2019

SP0786 : HS2 Curzon Street station site, Eastside, Birmingham

taken 5 years ago, near to Birmingham, England

HS2 Curzon Street station site, Eastside, Birmingham
HS2 Curzon Street station site, Eastside, Birmingham
The groundworks phase of construction is in progress. Albert Street and the southwest length of Park Street form the boundary here: see SP0786 : HS2 Curzon Street station site, Eastside, Birmingham. In the centre of the photo trains in and out of New Street are crossing the bridges over New Canal Street and Fazeley Street SP0786 : HS2 site, Eastside, Birmingham – closed section of Fazeley Street. The brick building left of centre is a closed pub, the Eagle & Tun, and a shop or off-licence next door on New Canal Street, believed to be the subject of compulsory purchase orders. The white gates are a site entrance, viewpoint for SP0787 : Stacks, HS2 Curzon Street station site, Eastside, Birmingham. The feature at lower left is the parapet of a steep flight of steps up to Masshouse Plaza, the viewpoint, looking southeast. It is seen from the street in Rudi Winter's SP0787 : Apartment buildings, Park Street, Birmingham.
HS2 in and around Birmingham

HS2 is the second high-speed rail line in Great Britain, between London and Birmingham and beyond. In 2019 the site of the Birmingham terminus, Curzon Street Station, has been fenced and works have begun.

The huge Curzon Street site, long-vacant, has been home to railway stations before. In the 1830s railway companies had built lines from Liverpool, Derby and Gloucester into Birmingham, each with its own terminus. Not until 1838 did the London and Birmingham Railway open Curzon Street station to receive its trains from Euston. It soon became an interchange station although disadvantaged by its distance from the heart of the town. In the 1840s new companies competed to introduce new routes, particularly north-south and northeast-southwest services via Birmingham.

"A significant proportion of Birmingham's railway network dates from this time. With this certainty came two realisations: first, that a good and convenient railway system was the key to prosperity, and second, that Birmingham deserved something far better than having its stations tucked away on the periphery. A bold plan was therefore evolved [by the newly-formed London and North Western Railway Company (L&NWR) supported by the town's Street Commissioners] to create a 'grand central station'". They and the other companies extended and connected their lines into the new station which opened in 1854 as Birmingham New Street. It was an immediate success as services were diverted to it; Curzon Street closed to regular passenger trains within a month but its goods yard developed massively in subsequent years.

to be continued

Further reading: Richard Foster. Birmingham New Street, the story of a great station including Curzon Street (4 volumes). 1: Background and Beginnings, the years up to 1860. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications, 1990. ISBN 0 906867 78 9


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Robin Stott and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Lowlands City, Town centre Railways Construction, Development Place: Birmingham Area: Eastside Postcode District: B5 other tags: Groundworks Construction Site HS2 Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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Grid Square
SP0786, 1812 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Robin Stott   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Saturday, 24 August, 2019   (more nearby)
Submitted
Sunday, 25 August, 2019
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SP 0766 8698 [10m precision]
WGS84: 52:28.8415N 1:53.3184W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SP 0760 8705
View Direction
Southeast (about 135 degrees)
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Image Type (about): cross grid 
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