HS2 Starts Work On Restoring One Of The World’s Oldest Railway Buildings

On 2 September 2021, HS2 Ltd  announced the start of a major refurbishment project to restore the Grade 1 listed Old Curzon Street Station in Birmingham, one of the world's oldest surviving pieces of monumental railway architecture. Over the next twelve months, a team of local experts will carry out intricate restoration work on the iconic building, which was designed by the notable architect Philip Hardwick and opened in 1838 as the Birmingham terminus for the London and Birmingham Railway Co. (L&BR) line that connected to Euston Station in London.

The project will be undertaken by national contractors KN Circet transport and Infrastructure division, a multinational company with offices in Solihull, who are working for HS2’s enabling works contractor LMJV (Laing O’Rourke and J. Murphy & Sons). The Grade I listed building has been integrated into HS2’s plans for the new Curzon Street Station, which provide an enhanced setting to reflect the history of the old station as well as the Grade II listed Woodman pub. The public space surrounding the station will feature the historic track alignments of the former goods yard that used to lie to its east, and the gardens and new eastern concourse façade have also been designed to complement the architecture of the building.

Russell Bailey, HS2 Project Manager for Old Curzon Street Station said: „The revamped building is integrated into HS2’s plans for the city’s landmark Curzon Street Station, which will be the first brand new intercity terminus station built in Britain since the 19th century. Work is set to start on building the new station in the next year, with the joint venture contractor Mace Dragodos set to create 1,000 jobs.”

Work on the old Station building will include a new steel structural frame to strengthen the building, a new lift giving access to all four levels, new glass balustrade for the historic staircase, internal fit-out, roof repairs, structural repairs to the external façade, and a full clean of the external building masonry.

Old Curzon Street Station was the first railway terminus serving the centre of Birmingham and built during a period of great significance and growth for the city. Having suffered extensive damage during the Birmingham Blitz, and surviving two applications for its demolition in the 1970s, it is now listed on the ‘Heritage at Risk Register’ maintained by Historic England. The refurbishment will see this status change for the first time in over a decade, with future plans to use it as an HS2 visitors centre, with flexible facilities for office space, exhibition purposes and catering.