Paddington station is the grand terminus for the Great Western Railway that Isambard Kingdom Brunel always intended.

Its history reflects that of the railway throughout the 19th, 20th and into the 21st century.

Original plans abandoned

For the London terminus of the Great Western Railway (GWR), Isambard Kingdom Brunel was planning a grand building at Paddington, situated near to both the Grand Junction canal and the Regent’s canal. Instructed by the GWR to economise due to the soaring costs of building the main line, Brunel had to abandon his original plans.

A temporary station was created using the arches of Bishop’s Bridge Road as a façade and to provide passenger facilities. This station opened on 4 June 1838, along with the new line which had been constructed as far as Maidenhead.

As the main line through to Bristol was opened, and the GWR’s involvement with other companies whose railways joined with the main line increased, the temporary terminus was extended. In 1850, to accommodate the increasing traffic, the GWR agreed to the construction of a new permanent station to be designed by Brunel.

Brunel’s ‘new’ station

Brunel was deeply influenced by the design and construction of the Crystal Palace for the Great Exhibition of 1851, and this can be seen in his use of wrought iron and glass in the three-span roof at Paddington.

At the time, this was the largest train shed roof in the world with a main span (102’ 6”) and two smaller ones to the north (70’) and south (68’). These spans are crossed by two transepts, all overlooked by three oriel windows in the station building on today’s platform 1. The station decoration, including the iron tracery on the train shed screens, was provided by Matthew Digby-Wyatt, Brunel’s architect on the project.

Fox Henderson & Company, were contracted as builders for the station. The main station building, which included offices, the new boardroom for the GWR and a royal waiting room, was constructed along Eastbourne Terrace. The Great Western Hotel was built along Praed Street, and opened in conjunction with the new Paddington Station in 1854.

Expansion in the 20th century

Brunel’s station was large enough to cope with the expansion of the Great Western Railway over the next 50 years. By the early 20th century new accommodation for increasing amounts of both traffic and employees was needed. On-going works from 1904 saw the footprint of Paddington Station increase, a more defined access area known as ‘The Lawn’ was created and more office space was created by extending the Company’s offices along Eastbourne Terrace.

Major changes included the building of ‘Span 4’ between 1913 and 1916 which increased the number of platforms at the station, and today covers platforms 9 to 16. It was designed by the GWR’s engineer, W Armstrong, with architectural features to match Brunel’s original roof as closely as possible.

Further expansion of station buildings took place in the 1930s, including a striking new ‘art deco’ office block on the west side of the station, which also remodelled passenger facilities in ‘The Lawn’.

Updating for the 21st century

During the 1990s Paddington Station was extensively refurbished, with the glass in Brunel’s original roof replaced with polycarbonate glazing panels, the restoration of Digby-Wyatt’s ornamental tracing and significant improvements to The Lawn. A proposal to take down ‘Span 4’ to accommodate facilities for Crossrail was controversial.

Between 2009 and 2010 the Edwardian roof was instead restored by Network Rail and Crossrail facilities are now housed underneath Eastbourne Terrace.

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London Paddington station


A Short History of Paddington Station Next to Mercure London Paddington Hotel

Paddington Station is one of the most iconic and historic railway stations in London. It has been serving passengers and goods since 1838, and has witnessed many changes and developments over the years. In this blog post, we will explore the history of Paddington Station, from when it was built and the first underground line in London, to the latest addition of the Elizabeth line.

Paddington Station was originally a temporary terminus for the Great Western Railway (GWR), which was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel to connect London with Bristol and the West Country. The temporary station opened on 4 June 1838, along with the new line that reached as far as Maidenhead. The permanent station was built between 1851 and 1854, and featured a stunning three-span iron and glass roof that covered 13 platforms. The station building on platform 1 had three oriel windows that overlooked the train shed, and a royal waiting room for Queen Victoria.

Paddington Station was also the first station in London to be served by the London Underground, the world's first underground railway. In 1863, the Metropolitan Railway opened its line from Paddington to Farringdon Street, using steam locomotives. Later, other lines were added, such as the District Railway in 1868, the Bakerloo Railway in 1913, and the Hammersmith & City Railway in 1926. Today, Paddington Station has two separate tube stations that provide connections to the Bakerloo, Circle, District, and Hammersmith & City lines.

Paddington Station underwent several expansions and improvements in the 20th century, as traffic and population increased. In 1913-1916, a fourth span was added to cover platforms 9 to 16. In 1933-1935, a new entrance building was constructed on Praed Street. In 1968-1970, a new concourse was built on The Lawn area between platforms 8 and 9. In 1998-2000, a new terminal was opened for Heathrow Express services to Heathrow Airport.

Paddington Station is also famous for being the arrival point of Paddington Bear, a fictional character created by Michael Bond in 1958. Paddington Bear is a friendly bear from Peru who wears a blue duffle coat and a red hat. He was found at Paddington Station by the Brown family with a label around his neck that read "Please look after this bear. Thank you." Since then, he has become one of the most beloved children's characters in Britain and around the world.

Paddington Station is now ready for the future, as it is one of the main stations for the Elizabeth line, a new railway that connects east and west London. The Elizabeth line runs from Reading and Heathrow Airport in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. It offers faster and more frequent services to central London and beyond. The Elizabeth line opened in May 2022.

If you're looking for a place to stay in London near Paddington Station, you can't go wrong with Mercure London Paddington. This modern hotel offers comfortable rooms with free Wi-Fi, a fitness centre, a restaurant and bar, and a business centre. You can easily access all the attractions and events in London from this hotel, as it is next to Paddington Station and its tube connections. Plus, you can enjoy the convenience of taking the Heathrow Express train to Heathrow Airport in just 15 minutes and running every 15 minutes throughout the day.

So what are you waiting for? Book your trip to London today and experience all that this amazing city and its historic railway station have to offer.

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