A short blog entry (may be back later) to bring excellent news sent today by a citizen of the Republic
that work is actually happening at last to restore Span Four at Paddington Station, threatened with demolition by Network Rail and SAVED as a result of a long and hard fought campaign spearheaded by SAVE Britain's Heritage http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/ .
The campaign included submissions to a Commons Select Committee, an appearance on Radio Four's Front Row by SAVE's then Secretary Adam Wilkinson:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/frontrow/frontrow_20030730.shtml (scroll to bottom of page to listen)
a publication by SAVE:
a mass postcard campaign and letter writing by rail enthusiasts the world over, spurred on by news in rail magazines, heritage railway societies' journals, and aided by several booksellers of transport books.
Network Rail hoped that it could have this demolished and replaced by something nasty with a huge office development on top. CABE even thought it a good plan.
From the SAVE archives:
and victory:
2009:
Paul Futter, Network Rail's senior project manager, said: "Paddington station is one of Network Rail's most beautiful. Restoring the fourth span and opening it up to the light will make it even better for our passengers."
Rather a contrast to what Network Rail had to say about it when it wished to demolish - something along the lines of draughty old fashioned trainsheds...
Some you win...
Nem
PS see comments, live links:
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4 comments:
Nem - am I right in thinking that St Pancras station was also in line for the chop before it was earmarked as the Eurostar terminal? That would have been tragic indeed.
Yes, in the sixties it was certainly under threat. Sadly we then lost Euston and the arch too. I'll put some live links at the end of my blog.
And now Waterloo is under threat, to be 'redeveloped' into something unpleasant. See SAVE website. The redevelopment has been granted permission according to the latest Architect's Journal.
What excellent news!
It certainly is - much jubilation!
It really will be good to get that awful crash deck down and have it all revealed again. It's been too grim for too long.
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