200 Years of Railway Station Development - An Illustrated History

The railway station first appeared in Britain when the new railway companies began to carry passengers as well as the freight for which they had originally been built. From humble beginnings behind the bar in the local pub, to state of the art travel hubs, Britain’s railway stations have become a key part of society, even impacting how time is measured. As Britain’s railway network grew, so did it’s stations. Competing companies arrived in the same town and built magnificent structures to attract passengers to their lines over those of their competitors. Architectural styles were as varied as the companies who commissioned them, although all were built to provide a feeling of permanence and dynamism to the local communities they served. In this new introduction to the history of Britain’s railway stations, industrial and railway historian Dr Richard Marks examines why railway stations were built where and how they were.