Coventry Station - A Coventry Gem!

The original Coventry Station opened in 1838 on the London and Birmingham Railway. It was rebuilt in 1962, and now is Grade II listed. The new station building opened in 2022.


Where is Coventry Station?

Coventry Station is at Station Square, Coventry, CV1 2GT. The new station building at Warwick Road opened in 2022.

 

In brief

The original Coventry Station was opened in 1838 on the London and Birmingham Railway. But the station we see today was opened in 1962 (and is Grade II listed) as part of British Rail's Modernisation Plan. The new station building at Warwick Road was built from 2021, and was opened to the public in March 2022. This is the new station entrance / exit.

Coventry StationAvanti West Coast - Welcome to Coventry (June 2021). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Coventry Station - history

The first Coventry Station was built in 1838 as part of the London and Birmingham Railway, and could be entered from Warwick Road. By 1840 this station had been replaced by a larger station, a bit closer to Rugby, this time accessed from Eaton Road. The Coventry tram network was extended to the station at Eaton Road in the late 19th century. The original station remained in service as the station masters offices, until the station was redeveloped in the early 1960s by the London Midland Region of British Railways.

The 1840s station had a number of modifications and extensions over the years, including an engine shed, water column and turntable. In it's later days it had an inclined walkway from the platform directly to Warwick Road for summer excursions, and a parcel depot formed from old carriages. But the station was constrained by the bridges at both ends of the station, Stoney Road Bridge to the south and Warwick Road bridge to the north. The bridges restricted the station to two lines, and prevented the platforms from being extended.

 

The 1960s redevelopment

In the early 1960s both bridges were widened, and the old station finally demolished and re-built, this time with room for four platforms instead of two. At the time of it's demolition in 1960, the old station was 120 years old. The station comprises of a two-storey height booking hall with reinforced concrete frame, linked across the adjoining platform by a bridge to an island platform and a single sided platform. It was built to the designs of W. R. Headley, Regional Architect of the London Midland Region of British Railways, and Derrick Shorten, the project architect. It was opened in May 1962. It became a Grade II listed building in 1995.

Coventry StationPlaque at Coventry Station (June 2021). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

 

Coventry Station

Coventry Station

Coventry Station

Coventry Station

Coventry StationCoventry Station (April 2014). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

The new red station building

A new £91 million redevelopment of the station was proposed to start in 2019. Work began in 2020, and by the summer of 2021, a new red building is already visible to passengers and visitors to the station. It will have an entrance on Warwick Road for the first time since the original 1838 station. It was opened to the public on Monday 21st March 2022.

Coventry Station

Coventry Station

Coventry Station

Coventry Station

Coventry Station

Coventry StationThe new red building at Coventry Station (June 2021). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

A look around the new station building

The new station building at Warwick Road was opened in 2022. There is exits to the new Coventry station bus interchange and to Station Square, but the entrance / exit to Warwick Road doesn't appear to have opened yet.

Coventry Station

Coventry Station

Coventry StationThe new at Coventry Station (February 2023). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Here's a look around the building in the public areas during 2023. Ticket barriers as you exit to the new concourse. There is several vacant units in the building, but Black Sheep Coffee will be opening in here soon.

Coventry Station

Coventry Station

Coventry StationThe new at Coventry Station (February 2023). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Train routes at Coventry

There is 6 trains an hour on the West Coast Mainline towards London Euston

 There is 7 trains an hour to Birmingham New Street.

There is one Cross Country service towards Bournemouth via Leamington Spa, Oxford, Reading and Southampton

There is one Cross Country service towards Manchester Piccadilly via Birmingham New Street and Stoke-on-Trent

One train an hour to Liverpool Lime Street via Stafford and Crewe

One train an hour towards Rugeley Town

One train an hour towards Glasgow Central or Edinburgh Waverley via Preston and Carlisle

One train per hour towards Nuneaton via Bedworth

One train per hour towards Leamington Spa via Kenilworth

 

Project dates

07 Aug 2021 - On-going

Passions

History & heritage, Transport, Modern Architecture

Contact

Your Place Your Space

Jonathan Bostock

0121 410 5520
jonathan.bostock@ yourplaceyourspace.com