Saint Pancras Station (London, England) : Frontal view of a single bay of the east wall, depicting an entry

Creator:

Barlow, William Henry, 1812-1902
Scott, George Gilbert, I, 1811-1878

Published/Created:

London, England, United Kingdom
1863-1876 ; ca. 2000-2005 (restoration)

Date Depicted:

5/1/1997
1850 AD - 1899 AD

Materials:

brick
glass
iron

Notes:

At the London end of the route Barlow designed the overall layout and the train-shed of the Midland terminus at St Pancras (1863-1868), one of the most important stations of its kind in the world. From an engineering aspect the most spectacular feature of St Pancras Station is the 75 m wide train-shed roof, consisting of 24 principal wrought-iron ribs, which span the station with no ties above platform level. As an arched roof this was not surpassed in size until the 1890s. Barlow described the necessity for a single arch as the natural outcome of the peculiarities of the site, but his design was probably just as much the result of a quest for structural innovation for its own sake. Whereas other arched roofs generally had a high-level tie or a crescent truss, Barlow devised the ingenious solution of tying the St Pancras ribs with girders that run beneath the platforms forming the roof structure of the basement. Because the ribs are secured at low level the side walls of the station have only a secondary function of supporting the intermediate ribs and the wind ties. As Barlow's roof neared completion work started on the hotel that fronts the station (1866-1876), designed by George Gilbert Scott I. Many critics have referred to the contrast between the forthright functionalism of the train-shed and the secular Gothic fantasy of the hotel as a clear illustration of the indecisiveness of Victorian architecture; however, in the late 20th century the view of Barlow's contemporaries that the different parts combine well together was again emphasized.

Variant Titles:

St. Pancras Station

Topics:

Architecture -- Britain -- 19th century -- (YVRC)

Period/Style:

Gothic Revival
Victorian

Culture:

British

Accession Number:

1A2-E-L-SP-C4

Genre:

architecture (AAT)
transportation buildings: railroad stations (AAT)

Format:

Image

Content Type:

Sculptures, Models, & Architecture

Rights:

Copyright Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc
The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement.

Access Restrictions:

Yale Community Only

Digital:

architectural exteriors; Transportation construction buildings; hotels (public accommodations); buildings; transportation buildings; railway buildings; railroad stations window; arch: pointed

Source Creator:

Gilchrist, Scott

Source Title:

Archivision Module Two

Source Created:

2878 Chamonix, Montreal QC
Archivision, Inc.
5/1/1997

Source Note:

Purchase, Visual Resources Collection, May, 2011; photographer Scott Gilchrist

Yale Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Digital Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Local Record Number:

4152

OID:

10167290

PID:

digcoll:1826845