How one wishes that when was young one had taken better notice of these wonderful structures. Just a question of lifting up one's eyes, looking past the soot and grime and decrepitude and trying to visualise them when they were new or at least in their prime. I remember someone ancient once muttering in my presence, with an expression of awe, that New Street Station was a wonderful building and my thinking "What, how can anyone say that? The sooner it's gone the better and replaced with something concrete and MODERN!"
Today London still has St. Pancras and thanks to those older than I, who should have had more wisdom, Birmingham has.....
Chris