Paddington - Fourth Span (London)

 railway, place with historical importance

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Paddington railway station has a four-span trainshed sheltering platforms 1-12. The fourth span does not date from the days of Brunel; it was completed in 1916 during the expansion of the railway station, and was designed to be sympathetic with the rest of the station and was built using a very similar design. It is the largest of the four spans but is the same length as the others.

In 1986 the railway station British Railways began renovation, and by 1992 it was the last part which need attention and it was covered in scaffolding. However, after privatisation Railtrack stopped the work in 1999 and decided it would be better to demolish it and build a shiny office block over the platforms in its place.

Things got worse. In 2003 the plans were approved (now under Network Rail) and the plans went past the barriers of the Victorian History Society and English Heritage despite the fact it was Grade I Listed (and thus protected). However, local opposition finally succeeded in halting the plans. The span remains covered in tarpaulin and scaffolding with the work having only started.

In 2000 Railtrack also banned the orchestra which had played in the station for decades since the days of the Great Western Railway, claiming it was a "safety hazard". This did not last long.