Curzon Street railway station

Curzon Street Station was a railway station in Birmingham in the 19th century and is the world's oldest surviving piece of monumental railway architecture. It acted as the terminus for both the London and Birmingham Railway and Grand Junction Railway, lines connecting Birmingham to London and to Manchester and Liverpool respectively. The two companies had adjacent, parallel platforms and no through services were provided.

The station was opened in 1838 but was inconveniently located on the eastern edge of Birmingham city centre. For this reason its use as a passenger station was short lived. When the London and North Western Railway was created in 1846 they decided to build a new joint station with the Midland Railway at New Street. When this was completed in 1854 Curzon Street fell out of passenger use. However it remained in use as a goods station until closure in 1966. The surviving entrance building, which was designed by Philip Hardwick and constructed in 1838, is relatively small. The architecture is Roman inspired, following Hardwick's trip to Italy in 1818-19. It has tall pillars running up the front of the building made out of a series of huge blocks of stone. The design mirrored the Euston Arch at the London end of the L&BR.

Current status

The Grade I listed building is not used at present. It was to become the new home for the Royal College of Organists, but that proposal floundered for lack of funds. The City Council now hope to refurbish the building, and find an alternative large organisation as a tenant. The building is hoped to be the centrepiece of the City Park and Masshouse development scheme, which is located around the site. The Parcelforce depot to the rear of the station was demolished in May 2006.

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Buildings and structures in Birmingham, England | Grade I listed buildings | Railway stations in Birmingham

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Current status

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