Favourite UK Stations?

[Radley]

Hello all.

As I'm new here, it would be nice to hear from you on what your favourite UK stations are! A reasoning behind why is not needed, but it would be cool regardless!

For me, my favourite station is Baldock. Baldock was the most common place I had visited on the Great Northern network within the last 5-6 years, and seeing my favourite trains (Class 365s) around in operation was always enjoyable!

Wish you all a nice day (:

 

[Peregrine 4903]

London Kings Cross, it was always my favorite station but ever since it was refurbished, it legitmatley became one of the nicest places in the country. Its so beautiful, the concourse is stunning and the public square is brilliant. I frequently visit there just because its such a nice place to go out to.

 

[yorksrob]

I've always had a soft spot for Lewes - attractive architecture, quirky layout, disused platforms, nice buffet. Almost everything one could possibly want from a station.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Good shout, Lewes. Surprised it never made the cut in Simon Jenkins' 2017 book "Britain's 100 Best Railway Stations".

 

[Class800]

York - just something classically elegant about it.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I have a few candidates:
Firstly (and rather obviously) Huddersfield, a grand building with the added bonuses of two pubs and two cats!
Honourable mentions go to Surbiton, Birmingham Moor Street, Liverpool Lime Street and Aberystwyth.

 

[AJM580]

Exeter St David's - fond memories of class 50s

Norwich - home station and starting point for many a good day on the rails

 

[Purple Orange]

My favourite station... too many to pick just one.

Newcastle Central - I love the architecture of the entrance and the space within the station created by the curvature of the roof.

Glasgow Central - again the space created by the scale of the roof and the dark wood facades of the retail units.

Baker Street (subsurface platforms) - I’ve always liked the glazed brickwork and the feeling of lightwells along the platforms. I’d say there are a number of LU sub-surface stations that could fit in this category, but I’ll pick out Baker Street.

Manchester Oxford Road - I like taking in the view of the cityscape mixed with the ‘busy-ness’ of the station and movement of people.

 

[Gathursty]

Gathurst. Local place to escape and watch the world go by (and over my head - M6 viaduct)
Manchester Piccadilly. Favourite major station. Impressive looking at all the local stations on the information screen blended in with the more exotic West Wales and Norwich bound stations.
Either Starcross, Cooden Beach, Seascale, Stromeferry or Llanaber for my favourites far away from home as clearly I like to be beside water.

 

[camflyer]

London Kings Cross, it was always my favorite station but ever since it was refurbished, it legitmatley became one of the nicest places in the country. Its so beautiful, the concourse is stunning and the public square is brilliant. I frequently visit there just because its such a nice place to go out to.

Before the refurb, I always had a love-hate relationship with Kings Cross as for most of my adult life it has been my gateway to London. It was overcrowded, dirty, crime-ridden and lacking in facilities but it was either a sign that I was on my way home ro returning to The Smoke for another adventure. However, it has now become a genuinely nice place to hangout

 

[Peter C]

If we're counting heritage railways, Highley, Severn Valley Railway, is a lovely station. The fact that there is a brilliant heritage line running through such picturesque countryside at that point, combined with the Engine House, makes it such a nice place to be.

-Peter

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Talking of top heritage lines, Alresford LSWR is my favourite, right near a beautiful small town centre

 

[colchesterken]

With a tear in the eye,, Wanstead Park on Goblin, I am in exile here but my ethnic homeland is Forest Gate
In the 50s with mum and dad we would set out on day trips to Saufend It was a big adventure to me, the pier and lights 2nd only to Blackpool
The old station was made out of wood with the LNER style ticket office in one of the arches and covered staircases outside up to both platforms. gas lights of course, coming back after dark it was ghostly in semi darkness and the flickering lights
It had proper waiting rooms and toilets built out from the viaduct
when I was about 16 I was friends with only person on the station he was a couple of years older then me. I used to go there in the evenings we would sit by the fire and chat, drink tea, and go and collect tickets when a train came in, I felt like a railway worker !!
Now two metal staircases directly from the pavement no proper buildings. They say it was demolishes as it was a fire risk, it was OK for 100 yrs

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Another shout for a favourite (heritage railway) station, I'll nominate Bolton Abbey station in Yorkshire.

 

[Philip]

No mentions for London Euston yet?!

 

[BeijingDave]

As I'm new here, it would be nice to hear from you on what your favourite UK stations are! A reasoning behind why is not needed

So you signed up because you want people to basically write your newspaper/journal article for you, but don't want to explicitly say.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

No mentions for London Euston yet?!

You could be waiting some time!

 

[urbophile]

Too many to choose really, but my local Cressington must be among the favourites. Splendid Victoriana with an unusual two-level layout. It desperately needs a repaint and clean-up though. For major stations, I wish I could say St Pancras, but splendid as is the train shed (and the hotel), the subterranean shopping mall and the tacked-on bits for national trains ruin it for me.

 

[Llandudno]

York - just something classically elegant about it.

With the added bonus of a decent pub on the platform!

 

[Bletchleyite]

You could be waiting some time!

I wouldn't call it a favourite, but it's both practical (give or take the method of operation resulting in the "scrum" that they could fix tomorrow if they wanted) and has a lot of memories associated with it.

For major stations I'm probably going to go with Manchester Piccadilly, as it is architecturally impressive as well as practical and has a very good range of facilities. 13/14 mark it down a bit, but not enough to knock it off the top spot. Paddington a close second now the diesel fumes and human faeces have gone (it used to stink unpleasantly of those), but I find the concourse and facilities cack-handed in their setup. Honourable mention for Marylebone as "the gentleman's London terminus".

For local stations it'd have to be something like Dent - it's amazing having a "proper" railway in the middle of nowhere. Or Altnabreac! Honourable mention to Aughton Park for being the start of many childhood adventures. Brian the booking office clerk asking "where are you going this time?" will be missed, I think he's long since passed away.

 

[Halish Railway]

I do like London Bridge in its current guise. It’s the mix of hustle and bustle, cleanliness and the integration of modern spacious design and history (under the arches).

 

[Bletchleyite]

I do like London Bridge in its current guise. It’s the mix of hustle and bustle, cleanliness and the integration of modern spacious design and history (under the arches).

I forgot that one as I don't use it often, but it is, now it's finished, breathtakingly impressive. It reminds me (with all the wood) of Bern Hbf, and is definitely something that wouldn't look out of place in Switzerland or Germany, which from me is certainly an accolade. Reading would also pass as a European Hbf, but they are letting it get mucky already, and the ugly wart on the side that is the old concourse really needs knocking down and rebuilding in the style of the rest of it.

 

[RyanOPlasty]

Tynemouth, on the Tyne and Wear Metro. Track wise it is but a shadow of its former self, but the restoration is spectacular.

 

[Llandudno]

I wouldn't call it a favourite, but it's both practical (give or take the method of operation resulting in the "scrum" that they could fix tomorrow if they wanted) and has a lot of memories associated with it.

For major stations I'm probably going to go with Manchester Piccadilly, as it is architecturally impressive as well as practical and has a very good range of facilities. 13/14 mark it down a bit, but not enough to knock it off the top spot. Paddington a close second now the diesel fumes and human faeces have gone (it used to stink unpleasantly of those), but I find the concourse and facilities cack-handed in their setup. Honourable mention for Marylebone as "the gentleman's London terminus".

For local stations it'd have to be something like Dent - it's amazing having a "proper" railway in the middle of nowhere. Or Altnabreac! Honourable mention to Aughton Park for being the start of many childhood adventures. Brian the booking office clerk asking "where are you going this time?" will be missed, I think he's long since passed away.

I think platforms 13 and 14 knock Piccadilly down quite a lot, they are an embarrassment to the City of Manchester, shame as most of the facilities in the main concourse are excellent, especially the Sainsbury’s store. I wish the not so micropub on the station approach was a bit smarter in appearance and sold beer for less than £4 a pint!

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think platforms 13 and 14 knock Piccadilly down quite a lot, they are an embarrassment to the City of Manchester, shame as most of the facilities in the main concourse are excellent, especially the Sainsbury’s store. I wish the not so micropub on the station approach was a bit smarter in appearance and sold beer for less than £4 a pint!

They're rubbish, but I would still rather use them than the horrid, oppressive, barren-of-facilities[1] mess that is Victoria, a truly nasty station.

[1] Bristol Temple Meads would have featured, but it lacks a proper concourse which marks it down heavily for such a major station, just a few food places in the manky subway. Preston similar.

 

[Llandudno]

They're rubbish, but I would still rather use them than the horrid, oppressive, barren-of-facilities[1] mess that is Victoria, a truly nasty station.

[1] Bristol Temple Meads would have featured, but it lacks a proper concourse which marks it down heavily for such a major station, just a few food places in the manky subway. Preston similar.

Agree, Victoria is awful, don’t use it very often plus you run the risk of getting run over by the Trams!

Handy for the Printworks and the fantastic Mackie Mayor pub/food court/wine bar etc!

 

[camflyer]

They're rubbish, but I would still rather use them than the horrid, oppressive, barren-of-facilities[1] mess that is Victoria, a truly nasty station.

[1] Bristol Temple Meads would have featured, but it lacks a proper concourse which marks it down heavily for such a major station, just a few food places in the manky subway. Preston similar.

Always had soft spot for Temple Meads after living in the city for 5 years but it really is let down in terms of facilities and connectivity to the rest of the city compared to other mainline stations. Given the amount of redeveloped planned around the station, including the new university campus, an expansion of the station will be urgently needed.

 

[NoMorePacers]

I find Sunderland has an odd appeal to it personally (don't ask why).

 

[Peter0124]

My favourite stations are Preston, Stoke on Trent, London Euston, St Pancras Thameslink platforms because of the loud curve and of course my local which is Newton (Lanarkshire).

 

[Bletchleyite]

Always had soft spot for Temple Meads after living in the city for 5 years but it really is let down in terms of facilities and connectivity to the rest of the city compared to other mainline stations. Given the amount of redeveloped planned around the station, including the new university campus, an expansion of the station will be urgently needed.

The part of the old trainshed presently used for parking (plus a barely-used short bay platform) would seem an ideal site for a new "proper" concourse to me.