Friday, August 31, 2012

Tynemouth station


It is a monument to the age of steam, a gateway to the breathtaking beaches of the North East and an architectural achievement that has stood firm for 130 years.
wrote Helen Nugent in the Guardian in April.
Now the long-neglected railway station at Tynemouth is receiving the loving touch that it deserves. 
A multi-million pound renovation project promises to return the Victorian station to its former glory. Close to completion, the transformation of Tynemouth station is, according to the council and planners, a "true tale of a heritage phoenix rising from the ashes".
She's right you know. And another good thing about the station is that it still has one of the North Eastern Railway's tile maps showing the extent of its lines in the region.

These used to be quite common in the stations of Yorkshire and the North East. I could not find the one at York station when I was there earlier this summer, though there was one in the National Rail Museum.


Even better, those maps were made at Jackfield in Shropshire.


5 comments:

Gawain said...

The York map is on the left as you leave the main part of the station for the porch , opposite WHS and by the entrance to the bar. Not easy to miss! There are also maps at (at least) Whitby, Scarborough, Middlesbrough, Saltburn and Hartlepool and - for true and deep-pocketed fans- you can buy full or reduced size versions from Jackfield. Will post a couple of links when back at my PC

Anonymous said...

And on the other side of the country there is the lovely tiled map of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway network on the upper wall of the concourse at Manchester Victoria

Gawain said...

As promised

A thread on the LNER site. Seems there were 27+1 of which 10+1 originals are in situ, 1 has been reinstated and 1 new one has been added where none was in place originally! - the post of 29.12.08 gives a full list.


And a link to where one can buy one's own map!

http://www.northeasterntilecompany.co.uk/TheNewMaps/tabid/55/Default.aspx

Liberal Neil said...

I always find the one at Middlesbrough fascinating. My Dad has fond memories of train journeys round the region when he was a boy, many on lines long gone now.

Gawain said...

Now realise I failed to post a link:

http://www.lner.info/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1282&p=52633&hilit=tile+map#p52633