4122

 

II  

Designated  

02/08/1988  

02/08/1988  

Railway Station Original Building  

 

Gwynedd  

Bangor  

 

 

257582  

371630  

 

Elevated at the western side of the city.  

Transport  

 

The Chester to Holyhead railway was proposed to improve links between London and Dublin. The bill was passed in July 1844 with Robert Stephenson as engineer and Francis Thompson of Derby as architect. Bangor was the main station between Chester and Holyhead and architecturally is one of the best. The line was opened this far on 1 May 1848; it was the terminus until March 1850 when the Britannia Bridge was opened to cross the Menai Straits. Expansion began in 1852, taken over by the LNWR Company in 1859 and in 1881 the Belmont Tunnel was shortened by 135 yds. Additional station buildings were added in 1927.  

The main station building is on the ‘up’ platform and of Italianate classical style. 2-storey, 11-window brick structure; scribed rendered 1st floor to platform side and channelled stone faced ground floor with quoins. Hipped slate roof with wide bracket eaves, brick chimney stacks (2 of which retain their eaves. Early photographs show porches with ball finials to either end; these were then enlarged to carry the overall canopies with cast iron brackets. The canopies today are later replacements, that to the road side slightly narrows at E end, and the end pavilions have been subsequently extended. Sash windows with marginal glazing bars and cornices are linked by a lintel band; central windows are blocked. Ground floor formerly had round arched openings (see ca 1855 view), now with sash windows as above and half-glazed double doors; 1 splayed bay to platform side and cut through passage at W end. Chester and Holyhead Railway monograms in round tablets at irregular intervals, 4 to each side. Tripartite window to E end wit outside stairs. Lower hipped roof 4-window range adjoins at W with similar detail and later blue-brick extension. Original name-board on platform side with lettering picked out in red and white. The canopy continues for a further 2 bays but the remaining 4-bays of this range are under a separate canopy relating to the 1920’s LMS building.