York Railway Station
Photograph
1877-1879 (made)
1877-1879 (made)
| Place of origin |
This striking photograph shows York Railway Station, which opened in 1877. At the time, it was the largest railway station in Britain, comprising an 800-foot-long train shed roof, held 42 feet above the platforms by iron columns. The curved shape, designed by North Eastern Railway’s architect Thomas Prosser, was widely admired, and deemed ‘a monument to extravagance’ at the time.
This photograph is a celebration of Victorian design – the architecture of the station is the subject of the work. As the York railway station opened in 1877 and the photograph was taken around this time, it may have been made to commemorate the occasion.
The photographer is unknown.
This photograph is a celebration of Victorian design – the architecture of the station is the subject of the work. As the York railway station opened in 1877 and the photograph was taken around this time, it may have been made to commemorate the occasion.
The photographer is unknown.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | York Railway Station (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Photograph of York Railway Station, unknown photographer, 1870s |
| Physical description | Photograph of the interior of York railway station. The train tracks are to the right side of the picture, with the station platform to the left. The train shed roof, which curls to the right, dominates the image. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | Featuring thirteen platforms, York railway station
was the largest in the world at the time of its opening in 1877. The low-angle perspective of this picture communicates the station’s sheer scale and heightens the grandeur of the iron roof. The building was described as a ‘monument to extravagance’, and its construction epitomises the vast expansion of the British railway systems in the 19th century.(May 2023) |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | This striking photograph shows York Railway Station, which opened in 1877. At the time, it was the largest railway station in Britain, comprising an 800-foot-long train shed roof, held 42 feet above the platforms by iron columns. The curved shape, designed by North Eastern Railway’s architect Thomas Prosser, was widely admired, and deemed ‘a monument to extravagance’ at the time. This photograph is a celebration of Victorian design – the architecture of the station is the subject of the work. As the York railway station opened in 1877 and the photograph was taken around this time, it may have been made to commemorate the occasion. The photographer is unknown. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.848-2019 |
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| Record created | June 18, 2018 |
| Record URL |
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