UKs flagship station

[306024]

Nelson.

 

[stuu]

If you wanted somewhere to show what a modern railway should look like, then Reading would be my choice. Shiny new station, loads of (nearly all) sensible length electric trains every couple of minutes. Properly impressive. Not necessary iconic though, or particularly representative - what are the criteria

 

[pdeaves]

What do we (you, me) want in a 'flagship' station? One that looks nice? One that is good for users to move around in? One that is the perfect temperature whatever time of year? One that is really busy? I would venture that there could be many answers depending on what you want the question to be!

 

[Gloster]

Berney Arms: it is named after that traditional English ideal, a country pub.

 

[zwk500]

Berney Arms: it is named after that traditional English ideal, a country pub.

Bat & Ball - it embodies the two greatest British traditions: Country pubs, and grand plans that never happen.

 

[Iskra]

Huddersfield or Wemyss Bay, both picture perfect British stations. One even has an internationally famous cat.

 

[D6130]

Hebden Bridge....a beautifully-restored and preserved grade 2-listed late-Victorian station, with wonderfully friendly and efficient staff and a marvellous privately-run café.

 

[Rescars]

Don't let us forget Sheffield Park. Not just a lovely example of a country station, but also the home of the very first preserved standard gauge railway in the world.

 

[Iskra]

Depends on what context. I would say a London terminal but there are several for different reasons.

• London Waterloo, it's the busiest.
• London Euston, well it's the end of the West Coast Main Line.
• London Paddington, the end of the famous Great Western and famous because of Paddington Bear.
• London Kings Cross, Harry Potter and the end of the East Coast Main Line plus not to mention the Flying Scotsman.
• London St Pancras International, It's international.

Overall I would say that London Kings Cross is the best known outside of the United Kingdom.

To take a (very) loosely scientific approach- here is how those stations (plus a couple of others) rank on google reviews out of 5, with number of reviewers in brackets.

London St Pancras 4.4 (3314)
London Kings Cross 4.4 (2307)
London Paddington 4.3 (2568)
London Waterloo 4.3 (2045)
London Victoria 4.2 (2770)
London Marylebone 4.1 (504)
London Euston 4.0 (2333)

 

[BayPaul]

Faringdon? Now basically the hub of the London rail network, and impressively has services running on all 4 of the big 4's lines.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Huddersfield or Wemyss Bay, both picture perfect British stations. One even has an internationally famous cat.

That's fine praise coming from a Leodsian!

I think I was spoiled growing up in Huddersfield... when I was about 5 I thought all big stations must look like grand Corinthian monuments!

(Someone will no doubt be along to tell me it isn't Corinthian but some other Greek-inspired architectural style)

 

[birchesgreen]

Piccadilly Circus was intended to be the flagship station of the Underground. When i did the Hidden London tour the guide went on about it.

 

[Gloster]

Some years ago the Grauniad did a series on the architecturally greatest buildings in the world. Its architecture correspondent, Jonathan Glancey, chose Arnos Grove tube station.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Berney Arms: it is named after that traditional English ideal, a country pub.

Best or most important station on the UK network? Berney Arms is hardly that, is it?

 

[Strathclyder]

Huddersfield or Wemyss Bay, both picture perfect British stations. One even has an internationally famous cat.

Outside of any of the major city termini (Waverley, Glasgow Central etc) or the stations on the marginal scenic lines in Scotland, Wemyss Bay would be right at the top of most lists (architectural quality, historic significance and indeed, 'picture perfect stations'). One station that's arguably better-known than the town/village that it's named after, and for good reason.

 

[haggishunter]

Wemyss Bay.

 

[Ediswan]

Some years ago the Grauniad did a series on the architecturally greatest buildings in the world. Its architecture correspondent, Jonathan Glancey, chose Arnos Grove tube station.

I prefer Southgate. Arnos Grove looks like a pillbox. Southgate looks like a flying saucer, with antenna. Plus you can walk all the way round the building.

 

[43066]

Bat & Ball - it embodies the two greatest British traditions: Country pubs, and grand plans that never happen.

And a third (despite its proximity to genteel Sevenoaks); it’s very easy to get your head kicked in there, if you look at the locals the wrong way!

 

[BeijingDave]

St Pancreas - it was architectualy impressive to begin with, it's moreso since the refurbishment and its the gateway to the UK from abroad.

What I most like about St Pancreas (sic) is how it's named after the patron saint of stomach organs.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Nov 2022 ==

Liverpool Street - to me that has a special place because of its refurb in the 80s (when it seemed to be the flagship, appearing on the cover of the national rail timetable) and being from the North West, it was actually the second London terminus I ever visited and seemed a world apart from the moribund, depressing Euston I was familiar with.

 

[robert thomas]

Nelson.

& Llancaiach ?

 

[Bill57p9]

I would agree that the exterior of St Pancras is a flagship image. John Betjeman did us a real favour in the 60s...

I would nominate Glasgow Central as a large city terminus flagship. By saying "terminus" I am neatly excluding the low level platforms which are just grim.

 

[Basil Jet]

Southgate looks like a flying saucer, with antenna.

Tim Dunn said something similar, but the idea of aliens using saucer-shaped craft hadn't been invented when Southgate opened, so no-one could have made that association at the time.

 

[Falcon1200]

I would nominate Glasgow Central as a large city terminus flagship

Agree, and also Glasgow Queen Street as a smaller terminus (but again minus the low level.....)

 

[Purple Train]

(Someone will no doubt be along to tell me it isn't Corinthian but some other Greek-inspired architectural style)

I doubt they will, because it is Corinthian.

 

[Bald Rick]

Euston is also the Headquarters of NR, of course, so journalists will naturally pitch up thee in the hope of grabbing a couple of words.

Sort of, but very few people are based there any more (none of the top team for example).

I thought NR HQ moved to Milton Keynes ages ago.

’HQ’ has never been in MK. What is there is the central functions, ie the parts of the business that are not the Regions.


The flagship station is unquestionably St Pancras, albeit it’s not Network Rail’s!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I doubt they will, because it is Corinthian.

Shows how much I know then... all I could trust myself on was that it isn't Doric unlike the lost Euston arch!

 

[moleman212]

Is Kings Cross the only UK station to have a life size recreation in a foreign country?

Where is this by the way? Tried to Google but couldn't find the answer.

 

[martin2345uk]

Where is this by the way? Tried to Google but couldn't find the answer.

Universal Studios maybe? I was there a few weeks back and there’s a smaller scale reproduction of Kings Cross in the Harry Potter land…

 

[onlinespotting]

What about York or Crewe

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Is Kings Cross the only UK station to have a life size recreation in a foreign country?

As a pedant I have to point out it's a scaled down recreation of KX

Where is this by the way? Tried to Google but couldn't find the answer.

There was a detailed scale miniature of Kings Cross station on display at Frampton Mansell village hall in Gloucestershire a few years ago. Not sure if it's since found its way overseas since 2015. Link to web story...

Amazing model of Kings Cross Station to be exhibited for charity in Frampton Mansell

AN amazingly detailed working model of King’s Cross railway station will be displayed especially for charity at Frampton Mansell’s village hall.

www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk

Extract...

AN amazingly detailed replica model of King’s Cross railway station will be displayed especially for charity at Frampton Mansell’s village hall.

Paul and Pepita Walker, 83 and 79, who live in the village, have been perfecting the model for over a quarter of a century.