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Steelway has recently carried out a small but highly sensitive projectat the grade 1 listed London Paddington station, with the project valued at £43,692

Following on from our many National award winning railway heritageprojects, this one required a real understanding of historic railwayarchitecture in order to satisfy both the technical and architectural needs forthis scheme.

The job comprised two elements, the first to provide gated protection toa stairway within a platform area and the other to conserve and restore some historic rail mounted on a retaining wall to protect the wall from impact from passing road vehicles.

The stair protection project is located adjacent to one of the earliest parts of the station which dates back to the 1840s. It has recently been discovered that the stairway occupies what used to be a pit that contained an elevator to allow refreshments to be raised from underground kitchens to platform level for use on trains.

A rare survivor from the early days was one of what would have been a pair of gates, this low level gate in later years acted as a boundary at the top of the narrow stairway with unsightly key clamp railings acting as a form of barrier to the side of the stairway.

The solution was to use replica GWR speartop fencing which was traditionally used by the Great Western Railway since around 1900. As there was a requirement for a given loading, the standard 6’-00” long panels weres upported by replica GWR ball top posts. This is a concept that the GWR used wherever there was a subway protection requirement.

On the basis that the width of the stairs are very narrow and that the historic remaining gate was hung off the listed building, Steelway made the decision to retain and reuse the original hinge arrangement. This resulted in not only the retention of a small piece of historic material but optimised the clear opening width. It did however require a very special hinge post to be incorporated into the replica speartop gate.

The new fence and gate has been accepted by NetworkRail as something that looks as if it has always been there.

The second part of the project for the Brunelian rail restoration is ongoing but uses true conservation techniques to retain as much original material as possible and is incorporating newly forged wrought iron where significant material loss exists. 

“Projects like this remind us that security and heritage can absolutely coexist. Our role is to support the technical skill that respects the past while delivering practical solutions for the present. It’s been a privilege to contribute to a scheme where attention to detail and authenticity were paramount and where every element tells a story of the station’s rich history."

Commented Kelly Eddowes, Fensecure Sales Manager

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If you have a project that needs restoring back to its old ways contact a member of our team who will be happy to discuss your project: sales@fensecure.co.uk or call 01902 490919

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