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Curzon Street Hotel

Heartland

Heartland

master brummie
The restoration of the surviving station building started on September 02nd.

After seeing many references to the structure as being the London and Birmingham Railway station building, an observation which must be made is that it served as part of the operation of the railway, where in reality it was a hotel. There is even a reference on the 1841 census that lists the occupants on census day. The train shed and booking office was beyond and was removed when the goods shed was constructed, The hotel became goods offices.

In the thread about the 1850 explosion at Curzon Street, the gas supply to the Hotel is mentioned.Old-Curzon-Street-Station-refurb-begins-2-Sept-2021-1140x761.jpg
 
Just to add to this thread, the name of the building can be linked to the Queens Hotel. There were various company meetings held here as well as other services such as inquests.
In 1850 Robert Bacon was the hotel keeper and his name was on the 1851 census as can be seen on the three attached pages,

WARHO107_2054_2055-0316.jpgWARHO107_2054_2055-0315.jpgWARHO107_2054_2055-0314.jpg
 
And in response to posting this Paul Brandon painting on that thread Mikegee also posted this explanation. It was named the Queen Victoria but was shortened to the Queen. The painting shows the left wing of the Hotel. Viv.

319ADAF0-F243-49FD-8C3A-C6D5965FD743.jpeg012A84FB-54C6-4B4B-BE53-288F2FBE0CB4.jpeg
 
I notice from the Braddon painting, the structure that remains seems to have lost its portico. Viv.
 
Ok thanks Mike. So if I’ve got this right, the front was on New Canal Street. But which road was the back ? Viv.
 
There wasn't a road at the back. If it looks like a road in the view in post 1, it is just a trackway for contractors vehicles. In the days of a working station it was just an open area
 
Yes the road way for contractors vehicles presently. In the days of the working Parcels Depot, the Rail Express Vehicles would park there.

In the days of the Queens Hotel, it is not clear whether the archeological studies have looked at how the hotel was arranged with visitors rooms, staff accommodation, kitchen areas etc. Refreshments were also provided for rail travellers.
 
My wife worked for British Rail and her first day at work was in the offices here. Not sure how long she worked there because she moved to the offices above Snow Hill Station before moving to an office block on Broad Street called Rail House. Her father was a manager with BR and when she said was leaving school at 15 he insisted she work for BR. I am surprised that it managed to not get demolished and it will be great to see it restored again.
Ken.
 
If I recall RAIL HOUSE became Quayside Tower later. As to Snow Hill, I also gather that the Railway had offices in Lloyd House for a time, whilst they sorted out the organisation in the 1960's. The transfer of the former Western Region premises in the Birmingham area to London Midland happened during this time.
 
The late Phil posted this photo showing the Hotel (on the Curzon Street Railway Station thread post #68) in 2013. Unfortunately no date was given for the photo but a very interesting photo of the site all the same. Presumably this was when the buildings were in use as a goods depot.

Viv.
8388154A-A6C3-4305-96ED-2C0256872F1A.jpeg
 
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Heartland said:
If I recall RAIL HOUSE became Quayside Tower later. As to Snow Hill, I also gather that the Railway had offices in Lloyd House for a time, whilst they sorted out the organisation in the 1960's. The transfer of the former Western Region premises in the Birmingham area to London Midland happened during this time.
Click to expand...
I thought they might have changed the name at some point. My wife was working there in 1967 when we met. Her father also worked there. In the early 70s they split the Rail from the road and created the National Freight Corporation. My wife and her father transferred to the NFC and moved to the container base at Lawley Street. All such a long time ago.
 
Lawley Street was NFC, but the Freightliner Depot should be regarded as a separate entity, having various owners. Presently it is owned by an American company who operate the UK Freightliner business.

The ariel view is useful, Viv, which shows the view from Top Yard looking to the offices and goods shed, The level crossing is off the image on the top left.
 
Heartland said:
Lawley Street was NFC, but the Freightliner Depot should be regarded as a separate entity, having various owners. Presently it is owned by an American company who operate the UK Freightliner business.

The ariel view is useful, Viv, which shows the view from Top Yard looking to the offices and goods shed, The level crossing is off the image on the top left.
Click to expand...
Yes and the NFC became Excel and then got bought out by DHL.
 
Despite these posts, the present building still is regarded as the station building for the London & Birmingham Railway and even now as contractors dig out the adjacent ground for the diverted services, the structure is called the station by them.
 
The new billboards around the site from Moor Street have an interesting collection of images from the past and present but they still refer to the Hotel Building as the Station.

Work seems to have stopped on the refurbishment and there is a rumour that additional expenditure is required above the funding which has been granted. Is there any truth in this report?
 
I hope this is not yet another example of developers promising schools, cinemas, infrastructure, large amounts of "affordable" housing etc. when bidding,; items that disappear at a later date when it is convenient to do so
 
so has cash run out or is it a structural problem....i would have thought that before the restoration work began last sept a full structural survey would have been carried out...

as you say mike is this just another promise that will not be kept...

lyn
 
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That sounds ominous. It is covered with scaffolding and the buddleia growing out of the roof has been removed. When a friend scouted inside for possible filming about five years ago he said there was a lot of water ingress. Subsequently he was told no access was possible.
 
There were clear ambitions in a HS 2 post this year

New public spaces around the station​

The new station will feature four new public spaces, supporting travel, recreation and leisure:

  • Station Square: Station Square will create a new, green and attractive meeting place in the city that will provide easy links into the city centre and Digbeth, generating a sense of local pride and identity. It’s been designed as the ‘front door’ to the HS2 journey to and from Birmingham.
  • Curzon Square: This area will reflect its historic setting and buildings and complement the setting of Eastside City Park. It provides an enhanced setting for the Grade I listed former Curzon Street Station and Grade II listed Woodman pub. There will also be space for outdoor public events.
  • Curzon Promenade: Curzon Promenade is located along the northern side of the station and links with Eastside City Park. This area will be used by pedestrians and cyclists who are heading towards the bus and Sprint stops north of the station, the Knowledge Quarter and future canalside developments. We’ve designed Curzon Promenade to encourage people to stop and enjoy the vibrant, characterful landscape which is made up of garden spaces that extend downhill to Curzon Square.
  • Paternoster Place: As a gateway to Digbeth, Paternoster Place will provide a new, attractive pedestrian route and urban space that will open up a key link to the future regeneration potential of Digbeth. We’ve designed it to encourage activity and investment to Enterprise Zone sites.

Perhaps with the last entry they were praying for the hotel restoration to be completed.
 
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I've had a little dig into why it became known as 'Curzon Street Station' rather than say The Victoria Hotel or The Railway Hotel.

Philip Hardwick the architect described it as the Principal Building and
Historic England attach a report entitled
'Curzon Street Station New Canal Street Birmingham'
by John Minnis, incorporating research by Emily Cole, Luke Jacob and Kathryn Morris 2015

'These descriptions, together with Philip Hardwick’s drawings (numbered 2001- 7979), now at the National Railway Museum, York, confirm that the Principal Building on New Canal Street was built as the company’s offices and boardroom, contrary to some accounts which have suggested that it was designed as a station master’s office and booking hall 4 or as a hotel.'
Source: https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/redirect/15341
Download PDF for full report

See also https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1343086?section=official-list-entry

Historic England concluded that the Principal Building, which is what remains, was 'built as the company’s offices and boardroom' rather than a hotel. (Refreshments were served there in later years and there is talk of bedrooms later still).

The building has a complicated history and I sincerely hope it has a future situated where it is.
 
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There are some excellent illustrations in the above report. One of the complications which caused confusion is that the Victorians used the word 'hotel' to refer to the provision of refreshments (at that time they used dormitory to refer to bedrooms). In fact an extension was built by another architect later at the side for the provision of an hotel in the modern sense. It was demolished in recent times because it was held to detract from the purity of Hardwick's building. The hotel extension is illustrated in the report.
 
The Census of 1851 shows the original building and extension as being occupied by guests and staff yet there was also a meeting room or rooms. The building seems to have been a principal hotel in Birmingham, but as stated later became goods offices.

Whilst the London & Birmingham Railway changed their intentions as to the purpose of the building, the final and principal use was as a hotel and refreshment room for the passengers.
 
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