lainie3961 9 Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 Hi, Can anyone tell me if staff lived on the Midland station? When you approach the station from Trent Street [which would have been the front of the original station?] there appear to be the roofs of a row of houses just surfacing above the glass/plastic roof covering of the modern station. I think the 'houses' would now be between platforms 1 and 2 or 3 and 4 and the bottoms of which are now used for cafe's and toilets etc. Many thanks. I cannot find a picture that I can download to show you the view of what I mean - but if you go onto google street view and stand at the junction of Trent Street and Station Street you will see exactly the buildings I am referring to. Thank you. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bubblewrap 3,815 Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 The first "Midland station was a terminus built in 1837 & had an entrance on Carrington Street before the bridge was built Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 Correct lainie,my sister in law lived on Midland,her Father was a CIE worker here in Eire...walked into a BR job- late fifties/early sixties. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 station by Ian Sheppard, on Flickr Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 station2 by Ian Sheppard, on Flickr Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 They look like the could have been offices 'back in the day' Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lainie3961 9 Posted June 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 Thanks Beefsteak - what would they have been used for back in the day? Would they have been offices for the station master etc? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Merthyr Imp 729 Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 I haven't come across any specific references to the upper floors of the platform buildings, but the ground floors have always been used, as they mostly are now, for refreshment rooms, toilets, offices, waiting rooms, staff rooms, stores, etc. There also used to be signal boxes incorporated into them - you can still see where they used to be. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bubblewrap 3,815 Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 Derby midland had signal boxes on the platforms as did Nottigham Victotia & I think (not certain) did Leicerter Midland.The old Netherfield Junction(originally Colwick West) signal box was on Netherfield station till about 1962? when the new box was built Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,464 Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 Looking up Station Street before the station was rebuilt in the early 1900s. Taken from the Great Central viaduct which crossed the road here. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Merthyr Imp 729 Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 One of the books I was looking at for information mentioned there being a Stationmaster's house when the Midland Station was rebuilt in 1903-ish. Does anyone know where that is/was? Is it what I believe is now used as offices for the British Transport Police around the corner of Queen's Road? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,464 Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 Looks like you're right. This is 1880s and the corner is not as sharp as now. Note the place marked as Victoria Terrace. And to back that up, this is the entry in a contemporary directory - No. 1 Victoria Terrace is occupied by Mr Bramley, the Midland Railway's District Inspector, and some of his side-kicks further along. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bubblewrap 3,815 Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 I think the Queen's Road Arkwright must have been changed when the station was rebuilt about 1903 - 1904. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lainie3961 9 Posted June 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 Thank you so much - all of you - for your answers to this question. Much appreciated. Cliff has posted a very useful map of the station area - which shows that living accommodation was provided for those staff who needed to be on hand 24/7 - so were other buildings used for other staff or for work purposes? What were the buildings in the top right hand corner of the map used for? They are the buildings whose roofs can be seen above the current station. Just seen your post iandawson - thank you. Can you expand on your post please? i.e. what is a CIE worker? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bubblewrap 3,815 Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 Civil Institute of Engineers? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Pianoman 1,533 Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 Corus Iompar Eireann. Irish republic transport System. Railways division being Iarnrod Eirerann Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 Correct Malcolm, the wifes family have a long association with Irish rail,armed with a letter from the local Stationmaster- my SIL got a job on Midland and lived above the station. No CV rubbish then! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,464 Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 What were the buildings in the top right hand corner of the map used for? They are the buildings whose roofs can be seen above the current station. The grey areas indicate the buildings which are on the station platform, such as waiting rooms, cafes, toilets, staff rooms etc.......and also marks the canopy which covers some of the platform. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lainie3961 9 Posted June 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 iandawson - Why did your SIL live on Midland? What job did she do? Whereabouts did she live? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
notty ash 370 Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 At some large stations like Trent, part of the upper floor of station buildings originally provided accommodation for catering staff who lived on site. Whether such facilities would be required in a large city where non-railway living accommodation was readily available, I don't know. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Merthyr Imp 729 Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 lainie3961 - you should be aware that the map at #12 shows the station as it existed in the 1880s. It was more or less completely altered when the present station was built in around 1903/04. The map below shows the present day station and it's largely the same today, apart from the removal of tracks and sidings on the south side (now a car park). Comparing the two maps appears to show that all the houses on Queen's Road, plus Queen's Terrace and other premises (except, apparently, a pub!) were all swept away when the new station was built, and there were no houses there for staff or anyone else. I mentioned a Stationmaster's house earlier, but it seems I misread the book and there's actually no mention of such a house - although if there was one it may still have been the present day British Transport Police building. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bubblewrap 3,815 Posted June 21, 2016 Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 The map above is still pre 1923 as the station & goods shed are shown as owned my the Midland Railway. The white areas on the station(between the hatched bits) are the buildings talked about in an earlier post. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,464 Posted June 21, 2016 Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 This shows what we are talking about. The buildings are located on the platform, they rise through the canopy, and their roofs project above the canopy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Merthyr Imp 729 Posted June 21, 2016 Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 And on the extreme right of that photo you can just see part of what was the signal box on that platform. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bubblewrap 3,815 Posted June 21, 2016 Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 I can remember those signal boxes working Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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