Railway Architecture
The railway companies were the most extensive patrons of new architecture in the nineteenth century. Many of their buildings were of a totally new kind, and others posed novel problems of construction. Style and technique united as the railways sought to combine the prestige and elegance of this new form of travel with crucial and imaginative innovations in engineering. As a result of this synthesis the railways have left a major contribution to our architectural heritage. The railway stations themselves, both big and small, provide a compendium of Victorian eclecticism-with styles ranging from Classical, Gothic, Tudorjacobean, "Wrenaissance" and Deuxiime Empire to collage of* and vernacular revival. But the glories of railway architecture do not stop at stations. Engine sheds, bridges, viaducts and the towns and villages built by the companies all show the same attention to detail, the same combination of functional and aesthetic, and often the same exuberance as their more familiar counterparts. The hotels that were built to accommodate the wealthier passengers also have their own special sumptuousness. This study of the various types of railway buildings has contributions by leading authorities in their fields. Particular attention is paid to the spoliation and destruction of buildings under the twin attacks of the reduction in the rail network and the modernization of what remains. The extent of danger is assessed and the experience of other countries is drawn upon to suggest uses for redundant buildings. An appendix of stations gives an unrivalled collection of dates, architects' names and styles. The book is illustrated with over 200 photographs, many of them specially taken. Together with the comprehensive essays they form a unique record of the British industrial architectural heritage.
Hardback with dust jacket, 190 pages, black & white photographs
Condition: Very Good
ISBN: 9780906223628
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Updated: 2 January 2025