Western....
and Gloucester
Gloucester railway station
Gloucester railway station serves the city of Gloucester in England. The station was originally built as the terminus of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway in 1840, but the arrival of the Bristol and Gloucester Railway and Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway in 1844, and then conversion...
. The main station restaurant and bar is on the left and the short Platform 1, a terminus bay
Bay platform
Bay platform is a railway-related term commonly used in the UK and Australia to describe a dead-end platform at a railway station that has through lines...
, is beyond this. This is most frequently used by Severn Beach Line
Severn Beach Line
The Severn Beach Line is a local railway in Bristol, UK. It runs from Narroways Hill Junction to Severn Beach, and is the successor to the Bristol Port Railway and Pier, which ran from a Bristol terminus in the Avon Gorge to a station and pier on the Severn Estuary.Passenger trains run from Bristol...
trains but is long enough to handle any four-car Diesel Multiple Unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
(DMU) that does not need to run through to the west. Behind Platform 1 is a brick wall that forms part of the Panel Signal Box and on this are some metal artworks created by artists with learning difficulties to celebrate Brunel's 200th anniversary in 2006; an interpretation panel can be found nearby. The High Level Siding beyond Platform 1 is the rump of the Bristol Harbour Railway, and Barton Hill TMD (traction maintenance depot
Traction maintenance depot
In the United Kingdom, a traction maintenance depot, or TMD, is a railway depot where locomotives are serviced and maintained. A traction and rolling stock maintenance depot, or T&RSMD, is a maintenance depot where locomotives, multiple units and rolling stock are serviced and maintained. Each rail...
) can be seen in the distance alongside Bristol East Junction (formerly South Wales Junction) where the lines to Bristol Parkway and Bath diverge. The large grey box structure above the tracks at this end of the station is a bridge installed in the 1970s for postal traffic; it links with the derelict sorting office
Sorting office
Sorting office or Processing and Distribution Center is any location where postal operators bring mail after collection for sorting into batches for delivery to the addressee, which may be a direct delivery or sent onwards to another regional or local sorting office, or to another postal...
beyond Platform 15.
On the right of the entrance is the subway that links all the platforms (it can be reached either by steps or lift
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
); it houses the main public toilets, automated teller machine
Automated teller machine
An automated teller machine or automatic teller machine, also known as a Cashpoint , cash machine or sometimes a hole in the wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public...
s (ATM) and several catering outlets (there is catering on all platform islands
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
except 13-15). A passenger information office and lounge is situated above the subway, the British Transport Police
British Transport Police
The British Transport Police is a special police force that polices those railways and light-rail systems in Great Britain for which it has entered into an agreement to provide such services...
office and passenger cycle racks are beyond, and at the far end is Platform 4 which is occasionally used by trains heading westwards. Alongside this is Platform 2, another bay platform but this is not signalled for passenger services and is now only used for stabling empty trains, as is the former Motorail unloading bay alongside. At the far end of this track is the old Fish Dock which is occasionally used for stabling engineers' on-track equipment. Beyond the end of the platform the tracks swing to the right (the west) and pass out-of-sight beneath Bath Road Bridge, a girder bridge that carries the A4 road out of the city.
The first island platform comprises platforms 5 to 8. Platform 5 is inside the main train shed while 6 is a southerly extension and 7 and 8 were added outside the supporting wall in the 1930s. Platform 5 is used by many trains towards Cardiff
Cardiff Central railway station
Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network, the tenth busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London , based on 2007/08...
and platform 7 for those to Portsmouth
Portsmouth Harbour railway station
Portsmouth Harbour railway station is a railway station in Portsmouth, England. It is situated beside Gunwharf Quays in the city's harbour, and is an important transport terminal, with a bus interchange and ferry services to Gosport and the Isle of Wight. The station currently has four platforms:...
; platforms 6 and 8 are the main platforms for trains to Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare railway station
Weston-super-Mare railway station serves the town of Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, England. It is situated on a loop off the main Bristol to Taunton Line....
and stations as far as Penzance
Penzance railway station
Penzance railway station serves the town of Penzance, Cornwall, UK. The station is the western terminus of the Cornish Main Line from London Paddington station. The current journey time to or from London is about five hours....
. Between platforms 5 and 7 are the two Spur Sidings that are long enough to stable a single Class 143 railbus
British Rail Class 143
The British Rail Class 143 is a diesel multiple unit, part of the Pacer family of trains introduced between 1985 and 1986. They originally worked in the North-East of England but were later transferred to Wales and South-West England....
or Class 153 DMU
British Rail Class 153
The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinter is a single car diesel multiple unit converted from British Rail Class 155s.-Description:These units were originally built as two-car Class 155 units by British Leyland from 1987–88, but were converted by Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock from 1991-92...
.
The third island platform comprises platforms 9 to 12 and also dates from the 1930s. It is longer than platforms 5-8 but the rear of a High Speed Train
InterCity 125
The InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rail's High Speed Train fleet. The InterCity 125 train is made up of two power cars, one at each end of a fixed formation of Mark 3 carriages, and is capable of , making the train the fastest diesel-powered locomotive in regular service in the...
on the west end platforms will block part of the east end platform. A wide variety of trains use these platforms, including trains to and from London Paddington and London Waterloo stations and also Weymouth
Weymouth railway station
Weymouth railway station is a railway station serving the town of Weymouth, Dorset, England. The station is the terminus of both the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo and the Heart of Wessex Line from and .-History:...
.
The final island platform is shorter and only has east-end platforms 13 and 15, although 15 is used by most trains from Paddington that continue westwards from Temple Meads to Weston-super-Mare or beyond. Platform 13 is a terminus platform and is used by many trains from Paddington and some local services too. There is another siding beyond platform 15 that used to be the In/Out Road for Bath Road Traction Maintenance Depot. This depot has been demolished and is being redeveloped for non-railway purposes. Between platforms 3/4 and 5/6 are the Up Through line and the Middle Siding; the Down Through line runs between platforms 11/12 and 13.
Other facilities include pay phones, public Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
, a post box, photo booth, and passenger assistance such as information points, waiting rooms, a lost property office, first aid room
First aid room
A first aid room or medical room is a room in an establishment to which someone who is injured or taken ill on the premises can be taken for first aid and to await the arrival of professional emergency medical services.A first aid room should be clearly signposted, easily accessible and contain:*...
, and CCTV
Closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
.
Passenger volume
Temple Meads is the busiest station in the Bristol area. Official statistics show it to have the 33rd-largest number of people entering or leaving any Network RailNetwork Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
station; this makes it the 13th busiest outside London and the third busiest First Great Western station, after Paddington and . Comparing the year from April 2009 to that which started in April 2002, passenger numbers increased by 52%.
| 2002-03 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries | 2,590,543 | 2,823,258 | 3,039,104 | 3,279,898 | 3,541,946 | 3,914,814 | 3,937,843 |
| Exits | 2,586,575 | 2,818,114 | 3,027,136 | 3,268,961 | 3,540,152 | 3,914,814 | 3,937,843 |
| Interchanges | unknown | 798,961 | 856,644 | 917,595 | 845,178 | 890,706 | 979,955 |
| Total | 5,177,118 | |6,922,883 | 7,927,276 | 8,720,334 | 8,855,641 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Rail services
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
who provide main line services to London Paddington station, long distance services to Cardiff Central
Cardiff Central railway station
Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network, the tenth busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London , based on 2007/08...
and the South Coast, and local services to Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare railway station
Weston-super-Mare railway station serves the town of Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, England. It is situated on a loop off the main Bristol to Taunton Line....
, Taunton
Taunton railway station
Taunton railway station is a junction station on the route from London to Penzance, from London Paddington station. It is situated in Taunton, Somerset, England and is operated by First Great Western...
and Gloucester
Gloucester railway station
Gloucester railway station serves the city of Gloucester in England. The station was originally built as the terminus of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway in 1840, but the arrival of the Bristol and Gloucester Railway and Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway in 1844, and then conversion...
.
An alternative route to London Waterloo station is provided by South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
, while regular CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
services run westwards to Plymouth
Plymouth railway station
Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is situated on the northern edge of the city centre close to the North Cross roundabout...
and Penzance
Penzance railway station
Penzance railway station serves the town of Penzance, Cornwall, UK. The station is the western terminus of the Cornish Main Line from London Paddington station. The current journey time to or from London is about five hours....
in the West, and northwards to Birmingham, Manchester and Scotland.
Bus links
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es. From the station approach bus stops First Bristol
First Bristol
First Bristol is a bus operator based in Bristol, England. It is part of FirstGroup, and is the dominant public transport company in the city.-History:...
operates services 8, 8A, 9 and 9A that provide a frequent service to the City Centre, Clifton
Clifton, Bristol
Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...
, Bristol Zoo
Bristol Zoo
Bristol Zoo is a zoo in the city of Bristol in South West England. The zoo's stated mission is "Bristol Zoo Gardens maintains and defends biodiversity through breeding endangered species, conserving threatened species and habitats and promoting a wider understanding of the natural...
, and Redland
Redland, Bristol
Redland is an affluent suburb in Bristol, England. The suburb is situated between Clifton, Cotham, Bishopston and Westbury Park. The boundaries of the district are not precisely defined, but are generally taken to be Whiteladies Road in the west, the Severn Beach railway line in the south and...
.
There is also a half-hourly free bus service F1, currently only operating Saturday daytimes that links the station with Cabot Circus, Broadmead and the Centre. http://www.freebus.org.uk/
The A1 and A2 services to Bristol Airport
Bristol Airport
Bristol Airport may refer to:* Bristol Airport, serving Bristol, England, United Kingdom ** Bristol Airport , a docu-soap based on events at Bristol Airport...
and services 121, 672 and 674 which serve the airport and then continue to various villages around the Mendip Hills
Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...
such as Wrington
Wrington
Wrington is a village and civil parish in North Somerset, England. It lies in the valley of the Congresbury Yeo river about east of Weston-super-Mare and south-east of Yatton. It is both a civil parish, with a population of 2,896, and an ecclesiastical parish...
, Winscombe
Winscombe
Winscombe is a village in North Somerset, England, close to the settlements of Axbridge and Cheddar, on the western edge of the Mendip Hills, south-east of Weston-super-Mare and south-west of Bristol...
and Cheddar
Cheddar
Cheddar is a large village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of the English county of Somerset. It is situated on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills, north-west of Wells. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Nyland and Bradley Cross...
.
On Temple Way, the main road outside the station, there are country services to Wells
Wells
Wells is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Although the population recorded in the 2001 census is 10,406, it has had city status since 1205...
and Bath via Saltford
Saltford
Saltford is a large village and civil parish in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, Somerset, England. It lies between the cities of Bristol and Bath....
.
There are also local bus services. Service 1 runs from Broomhill
Brislington East
Brislington East is a council ward of the city of Bristol, in the United Kingdom.The ward covers the eastern part of Brislington and the areas of Bristol known as Broomhill and St Annes Park.-Brislington:...
to Cribbs Causeway
Cribbs Causeway
Cribbs Causeway is a road in South Gloucestershire, England, just north of Bristol, which has given its name to a large out-of-town shopping centre, including retail parks and an enclosed shopping centre known as The Mall...
), service 51 from Centre
Bristol city centre
Bristol city centre is the commercial, cultural and business centre of Bristol, England. It is the area south of the central ring road and north of the Floating Harbour, bounded north by St Pauls and Easton, east by Temple Meads and Redcliffe, and west by Clifton and Canon's Marsh...
to Rookery Farm, service 52 from Hengrove
Hengrove
Hengrove is a suburb and council ward of Bristol, England, situated between Whitchurch, Knowle and Bishopsworth, running along both dual carriageways, Wells Road and Airport Road . It consists mainly of working to middle class terrace houses. It contains an infant, primary and secondary school...
to Inns Court and service 54 from Stockwood
Stockwood
Stockwood is a residential area and council ward in south Bristol, between Whitchurch and Brislington.It is served by bus routes, 54, 54A, 57 and A4....
to Cribbs Causeway
Cribbs Causeway
Cribbs Causeway is a road in South Gloucestershire, England, just north of Bristol, which has given its name to a large out-of-town shopping centre, including retail parks and an enclosed shopping centre known as The Mall...
.First Group Timetables
Ferry links
The Bristol Ferry BoatBristol Ferry Boat
The Bristol Ferry Boat Company operates water bus services on Bristol Harbour in the centre of the English city of Bristol.Services are operated for the leisure market to and from both the city centre and Bristol Temple Meads railway station, and serve 15 landing stages throughout the length of the...
calls at a landing stage in the Floating Harbour
Bristol Harbour
Bristol Harbour is the harbour in the city of Bristol, England. The harbour covers an area of . It has existed since the 13th century but was developed into its current form in the early 19th century by installing lock gates on a tidal stretch of the River Avon in the centre of the city and...
outside the station on a route to Bristol Bridge
Bristol Bridge
Bristol Bridge is an old bridge over the floating harbour in Bristol, England, the original course of the River Avon.-History:Bristol's name is derived from the Saxon 'Brigstowe' or 'place of the bridge', but it is unclear when the first bridge over the Avon was built. The Avon has the 2nd highest...
, St Augustine's Reach in the City Centre, the SS Great Britain
SS Great Britain
SS Great Britain was an advanced passenger steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Steamship Company's transatlantic service between Bristol and New York. While other ships had previously been built of iron or equipped with a screw propeller, Great Britain was the first...
, and Hotwells
Hotwells
Hotwells is a district of the English port city of Bristol. It is located to the south of and below the high ground of Clifton, and directly to the north of the Floating Harbour. The southern entrance to the Avon Gorge, which connects those docks to the sea, lies at the western end of Hotwells. The...
.
See also
- Rail services in BristolRail services in BristolThere are three train operating companies in Bristol: CrossCountry, First Great Western and South West Trains.-Services in Bristol:* Bristol - Manchester* Plymouth - Edinburgh* Bristol Parkway - Weston-super-Mare* Cardiff - Portsmouth...
- List of bus routes in Bristol
- Commuter rail in the United KingdomCommuter rail in the United KingdomUrban rail, commuter rail, regional rail, or suburban rail, plays a key role in the public transport system of many of the United Kingdom's major cities. Urban rail is defined as a rail service between a central business district and suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a...