Moor Street Railway Station

As far as railway stations in the centre of Birmingham go, I wouldn’t say they have a great reputation. Moor Street station is the exception to this – it’s an absolute gem. Amid all the modern, shiny, chrome, glass-fronted, sky-scraping boob-tube shaped buildings, Moor Street is a charming brick built, low level delight.

Before I show you pictures of this beaut, did you know that before housing a railway station, this area was once a prison?! I only found this out recently – a good source of information can be seen here. Moor Street Station was built c.1909 following the construction of the Victoria Law Courts.

Moor Street Station wasn’t always so lovely and beautiful – it was closed in 1987 due to restructuring of the Birmingham railway stations, and it sustained some damage when a bus crashed into it! It was restored at the turn of the millennium and re-opened in 2003. It was restored in a 1930s style, and the main entrance is through the booking hall and concourse instead of the old passenger terminal.

There is a resident steam engine at Moor Street, you can see her from the concourse, but if you ask the staff at the ticket barrier nicely they might let you through to see her up close. She is a GWR 2884 Class, No 2885.

This is a beautiful building to have a mooch around – it really does feel like you’ve stepped back in time. One of the things I like about it is the café called Moor-ish!

And now, some pictures! These were all taken by me on July 23^rd. If you do go, please bear in mind that this is a working railway station! There will be irate passengers, and obstacles, and possibly angry ticket barrier men, but you are free to walk around the concourse and admire.

You can read more here, here and here. More pics here.