The older platforms at Harrow and Wealdstone station in west London are to be restored after Network Rail applied for planning permission to enable the works to be carried out.
South entrance to the station – source: Network Rail planning docs
The station opened in 1837 as a mainline railway station in a fairly rural area, but as the area urbanised, in 1912, the station was enlarged and a second entrance opened on the north side next to the newly built main road outside. A few years later in 1917, the Bakerloo line was extended up to the station.
The repairs that Network Rail wants to carry out apply to the southern side, which is the oldest part of the station still standing.
The station is showing signs of decay, with the wooden pitched roof over the platforms in need of work and the cast-iron uprights that support it also starting to break up in places.
Sample of the damaged areas – source: Network Rail planning docs
Network Rail says that it would normally repair the damaged parts, but the state they are in now means that it is applying for permission to replace them entirely with replicas that will be installed and painted to match the originals.
They’ve also identified potential wet rot within the canopy structure, meaning that the repairs will be more extensive than they had originally expected when the first surveys were carried out. To prevent future damage, the drainage will be upgraded, and there will also be replacement glazing installed which is designed to be easier to keep clean.
The platform buildings will also be cleaned and repaired, with an aim to enable them to come back into some sort of use in the future.
The planning application is now with Harrow Council for approval.
My old stamping ground – I grew up near here. The South (“Harrow”) side entrance building dates back to 1875 when the lines out of Euston were widened from two to four tracks. When the DC (electric) lines were added in 1912 the existing lines were slewed and the 1875 building was retained, with the rest of the station being rebuilt to the designs of Gerald Horsley and a new North (“Wealdstone”) side entrance added. The rebuilt station incorporated a seventh platform for the Stanmore Branch which had opened in 1890 – this closed in 1963 but the platform and trackbed is still in situ. The Bridge was realigned to accommodate the expanded station which is why the road veers to the left when exiting Wealdstone High Street.
It will be really good to see this properly restored.
For Network Rail’s L2c project at Wellingborough, Amey found a specialist to cast some replacement canopy parts. Amey was the contractor.
Look very carefully at the footbridge across the tracks ….
Over the DC/Underground lines, & across the slow & abandoned Stanmore lines, it’s riveted, but over the main lines – it’s of welded construction.
Because that centre section was wrecked – breached from below, by the awful Harrow crash of 1952.
I used to walk across it every day, when I worked in that a area.