Curzon Street Sidings

Curzon Street Station was opened as Birmingham Station in 1838 but lived out most of its working life as a goods station following the opening of New Street Station in 1854.

The superb Grade I listed station building survives today but is sadly unused.  While architects and planners come up with all sorts of wild and wonderful schemes for the EastSide developments, it is a tragic waste of one of Birmingham's finest, historical buildings.  Being so close to ThinkTank at Millenium Point, this would be the ideal site for a Museum of Birmingham Railways History!

Curzon St Sdgs - 27/7/55

As soon as I found this picture I knew it was important.  What I didn't realise was how rare pictures of Curzon Street Sidings are.  It was only when I read Andy Doherty's excellent 'Rail Around Birmingham - Central Birmingham' book that this became apparent.  In the entry for Curzon Street there is a picture like my father's only far less sharp and clear.  Andy explains, "Unfortunately the Curzon Street site was contained within a high wall on three sides and a railway embankment on the other, so photographs of the interior are rare". This picture was taken from a train on the way back from Llandudno.  Right in the centre the top of the station building is clearly visible.  The spire to the far right belongs to the Methodist Central Hall in Corporation Street.  I'm indebted to Paul from providing a superb modern view of the scene above!  He comments:- "As you can see, the site awaits some sort of dreaded redevelopment, with only a couple of links showning the railway was ever there. The original station building can clearly be seen in the distance, with platforms of the former Royal Mail depot to the front. The brick building behind the portacabins is in fact the base of the signal box that used to control all of the sidings to the mail sidings and the old Castle Cement yard, which has now had student accomodation built on it."

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