TRIVIA: Nice stations in grotty towns!

[8J]

I'd nominate Preston. Quite like the station design personally (although a bit on the tatty side now) but Preston itself is a hell hole!

 

[Spankthemonkey]

Newport's canopies used to stand out as a rare aesthetically pleasing visual in a town (sorry, city) that is far from beautiful. Then that metal monstrosity appeared and the station just falls in line with the rest of the town now - tacky and ugly.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Huddersfield would get my own vote.

Ha! I suppose starting this thread I was asking for that! To be fair, walking down John William Street after dusk can be a bit daunting... until you compare it with Vicar Lane in Leeds, that is!

 

[topydre]

Gravesend (very historic station in a town that featured in "Crap Towns")

Wolverhampton - it's a running joke with my friends from there that the only nice bit of the town is the station

 

[davetheguard]

Crediton.

Attractive station building & signal box. Painted in a (I think) LSWR period livery, tearoom. Old style running in boards.

 

[6Gman]

I'd nominate Preston. Quite like the station design personally (although a bit on the tatty side now) but Preston itself is a hell hole!

Eh?

Decent shopping (I'm told - not my sort of thing)
Excellent Museum and Art Gallery
Nice parks within walking distance of station and city centre
Iconic bus station

 

[lejog]

Burnley Manchester Road is quite pleasant nowadays.

Nelson station/ Nelson Interchange is of some interest.

 

[D6975]

Middlesbrough.
A nice buffet.
An old tile map on the North side platform.
A bit of nicely restored woodwork.

 

[tbtc]

How is Darlington not top of the list?

I'm not a fan of Barnsley station. The architecture's a bit 'Brookside Close' for my taste

Agreed.

It's not *ugly*, it's just... there - I'd struggle to put it in a list of "top hundred" or "bottom hundred" stations - it's just a bland brick structure. Maybe that's what BR would be dishing out left right and centre if their 1960s "redevelopments" had continued?

The functional train station contrasts quite with the CBeebies architecture of the adjacent bus station though

Take a ride on the 88 and you'll take back what you say!

Past the Botanics towards Endcliffe Park and Bents Green? A lovely ride on a coach seated E400

Sheffield has changed a lot. My first experiences were as a ragged @r$€ student 15 years ago even then you entered a run down station came out to a very busy 4 lane road with fenced off subways and were surrounded by empty building on one side (sheaf house) the squalid Hallam SU building (NMB) in the other and behind you is the Beirut of the north in Norfolk Park estate.

Norfolk Park is a mile away from the station.

Did you mean the Grade II listed Stirling Prize short-listed Park Hill?

I'd nominate Preston. Quite like the station design personally (although a bit on the tatty side now) but Preston itself is a hell hole!

Preston Station is fantastic - it's always felt a bit "ECML" to me - feels like it's got more in common with grand stations like York/ Darlington/ Newcastle than with the "1960s" stations on the WCML.

Iconic bus station

That's one word for it!

 

[Altfish]

Kings Cross

 

[northwichcat]

Huddersfield would get my own vote.

Huddersfield station was once described as a stately home with trains running through it. I don't think the town can be described as a stately home with cars running through it but if you think Huddersfield is a grotty town there's obviously hundreds of real grotty towns you've not heard of.

Iconic bus station

I think a lot of people would describe Preston bus station as an eyesore. It took 13 years for the bus station to get listed status - for a real iconic building it would have been granted listed status on the first application.

 

[DarloRich]

Darlington.

How is Darlington not top of the list?

WOAH. WOAH. WOAH. Get back on the bus!

I am not having this. I assume you have never visited. It suffers, as do many North East towns, from having the traditional industries taken away and very little provided in return. What is left is a declining post industrial town with large areas of terraced housing near the station and railway line but a fairly affluent area at the other end of town.

There is a triangle formed by the A167, Carmel Road and Woodlands road. In that area is a much more upmarket, expensive and exclusive area. The rest of the town is basically factory workers terraced housing or 70's onwards new builds.

The railway line sits in a corridor of former industrial land that once housed all of the associated trades needed to keep two railway works and an international bridge manufacturers in business.

Passing by train gives a poor image of the town.

 

[Welshman]

Rhyl isn't a bad station.

And anyone making the effort to venture to the promenade and walk down the front to the newly-refurbished harbour, noting all the improvements on the way, would realise it's not a bad town, either.

 

[yorksrob]

How is Darlington not top of the list?



Agreed.

It's not *ugly*, it's just... there - I'd struggle to put it in a list of "top hundred" or "bottom hundred" stations - it's just a bland brick structure. Maybe that's what BR would be dishing out left right and centre if their 1960s "redevelopments" had continued?!

Maybe, although I have to say, I still find Coventry and the concourse at Euston quite stylish in their way.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'd nominate Preston. Quite like the station design personally (although a bit on the tatty side now) but Preston itself is a hell hole!

Is it? I think Preston is pleasant enough for a small to medium-sized city. I agree the station is pleasant, though.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Maybe, although I have to say, I still find Coventry and the concourse at Euston quite stylish in their way.

Euston is very functional (except the scrum, but that's an operational issue which could be ended with no changes whatsoever to the building) - it's warm on cold days, cool on warm days, and has a wide open airy Great Hall. The outside is a bit ugly and 1960s, but that has been improved and could be improved further. The facilities are good.

Coventry I suppose is a mini-Euston.

The main thing needing fixed about Euston is the bogs, which need improved ventilation.

 

[AndrewP]

WOAH. WOAH. WOAH. Get back on the bus!

I am not having this. I assume you have never visited. It suffers, as do many North East towns, from having the traditional industries taken away and very little provided in return.

What is left is a declining post industrial town with large areas of terraced housing near the station and railway line but a fairly affluent area at the other end of town.

There is a triangle formed by the A167, Carmel Road and Woodlands road. In that area is a much more upmarket, expensive and exclusive area. The rest of the town is basically factory workers terraced housing or 70's onwards new builds.

The railway line sits in a corridor of former industrial land that once housed all of the associated trades needed to keep two railway works and an international bridge manufacturers in business.

Passing by train gives a poor image of the town.

Until recently I had not been to Darlington for many years but when I was last there about a year ago it was much improved and had a nice feel to it and seemed to be on the up - still no Durham City though!

 

[backontrack]

Maybe, although I have to say, I still find Coventry and the concourse at Euston quite stylish in their way.

*faints*

 

[RichJF]

Ebbsfleet International - I agree it has no sense of old-world & heritage, but it's a glorious example of modern architecture & grandeur!

Gravensed & Swanscombe aren't the most pleasant of areas nearby.

 

[FenMan]

No votes for Kettering yet?

And, despite my name, I reluctantly have to nominate King's Lynn.

 

[misterredmist]

Passing by train gives a poor image of the town.

Yes it does, like many of our 'post industrial' town/city scapes I suppose.

Thanks for the explanation, as I have often been through Darlington on the ECML and only ever alighted once to get a train to Bish Auckland to collect some driving points and a fine...... Good to know that there's a nicer side of the place.

 

[DarloRich]

Yes it does, like many of our 'post industrial' town/city scapes I suppose.

Thanks for the explanation, as I have often been through Darlington on the ECML and only ever alighted once to get a train to Bish Auckland to collect some driving points and a fine...... Good to know that there's a nicer side of the place.

don't get me wrong it isn't somewhere like Harrogate and god knows some of it is rough but it is far from the worst town in the area!

The two railway corridors really need work doing to them.

 

[yorksrob]

don't get me wrong it isn't somewhere like Harrogate and god knows some of it is rough but it is far from the worst town in the area!

The two railway corridors really need work doing to them.

But Bank Top station is IMO beautiful.

 

[DarloRich]

But Bank Top station is IMO beautiful.

it is a superb station The area around it is not the most salubrious but it isn't bad.

 

[bramling]

Yes it does, like many of our 'post industrial' town/city scapes I suppose.

Thanks for the explanation, as I have often been through Darlington on the ECML and only ever alighted once to get a train to Bish Auckland to collect some driving points and a fine...... Good to know that there's a nicer side of the place.

I wouldn't say Darlington is too bad (from the opinion of someone who's twice been on holiday there!). The centre is okay, and certainly retains some attractive buildings and a sense of history. In the suburbs there's at least some affluent housing. It also has a big advantage that one doesn't have to travel far before reaching some beautiful countryside (especially heading westwards). Like with many places, my impression is the tone is lowered a little by a higher-than-average presence of Jeremy Kyle type families, also quite a few overgrown kids hanging around the town centre / parks etc -- but all in all I'd say the atmosphere isn't too bad at all.

And agree with the sentiments about Darlington Bank Top station - superb -- and I'd rate the North Road station museum pretty highly too.

 

[Segedunum]

WOAH. WOAH. WOAH. Get back on the bus!

I am not having this. I assume you have never visited. It suffers, as do many North East towns, from having the traditional industries taken away and very little provided in return. What is left is a declining post industrial town with large areas of terraced housing near the station and railway line but a fairly affluent area at the other end of town.

There is a triangle formed by the A167, Carmel Road and Woodlands road. In that area is a much more upmarket, expensive and exclusive area. The rest of the town is basically factory workers terraced housing or 70's onwards new builds.

The railway line sits in a corridor of former industrial land that once housed all of the associated trades needed to keep two railway works and an international bridge manufacturers in business.

Passing by train gives a poor image of the town.

Having been into Darlington itself many times, I must say that I'm not a fan of the area outside the station and that it does give a decidedly bad impression. The town itself is perfectly fine.

Newton Aycliffe just down the line is a fair bit more grim.

 

[QueensCurve]

As a companion to DarloRich's thread about stations which let their location down, how about the opposite: stations which write cheques that the location can't cash?

I'll start off with:
Dewsbury
Bridgwater
Barnsley

I would like to nominate Crewe.

 

[47271]

Sunderland station is quite smart below street level. I'm not saying any more.

 

[cactustwirly]

Crystal Palace (not exactly a town, but it is in Croydon) and Slough

 

[mrcheek]

Glasgow Central.

Spacious, airy, lovely architecture, the approach across the river.

Yet I cant stand having to be outside of it, I detest the centre of Glasgow

 

[Howardh]

Antwerpen Centraal.