Paddington Station

LDNiCON

LDNiCON is about celebrating Londons architectural endevours and uncovering the quirky, sometimes seemingly bland, components of the city. We are not focused on headline city architecture, rather, second course servings of London’s buildings and the spaces between them. These components represent the mass of the city and contribute more to the spatial experience than well-recognised buildings in London - the experience that most Londoners live through in their day-to-day existence. This is what we are most interested in.

Each month we will share our findings; experiences and ideas of what we think make architectural icons in the city of London.

Paddington Station

Location : The station is bounded by Praed Street, Bishops Bridge Road, Eastbourne Terrace and the Grand Union Canal.
Built : 1854
Architect : Isambard Kingdom Brunel with Matthew Dibgy Wyatt

What's hot :The ornate central roof spans holding the English weather at bay.
What's not : The grime that has built up over the years and anti-pigeon contraptions.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel ignited the design minds of Britain during the18th Century through his grand engineering achievements. He pioneered the development of the first railway network in the UK, built the first tunnels under the Thames River and spanned cliff faces with delicately detailed wrought iron bridges. An important figure in British engineering and design history, the results of his innovations and steely engineering veracity, fondly mark the British landscape.

An important facet of the city of London is its mixture of Victorian architectural legacy with the steel and glass materiality of modern architecture. Paddington Station is quite a good example of this but perhaps not the best. Unattractive and oddly placed plastic clad kiosks in the station concourse break up the circulation area but create good back rests for waiting passengers. The steel and glass box extension at the south end of the station has great functional value but lacks any of the romance you would see in an articulated Victorian structural beam.

The London Tube is another quite good example of this mixture, but again, not the best. It is archaic and fumbles around to deal with modern lighting and safety requirements of public space - but this awkward mixture of old and new makes for the London experience.

Paddington Station offers the London experience when you arrive under its grand spanning roof. Stepping off your diesel train and gliding over the French limestone station floor, you can leave the station concourse through the steel and glass box, picking up a Krispy Kreme doughnut on the way before exiting the station -probably not paying attention to the expanse and intricate detail of the iron above your head - like most Londoners, mildly oblivious to the engineering history protecting you from the rain and English weather.

It would be interesting to see what the average 26 million travellers each year who use the station think of the three wrought iron arches respectively spanning 20.7 meters, 31.2 meter and 21.3 meters. Would they be interested in Sir Matthew Digby Wyatts detailing of the beams and structure?

Paddington Bear would have been interested. The children’s book character Named after the station, came from “deepest, darkest Peru” and began his journey from Paddington Station.

The roof protects the main platforms, main concourse and circulation areas. Supported on steel columns, the three spans support the profiled metal sheeting roof and polycarbonate glazing. Historically the roof comprised of corrugated iron and heavy glass but weight constraints necessitated their removal.

Platform 1 is enclosed by a wall, which for about hundred years was hidden from view behind shops and advertising material. It is has now been restored and prominently portrays Matthew Digby Wyatt’s decorative contribution to the station. The Clock Arch which was installed in 1903 was mechanical driven until electricity took over its operation in 1929 and was controlled by the station master office.

When you are at Paddington Station, you feel like you are in London. Being a slightly panicked passenger under the impressive and ornate item of historic design is exciting. It is a central transportation hub for London. It serves as one of the gateways into the city, an example old and new materiality and typifies another London icon, which is probably overlooked by many of its busy residents.