Memories of Victoria station

[.... 23]

It's a nice thought, Michael and agree with the general principle but they'd really have had to do something drastic with the Broad Marsh Centre before anyone would flock there!

[poohbear 1,360]

They may as well demolish Broad Marsh...there are too many shops now.The internet,business rates, and parking restrictions have sounded the death knell of city shopping centers.

The days of going down town for a shopping experience are gone.Out of town shopping centers will survive,but lack of footfall will be the end of retail shopping in city centers.A number of shops will always make a profit, but the planners are forever instigating the building of more and more retail units, without the weight of public to make them worth opening.

[barclaycon 569]

Yeah, I agree.

Shopping centres 'out' of town now seem to be the order of the day.

No parking charges, lower prices and more convenient.

Local councils have totally messed up inner city shopping.

The high street and centres like Broad Marsh are becoming ghost towns.

Having been away from Nottingham for a good while, I visited a few months ago and walked down from the station to Broad Marsh and I couldn't believe how crap it was !

I'm sure if they pulled it down it wouldn't be missed at all.

[denshaw 2,871]

Broad Marsh? even the bus station is badly planned.

[nottinghamite 8]

Think Derby made a good job of their new bus station. Much superior to our Broadmarsh station and the Victoria bus station is nothing more than a glorified bus shelter.

Dennis

[mick2me 3,033]

There was much opposition to demolition of the original 1930s Art Deco station in Derby.

Including a protester in a caravan hoisted on to the roof.

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

I can remember when Nottingham Had THREE bus stations Mount Street,Broad Marsh & Huntingdon Street.

[mick2me 3,033]

And Hanley Street

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

Where & when was that Mick?

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

And Hanley Street

Wasn't really a bus station, just a few spaces on a street. If you include Hanley Street you should definitely include all the stops which used to be along Long Row (opposite Griffin and Spalding).

[Michael Booth 7,364]

I must admit it's years since I visited Broad Marsh but I did go into Nottingham just before Christmas and visited the Victoria Centre. The point I was making (#25) was that if the tram had gone to Broad Marsh and Victoria Centre when they were built then the two shopping centres wouldn't have gone into decline. In todays world, people don't want to traipse around the shops looking for stuff in the rain and freezing weather. What they prefer is sitting in their lounge surfing the Internet and having the goods delivered to their door. There will come a day when the Nottingham City Council will abolish all parking restrictions in Nottingham because nobody shops there anymore. Oh, how silly of me, it's the NCC we are talking about so they'll still be introducing more restrictions and bumping up the price of parking your car.

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

Wasn't really a bus station, just a few spaces on a street. If you include Hanley Street you should definitely include all the stops which used to be along Long Row (opposite Griffin and Spalding).

Buses used to stand on South Parade too.

[denshaw 2,871]

Stupidity not sending trams to the biggest centre in Nottingham. Someone told me it was because the owners of Vic centre would not contribute to building of tram.

[poohbear 1,360]

And Trinity Square.

[.... 23]

I agree with some of the points made about city centre shopping and people using out-of-town shopping malls and retail parks. Against that though it always appears to me that here in Nottingham the Victoria Centre does pretty well with plenty of footfall. It may be dated and a little tired looking but it always seems well-used when I have the need to go in there.

The out-of-town option is not great or suitable for all. Many don't have easy transportation to such places. Some of us just don't have interest in going to them because, frankly, they're not 'all that'. The last time I was talked into going to Meadow Hall it was a detestable day. Queued on the motorway to get in there. Needed to park a good distance away from the stores and got wet going in. Inside it was as stuffy as hell with kids running round everywhere. The food in the foodcourt was mediocre at best (when we managed to find a seat where the table was clear. Nothing much unusual or interesting in the mainstream, oft repeated, stores in there. I couldn't wait to get out of there and left as soon as possible and it will be a long time before I go back.

I've been very used to mall shopping in the past on many visits to Canada. West Edmonton Mall, one of the largest in the world is around three times the size of Meadow Hall yet a much more pleasant and interesting experience. When we try to do things the North American way in this country we often do them badly, i.e. shopping malls and the equivalent of strip malls etc.

There IS a place for city centre shopping in my view. It's just that the authorities have to do a much better job of running them, i.e.planning, parking etc. Many still like the experience of 'going to town' to shop, it's just that we're deterred by inability to park without being ripped off and a now-poor choice of businesses.

[Kendaldrac 40]

I have been doing some research on the old Victoria Railway station as railways are a hobby of mine and since my rehousing due to the demolition of the Lenton flats I now live above the old station site in the Victoria flats.

I have seen plans showing the layout of the station and related infrastructure as well as the many photos in books and online but i cannot seem to find any reference to the original architects plans showing the design and appearance of the station.

Does anyone know if the architectural plans have survived and still exist and if so where they are located and is it possible to view them.

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

Are you aware of this? http://www.railwayarchive.org.uk/map/index.php

[Kendaldrac 40]

Contacted Network Rail, the archives at York Railway museum, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire Museums and Archives services but none of them have any copies or original documents for the architects drawings and plans for the station.

[mgread1200 141]

Have you checked the Nottingham archive centre, I have just done a quick catalogue search and there does seem to be quite a lot of info from the time it was planed and built.

[DAVIDW 1,681]

Not exactly what you are looking for but there is this article from May1900 when the new station was being opened and before they had decided on what to call it . First names were Joint Station or Central Station before settling on Victoria .

The plan at below shows the footprint of the station and shows the roads that were demolished . The thicker lines outline the station footprint .

Also shown are some of the ancient monuments discovered during the building including the leper hospital , the old town wall and an old pottery works .

Melbourne St at the bottom became part of Mansfield Rd .

[notty ash 370]

As an aside, the Midland & Great Northern Circle can supply drawings of London Road Station

See ARC 2017 Nottingham London Road station 4 sheets NJD

at http://www.mgncircle.org.uk/html/drawings_list.html

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Anyone who is too young to have been to it would never understand or comprehend the beauty and atmosphere of the place. It was huge but cosy. The glass roofs were mottled with decades of soot and smoke from generations of amazing Great Central Steam Locomotives and later LNER and ex LMS locos as well as all those austerities hauling endless coal trains going south and empties going north. As it was in a deep cutting, whenever a steam hauled train re-started the echoes of the exhaust beats reverberated several times off the smoke blackened sandstone sides, producing a cacophony of sound that was music to ears of steam lovers such as myself. In its later, quieter days, in between trains it was peaceful, the quiet only disturbed by the sound of luggage trollies being hauled along the platform (or maybe the porter snoring in the mess room). Then one would hear the single 'call attention' bell in either the north or south signal box and of course minutes later the 'is line clear for' whatever then the sound of mechanical point rods as the route was set up for maybe a southbound freight. And of course the whistle of signal wires through pulley wheels and the thud of the signal coming off. Such was the quietness of Victoria station in its last years.

Then something would burst out of one of the tunnels and either pull into one of the platforms or use the goods line to wherever it was going. Although there were diesel units and sometimes diesel hauled trains in its last days, it was mostly steam that ever used Victoria station. It was unique in being connected to other routes such that it was not unusual to see western region locos hauling excursions or southern green coaches on trains like the York-Bournemouth. It was a pleasure to just sit on one of the platform seats and soak up the atmosphere.

[Smiffy49 590]

A lovely atmospheric description Bilbraborn.

Thanks for posting it.

Smiffy

[FLY2 10,108]

Yes, it was homely and cosy,and as I've said in a different topic, the best cup of tea on British Railways.

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

One small point of interest Clinton Street East was originally Haughton Street