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The Great Western Railway: Paddington-Bristol (selected parts)

	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Europe and North America)
Date of Submission:	21/06/1999
Criteria:	(i)(ii)(iv)(vi)
Category:	Cultural
Submited by:	Dep. For Culture, Media and Sport Buildings, Monuments and Sites
Coordinates:	Long. 1°07'85" W / Lat. 51°30'91" N London - Bristol, England
Ref.:	1319

Description

The Great Western Railway between London and Bristol was authorised by Parliament in 1835, and was opened in stages from both ends from 1 8s8 onwards. The detail of its construction was entirely the conception of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and was to be, in his own words, 'the finest work in the kingdom'. It was opened throughout in 1841 with the completion of Box Tunnel, the greatest engineering feat of early railway construction. Built to Brunelts broad gauge of seven foot, its engineering works achieved a grandeur at that time unmatched elsewhere in the country and, as they were suited to high speed running, most of these structures have survived and are in daily use. The Great Western Railway is represented by its magnificent termini at Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads, by the portals of Box and Middle Hill Tunnels, by the river bridges over the Avon in its western section and over the Thames at Maidenhead, by the Swindon Railway Works and Village, by the cutting at Sydney Gardens, Bath and by the viaduct at Hanwell. The survival of these, and many other lesser structures such as the station at Bath, combine to make the Great Western Railway the most complete railway of its date in the world. Regarded among other important early UK railways, including the Stockton and Darlington Railway, Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the London and Birmingham Railway, as best representing the primary phase of world railway development, the Great Western is the best preserved of this group. The structures and buildings along the line were designed to reflect the character and geology of the areas through which the line passed and, at the western end of the line, introduce the theme of the approaching city. Thus from Chippenham to Bath the architecture of the tunnel portals, viaducts and bridges is grandly classical in keeping with Bath's Georgian image, while to the west of the city the detail becomes gothicised reflecting Bristolts historic role as England's second city. The first element of the proposed World Heritage Site is the complex of first generation buildings at Brunel's Grade 1 Listed Temple Meads Station. The offices and boardroom at Temple Meads are currently being converted into a museum, the engine shed has been turned into The Exploratory, while the train shed is exhibition space. The 1865 front block of the later station is the main reception area for the present mainline station. The original line then sweeps north over the Floating Harbour, and then east on an embankment over the Feeder canal to the River Avon which it crosses by a masonry Gothic arched bridge (Grade I Listed) where the first element concludes. The proposed Site recommences at Bath. It enters the World Heritage city of Bath via the turreted Twerton Tunnels and a long viaduct with infilled arches. These arches, whose facades are dignified by drip moulds over the window and door openings, were originally let as dwellings in order to recoup some of the engineering expenses of this section of line. The railway approaches the station by a battlemented masonry viaduct which crosses the Avon at a very oblique angle, the original wooden spans having been replaced in brick. Bath Spa Station has lost its roof over the track and has been extended, but the handsome central section of its Jacobean facade is as designed by Brunel. The line then recrosses the Avon with a fine classically detailed three arched masonry bridge with a central 88 feet span before proceeding to Bathwick on a masonry viaduct. The section of line to the east of Bathwick Hill through Sydney Gardens, with its swept retaining walls and cast iron and masonry bridges, is perhaps the most graceful railway townscape in the country. The proposed Site closes beyond the Warminster road bridge. The next section comprises the portals of the two tunnels at Box where the refined classical portals of the short Middle Hill Tunnel complement the massive western portal of the 3195 yard long Box Tunnel. East of Box Tunnel the railway passes tErough Chippenham on a long embankment, pierced by an underbridge accommodating the former Great Western Turnpike, leading to the town itself where a impressive viaduct straddles the town centre. The station at Chippenham retains much of its original appearance and there is a handsome masonry outbuilding which, reputedly, was the engineering works offce for this section of line. At Rodbourne Road in Swindon, the proposed Site recommences and broadens to encompass the historic core of the former Railway Works and Village. Many of the industrial buildings of the Works date in part to Brunelts involvement with the Site and have been or are currently being restored for retail, heritage and office uses. The original office building with its later additions now houses the National Monuments Record Centre, Brunelts 1846 Fitting Shop is being converted into a railway heritage centre, while ranges of his wagon shops are incorporated in the Great Western Designer Outlet Centre. The Village was designed by Brunel and largely completed by 1850. In addition to the rehabilitated terraces of masonry cottages which contain a variety of dwelling layouts, it has shops, public houses, a church and rectory, a park, a barrachs block for single men (converted to a chapel and then a museum), a Drill Hall (converted to a cottage hospital and now a community centre) and an impressive Mechanics Institute. It is without doubt the finest surviving example in the country of a planned railway town. The proposed Site ceases at the station which, although a sorry remnant of its former glory, is a very historically important site in relation to the railway and the development of Swindon. East of Swindon the gradient of the line becomes very gentle and there are fewer engineering structures other than bridges, with those over the Thames at Basildon and Goring being particularly fine. The small complex at Didcot has Listed structures and at Steventon a surprisingly grand house was built as a temporary terminus and for a short time housed the GWR boardroom. The core of the station at Reading is also of note, while Sonning cutting to the east of Reading was one of the major engineering works on the eastern half of the line and though comprised by recent development retains much of its original aspect. The proposed Site restarts to encompass a single structure - the magnificent bridge over the Thames at Maidenhead. Opened in 1838 the twin elliptical central arches of 130ft span were the flattest brick arches built in the country up to that date. The proposed Site recommences where the line is carried over the valley at Hanwell by the impressive Wharncliffe Viaduct which is on the section of line opened in 1838. Built in brick by Messrs Grissel and Peto in a vaguely Egyptian style, the viaduct is soo feet long with eight arches of 70ft span and carries the amorial bearings of Lord Wharncliffe in the centre of the southern elevation. The Viaduct was originally 30ft between parapets but was widened in the late 19th century in like style. East of the Viaduct the proposed Site terminates as the original line becomes lost in the multiplicity of lines carrying suburban as well as mainline traffic. It re-emerges at Paddington Station with its superb trainshed roof designed by Brunel, with architectural embellishment by Sir Digby Wyatt, and the railway hotel and offices. This comprises the final element of the proposal. Boundaries The proposed Site comprises seven outstanding individual elements and is restricted to the line of the original GWR railway and the structures associated with I K Brunel; it does not include present day track and operational infrastructure. The first element commences in the west with Temple Meads Station including Brunel's Company Offices, Boardroom, Trainshed on the northwestern side of the present station forecourt, and his Bristol and Exeter Offices on the opposite side of the forecourt. It then follows the line of original bridges over the Floating Harbour, the Feeder and the River Avon. The second element is within Bath (Twerton Tunnel and Viaduct and Bath Station, St James Bridge, Sydney Gardens), and the third is at Box (Middle Hill and Box Tunnels). The fourth is within Swindon where it broadens out to include, to the north, the Railway Works bounded by Rodbourne Road, Kemble Drive and the Gloucester railway line, and to the south the area of Railway Village bounded by Rodbourne Road, Faringdon Road and East Street and along the line to the station. East of Swindon, the fifth element of the Site is the bridge over the River Thames at Maidenhead and the sixth is the Wharncliffe Viaduct at Hanwell. The final element is Paddington Station itself.