Nottingham Victoria railway station
Encyclopedia
Nottingham Victoria railway station was a Great Central Railway
and Great Northern Railway
railway station in Nottingham
, England
. It was designed by the architect Albert Edward Lambert
.
It was opened by the Nottingham Joint Station Committee
on 24 May 1900 and closed on 4 September 1967 by the London Midland Region of British Railways. The station building was entirely demolished (except for the clock tower) and a shopping centre has been built on the site.
obtained authorisation to extend its North Midlands railway network into London
. This new line was opened on 15 March 1899 and became known as the "London Extension
", stretching from Annesley to a new station at Marylebone
in London. The line passed through Nottingham where a new station was to be built.
, following which around 600000 cubic yards (458,732.9 m³) of sandstone
was excavated from the site. The site measured around 650 yards (594.4 m) in length from north to south and had an average width of 110 yards (100.6 m) with a tunnel at each end of it for access.
Both the Great Central Railway
and Great Northern Railway
shared the station
(they split into two lines at Weekday Cross
junction). The two owners failed to reach agreement on the station's name; the Great Central naturally wanted it called "Central", a proposition the Great Northern, still smarting from the incursion into its territory made by the London Extension, would not accept. The two railway companies operated separate booking offices, the Great Central issuing tickets bearing "Nottingham Central", whilst the Great Northern's window bore the legend "Nottingham Joint St'n". The Town Clerk tried to resolve the situation by suggesting the name "Nottingham Victoria" to reflect the fact that the planned opening date coincided with Queen Victoria's birthday; this was readily accepted at a meeting of the Nottingham Joint Station Committee on 12 June.
Nottingham Victoria station was officially opened without ceremony in the early hours of 24 May 1900 - over a year after the commencement of services on the new railway line. The first service to call at the station was a Great Central express from Manchester to Marylebone which pulled in at 1.12am; it was followed fifteen minutes later by a Great Central express travelling in the opposite direction.
The main station building was in true Victorian
splendour. It was constructed in a Renaissance style using the best quality red faced bricks and Darley Dale
stone with space at the front for Hackney carriages which was covered by a canopy. It faced on to the confluence of Mansfield Road and Milton Street for some 250 feet (76.2 m).
The three-storey building was dominated by a large 100 feet (30.5 m) clock tower
topped with a cupola
and weather vane
. At the north end of the building, access could be gained to the parcels office via two large metal gates. Once inside the building on the ground floor level, one reached the large and lofty booking hall. It was over 100 feet (30.5 m) long and 66 feet (20.1 m) wide, and contained the best quality pine and a hard wearing oak floor along with a gallery on each side to gain access to spacious offices on the first floor. The booking hall contained seven ticket-issuing windows, three each for the Great Central and Great Northern, and one for excursion traffic; a clock-type train indicator served all platforms. An iron overbridge led from the booking hall and spanned the platforms, to which it was connected by four broad staircases. A small footbridge at the end provided access to the island platform
s at the south end, themselves connected to a side exit leading on to Parliament Street.
The station itself comprised two large island platforms, each between 1250 feet (381 m) and 1270 feet (387.1 m) long, with two bays at each end for local traffic giving a total of 12 platform faces. Upon each island platform were dining and tea rooms together with kitchens, sleeping facilities for staff, waiting rooms and lavatories; all these buildings were, like the rest of the station, lined with glazed tiles which were generally buff in colour and embellished with a chocolate dado
. Large 42 in 6 in (12.95 m) steel pillars held up an enormous 3-part glazed canopy measuring 450 feet (137.2 m) in length, with a centre span of 83 in 3 in (25.37 m) and a pair of flanking spans each of 63 in 9 in (19.43 m). There were additional glass roofs over the double-bay platforms, each carried on central pillars. An electrically-lit subway system, below track level and covering the breadth of the station, could be used for transporting luggage, thereby avoiding the need to carry it over the footbridges. The subway was linked to the main station by four lifts serving respectively the booking hall, cloakroom and two island platforms. The refreshment rooms had their own underground subway and lifts.
The station had passing loop
s round all platforms (for freight), two signal box
es and two turntables. The two signal boxes were positioned at the north and south ends of the station and controlled entry and exit to the tunnels that allowed entry to the complex. The traffic that passed through was very varied. It included London–Manchester
expresses, local services, cross-country services (e.g. from York
to Bristol
via Oxford
) as well as freight workings. As the station was shared with The Great Northern Railway (already well established when Victoria opened), a superb network of lines going to many destinations was available from the one station.
service between Nottingham and Rugby
. Victoria station was finally closed on 4 September 1967 and demolished (amidst much opposition) leaving only the clocktower to survive amongst the Victoria Shopping Centre and flats.
Upon the closure of the Great Central
railway and the Great Northern
line to Melton Mowbray
, Nottingham also lost smaller stations: Nottingham London Road High Level and Nottingham London Road Low Level
.
Nottingham's other mainline station, Nottingham Midland, remains in service.
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
and Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
railway station in Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was designed by the architect Albert Edward Lambert
Albert Edward Lambert
Albert Edward Lambert was an architect based in Nottingham.-Family:He was born in Manton in Rutland in 1869. He was the son of John Lambert and Louisa...
.
It was opened by the Nottingham Joint Station Committee
Nottingham Joint Station Committee
The Nottingham Joint Station Committee was incorporated by the Great Central and Great Northern Railway Act 1897 to manage the railway station which was to become Nottingham Victoria...
on 24 May 1900 and closed on 4 September 1967 by the London Midland Region of British Railways. The station building was entirely demolished (except for the clock tower) and a shopping centre has been built on the site.
Background
In 1893 the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire RailwayManchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
obtained authorisation to extend its North Midlands railway network into London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. This new line was opened on 15 March 1899 and became known as the "London Extension
Great Central Main Line
The Great Central Main Line , also known as the London Extension of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway , is a former railway line which opened in 1899 linking Sheffield with Marylebone Station in London via Nottingham and Leicester.The GCML was the last main line railway built in...
", stretching from Annesley to a new station at Marylebone
Marylebone station
Marylebone station , also known as London Marylebone, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It stands midway between the mainline stations at Euston and Paddington, about 1 mile from each...
in London. The line passed through Nottingham where a new station was to be built.
Construction and opening
The station's construction was on a grand scale: a 13 acres (52,609.2 m²) site was acquired at a cost of £473,000 (£ as of ), in the heart of Nottingham's city centre; negotiations for the acquisition of the land had taken three years. The construction called for the demolition of whole streets of some 1,300 houses, 24 public houses and St. Stephen's Church, Bunker's HillSt. Stephen's Church, Bunker's Hill
St. Stephen's Church, Bunker's Hill, also known as Trinity Free Church, was a Church of England church in Nottingham between 1859 and 1896.-History:...
, following which around 600000 cubic yards (458,732.9 m³) of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
was excavated from the site. The site measured around 650 yards (594.4 m) in length from north to south and had an average width of 110 yards (100.6 m) with a tunnel at each end of it for access.
Both the Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
and Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
shared the station
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...
(they split into two lines at Weekday Cross
Weekday Cross
Weekday Cross, in the Lacemarket area of Nottingham, was the main market area in Nottingham. As the location of the town hall, guildhall and main market, it was the centre of the town, before the market moved to the Old Market Square....
junction). The two owners failed to reach agreement on the station's name; the Great Central naturally wanted it called "Central", a proposition the Great Northern, still smarting from the incursion into its territory made by the London Extension, would not accept. The two railway companies operated separate booking offices, the Great Central issuing tickets bearing "Nottingham Central", whilst the Great Northern's window bore the legend "Nottingham Joint St'n". The Town Clerk tried to resolve the situation by suggesting the name "Nottingham Victoria" to reflect the fact that the planned opening date coincided with Queen Victoria's birthday; this was readily accepted at a meeting of the Nottingham Joint Station Committee on 12 June.
Nottingham Victoria station was officially opened without ceremony in the early hours of 24 May 1900 - over a year after the commencement of services on the new railway line. The first service to call at the station was a Great Central express from Manchester to Marylebone which pulled in at 1.12am; it was followed fifteen minutes later by a Great Central express travelling in the opposite direction.
Station building
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
splendour. It was constructed in a Renaissance style using the best quality red faced bricks and Darley Dale
Darley Dale
Darley Dale, also known simply as Darley, is a town in Derbyshire, England, with a population of around 6,000 people. It lies north of Matlock, on the River Derwent and the A6 road.- History :...
stone with space at the front for Hackney carriages which was covered by a canopy. It faced on to the confluence of Mansfield Road and Milton Street for some 250 feet (76.2 m).
The three-storey building was dominated by a large 100 feet (30.5 m) clock tower
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
topped with a cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
and weather vane
Weather vane
A weather vane is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. They are typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building....
. At the north end of the building, access could be gained to the parcels office via two large metal gates. Once inside the building on the ground floor level, one reached the large and lofty booking hall. It was over 100 feet (30.5 m) long and 66 feet (20.1 m) wide, and contained the best quality pine and a hard wearing oak floor along with a gallery on each side to gain access to spacious offices on the first floor. The booking hall contained seven ticket-issuing windows, three each for the Great Central and Great Northern, and one for excursion traffic; a clock-type train indicator served all platforms. An iron overbridge led from the booking hall and spanned the platforms, to which it was connected by four broad staircases. A small footbridge at the end provided access to the island platform
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...
s at the south end, themselves connected to a side exit leading on to Parliament Street.
Dado (architecture)
In architectural terminology, the dado, borrowed from Italian meaning die or plinth, is the lower part of a wall, below the dado rail and above the skirting board....
. Large 42 in 6 in (12.95 m) steel pillars held up an enormous 3-part glazed canopy measuring 450 feet (137.2 m) in length, with a centre span of 83 in 3 in (25.37 m) and a pair of flanking spans each of 63 in 9 in (19.43 m). There were additional glass roofs over the double-bay platforms, each carried on central pillars. An electrically-lit subway system, below track level and covering the breadth of the station, could be used for transporting luggage, thereby avoiding the need to carry it over the footbridges. The subway was linked to the main station by four lifts serving respectively the booking hall, cloakroom and two island platforms. The refreshment rooms had their own underground subway and lifts.
The station had passing loop
Passing loop
A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
s round all platforms (for freight), two 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 and two turntables. The two signal boxes were positioned at the north and south ends of the station and controlled entry and exit to the tunnels that allowed entry to the complex. The traffic that passed through was very varied. It included London–Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
expresses, local services, cross-country services (e.g. from York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
to 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...
via Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
) as well as freight workings. As the station was shared with The Great Northern Railway (already well established when Victoria opened), a superb network of lines going to many destinations was available from the one station.
Decline
During the 1960s the whole Great Central route was being run down by diverting services away from it, cutting others and slowing down expresses to very slack timetables. Locomotives and rolling stock were unreliable and old; the line did not benefit from British Rail's new diesel locomotives. As passenger numbers fell, either going by car or other lines, closure seemed inevitable. The last through service from Nottingham to London ran on 3 September 1966. All that was left was a DMUDiesel 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:...
service between Nottingham and Rugby
Rugby Central Railway Station
Rugby Central was a railway station serving Rugby in Warwickshire on the former Great Central Main Line which opened in 1899 and closed in 1969....
. Victoria station was finally closed on 4 September 1967 and demolished (amidst much opposition) leaving only the clocktower to survive amongst the Victoria Shopping Centre and flats.
Present day
The site is now occupied by the Victoria Shopping Centre and housing in the form of Victoria Flats — Nottingham's tallest building (256 feet / 72m tall). The new structure incorporates the original station's clock tower. From the bottom level of the shopping centre's car park, in the former station's deep cutting, the site of the entrance of Mansfield Road railway tunnel remains visible.Upon the closure of the Great Central
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
railway and the Great Northern
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
line to Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
, Nottingham also lost smaller stations: Nottingham London Road High Level and Nottingham London Road Low Level
Nottingham Great Northern railway station
Nottingham London Road railway station was opened by the Great Northern Railway on London Road Nottingham in 1857.-History:The station was opened in 1857 by the Great Northern Railway at the terminus of its line from Grantham, originally built by the Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston and Eastern...
.
Nottingham's other mainline station, Nottingham Midland, remains in service.