Seeking a correct source: Curzon Street Station 1865

[Tomash]

Hi everyone, this image of Curzon Street Station has been confirmed as being dated post 1859. It is has been published and credited as being from the Illustrated London News 18th September 1865. I have trawled a whole range of options through the ILN copies and can't find it. I wonder if the date is correct but it is from a different source. Note the carriages in the station are missleading.

 

[Pedrocut]

The Illustrated London News seems to have been printed once a week, and the nearest is the 16th of September 1865.

 

[Tomash]

The Illustrated London News seems to have been printed once a week, and the nearest is the 16th of September 1865.

Thank you. Yes indeed. I've tried all the permutations - such as right date wrong year, wrong month, all of the Septembers, even all the issues between 1859 and 1870.. I actually don't think that it is ILN. But it isn't in the Illustrated Weekly either! So I'm stuck.

 

[Vivienne14]

Is it actually Curzon Street Station Birmingham ? I have my doubts because, to me, the main building doesn't look like Curzon Street and the landscape isn't a familiar Birmingham landscape: i don't recognise the large building and church (?) on the horizon. The large chimney between the two is unfamiliar too.

Could be completely wrong ! So what do others think ?

 

[Tomash]

Hi Vivienne, I can assure you, as someone published and with considerable expertise on this, that it is Curzon St. I’m not saying that every detail is accurate.

 

[Tomash]

Hi Vivienne, I can assure you, as someone published and with considerable expertise on this, that it is Curzon St. I’m not saying that every detail is accurate.

Here is a close up from the station building from behind

 

[mikejee]

I do not know the exact source of the photo, but in my files I have a copy from some years ago of what I believe was the original , which covers a larger field, and think it was an imaginary, not very accurate, image of the station. See below

 

[Tomash]

I do not know the exact source of the photo, but in my files I have a copy from some years ago of what I believe was the original , which covers a larger field, and think it was an imaginary, not very accurate, image of the station. See below

View attachment 210449

Hi Mike, this is utterly awesome. Thanks for the find. I thought it might have been cropped.

 

[Lloyd]

(I) think it was an imaginary, not very accurate, image of the station.

I doubted it at first, but now believe it is the Curzon Street building - with the hotel extention to the north, but there is a huge amount of artistic licence given to the other districts.

 

[mikejee]

I would agree with that.

 

[Heartland]

It is a very useful image which seems to be close to what could be seen post 1859. The station hotel and extension are shown and the goods sheds are shown. These replaced the original LBR station arrival and departure platforms. There seems to be an engine with coaches next to the goods shed and that might have been a passenger service from New Street. There is no Banbury Street Goods but what looks like Banbury Street Ticket platform is shown. Also shown is the bridge over New Canal Street and the Bridge over the Digbeth Branch Canal.

 

[Pedrocut]

One source says that the picture appears in railway journals and books. It says it is often credited as being from the Illustrated London News of 18 September 1865, but this date is not covered in the Archives.

 

[mikejee]

There was not an edition dated 18 Sept 1865, but there was one 16 sept 1865. This, and others , is available to download from https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/serial?id=illuslondonnews. I have visually serched that issue, and the image is not there. Also did digital search of volume July to Dec. 1865 for "Curzon", this did not yield the image.
Out of interest, some Birmingham images in that volume do arise. They are shown below

 

[Lloyd]

Out of interest, some Birmingham images in that volume do arise. They are shown below

View attachment 210605

I remember that library with great affection. Knocked down and replaced with a concrete monstrosity, itself now thankfully gone.

 

[mikejee]

But that then replaced by a giant plastic waste bin

 

[Lloyd]

But that then replaced by a giant plastic waste bin

I wouldn't know, I have no incentive to visit the town centre now. I presume it's the building that looks as if it's wearing fishnet tights.

 

[Pedrocut]

Osborne’s Guide to the London & Birmingham Railway (1840)

 

[RobT]

This lithograph from 1838, from Birmingham New?

 

[Vivienne14]

I've copied lithograph #17 and #18 to the Curzon Street hotel thread. Thanks for posting.