Curzon Street Goods Station

LMS Route: Rugby to Wolverhampton
LMS Route: Birmingham - Soho Road - Perry Barr - Birmingham
LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Lichfield

If you are interested in knowing more about Curzon Street Goods Station you can do no better than to read Richard Foster's series of books on Birmingham New Street - The Story of a Great Station including Curzon Street published by Wild Swan Publications Ltd of Didcot. I would like to take this opportunity of crediting Richard Foster as being the source for much of the rich information provided in the captions to the photographs.

Select an image below to view the larger version with accompanying text:

Ref: lnwrcs1502 Public Records Office View of Hardwick's structure and the main entrances to the cartage yard with the main goods shed behind

Ref: lnwrcs1502a Public Records Office Close up showing the extension to Hardwick's building which formed part of the Queen Victoria Hotel

Ref: lnwrcs1502b Public Records Office Close up showing the main entrances to the cartage yard with the main shed seen behind

Ref: lnwrcs2132 TJ Edgington View of the rear of Hardwick's building on the left and the 1840 hotel extension seen from Curzon Street

Ref: lnwrcs2151 B Matthews View of the grand doorway to Hardwick's main building with the L & B coat of arms sited on top of the borrowed light

Ref: lnwrcs2134 DP Rowland View of one of Franklin's gates in the screen wall built for the Grand Junction station from across the yard

Ref: lnwrcs2147 RS Carpenter Notice board erected on the former hotel extension on the corner of Canal Street and Curzon Street in the 1950s

Ref: lnwrcs2106 NRM View of the former hotel's dining room which was subsequently converted as the forwarding office

Ref: lnwrcs1501 Public Records Office A view of the interior of Curzon Street Goods Station's goods forwarding office taken in 1913

Ref: lnwrcs2155 N Howell View of Curzon Street's goods forwarding office on the ground floor in the former dining room of the hotel

Ref: lnwrcs2159 A Parks View of female staff employed at the Curzon Street District Goods Manager's Office in the 1890s

Ref: lnwrcs2122 Mrs W Brunton A photograph of Curzon Street District Goods Manager's office staff taken on September 1938

Ref: lnwrcs2130 Mrs W Brunton A photograph of Curzon Street District Goods Accounts Department (Abstracts) office staff in September 1938

Ref: lnwrcs1278 Anon Looking towards the road entrance to the depot via Canal Street with the Grain Warehouse on the right

Ref: lnwrcs1503 Public Records Office Looking towards Curzon Street No 1 signal cabin and the 'overhead' lines with the grain warehouse on the left in 1912

Ref: lnwrcs1503a Public Records Office Close up showing Curzon Street No 1 signal cabin and a LNWR train standing on Vauxhall viaduct

Ref: lnwrcs1498 Public Records Office View of a wagon being shunted by capstan power on one of Curzon Street's cross lines and turntables

Ref: lnwrcs1498a Public Records Office Close up showing one of the powered capstans being operated by a capstanman in order to pull the van

Ref: lnwrcs2109 LMS Magazine One of the LMS' wagons being turned on the cross line and turntables located in front of the warehouse

Ref: lnwrcs2144 J Strange View showing some of the turntables, capstans and warehouses in the top yard at Curzon Street station

Ref: lnwrcs2111 J Strange View of two wagon turntables demonstrating how wagons could be directed along tracks at oblique angles

Ref: lnwrcs2120 J Strange The east end of Top Yard viewed from Curzon Street with the two-storey infirmary stable block at the far end

Ref: lnwrcs2117 M Christensen A 1966 view looking towards the former GJR arrival platform now home to Curzon Street's fruit wharf

Ref: lnwrcs2146 J Strange Looking to the far end of Top Yard from Curzon Street level crossing gates with the weighbridge in the left

Ref: lnwrcs2108 AH Baker An aerial view showing part of Top Yard, Curzon Street level crossing and the former L & B departure train shed

Ref: lnwrcs2108a AH Baker Close up showing sidings emanating from Curzon Street level crossing and the weighbridge being used

Ref: lnwrcs2108b AH Baker Close up showing part of the original L & B departure platform and to its front the 1860 covered loading deck

Ref: lnwrcs2121 Network Rail View taken on 10th January 1966 of the original L & B trainshed to the arrival platform being demolished

Ref: lnwrcs2131 LMS Magazine A special cargo of glass-lined metal tanks each weighing 4½ tons is being unloaded by Banbury Street's mobile crane

Ref: lnwrcs2124 NRM A LMS Container being off-loaded by a travelling crane in Banbury Street goods yard on 3rd February 1932

Ref: lnwrcs2125 NRM A special order of wire rope being loaded direct from Wrights Ropes' factory on to MR railway wagons

Ref: lnwrcs1279 NRM Interior view of the warehouse at Curzon Street's showing different types of general goods being unloaded

Ref: lnwrcs1280 NRM An internal view of Curzon Street warehouse's departure platform with various goods being exported

Ref: lnwrcs2107 NRM A view of a gang in the process of transferring merchandise from a LMS electrical trolley to a van

Ref: lnwrcs1500 Public Records Office A LNWR electric trolley being demonstrated on the loading deck at Curzon Street Goods Station in 1913

Ref: lnwrcs2156 NRM A Curzon Street deck gang transferring merchandise from the road vehicle unloading dock into a van

Ref: lnwrcs2110 NRM A LNWR electric trolley being used to transfer packing cases of seed potatoes on 25th September 1928

Ref: lnwrcs2112 NRM View of the main landing deck at the New Canal Street end of Curzon Street's warehouse on 25th September 1938

Ref: lnwrcs2154 N Howell From the New Canal Street end of the warehouse looking towards the sidings on 25th September 1938

Ref: lnwrcs2113 N Howell A second view from the New Canal Street end of the warehouse looking towards the sidings

Ref: lnwrcs2113a N Howell Close up showing the deck on a Sunday devoid of the frenetic activity that was the rule for six days each week

Ref: lnwrcs2129 J Strange View of part of the former cab area to the Grand Junction Railway's arrival platform showing the ad-hoc extension

Ref: lnwrcs2127 N Howell Another view of the fruit shed stacked with produce seen on Sunday 25th September 1938 ready for distribution

Ref: lnwrcs2114 Birmingham Post & Mail A view looking towards the buffer stops of the former GJR arrival platform now converted to handling fruit

Ref: lnwrcs2128 B Matthews Interior view of the Fruit shed looking towards the main line in 1966 together with the new parcels concentration depot

Ref: lnwrcs2153 FE Box Another view of the former GJR arrival platform being used as the fruit wharf on 17th February 1938

Ref: lnwrcs2137 J Strange An internal view of inside the grain warehouse which was located on the first floor of the GJR departure platform

Ref: lnwrcs2152 LMS Magazine View of one of former GJR station's waiting rooms now being used as a store for high value metals

Ref: lnwrcs1499 Public Records Office The cellars below the L & B Curzon Street station which were built taking advantage of the sloping site

Ref: lnwrcs2126 LMS Magazine The new paper warehouse built to accommodate the requirements of the Post, Mail Gazette and Despatch

Ref: lnwrcs1496 Public Records Office Cattle landing in Banbury St looking towards the GJ station with the MR down home signal just above the shed

Ref: lnwrcs2158 Public Records Office Birmingham Corporation's cattle market from Lawley Street viaduct with Montague Street on the left

Ref: lnwrcs2158a Public Records Office Close up of the holding pens at Birmingham Corporation's Banbury Street cattle market as seen in 1912

Ref: lnwrcs2105 LMS Magazine Stableman Jones with 'The Colonel', his prize winning bay horse from Curzon Street winner of the 1932 Show

Ref: lnwrcs2142 Anon First interior view of the top floor of the infirmary stable block at the back of Top Yard 30 yrs after the last horse left

Ref: lnwrcs2139 Anon Second interior view of the top floor of the infirmary stable block at the back of Top Yard 30 yrs after the last horse left

Ref: lnwrcs2140 Anon Third interior view of the top floor of the infirmary stable block at the back of Top Yard 30 yrs after the last horse left

Ref: lnwrcs2141 Anon Fourth interior view of the top floor of the infirmary stable block at the back of Top Yard 30 yrs after the last horse left

Ref: lnwrcs2133 AH Baker An aerial view of motor tractor units parked on the site of the former paper warehouse located in the Top Yard

Ref: lnwrcs1497 Public Records Office Curzon Street's motorised road transport fleet displayed in the fomer GJR yard for the photographer in 1912

Ref: lnwrcs1497a Public Records Office Close up showing the fleet of primarily light motor lorries together with a sole example of a lorry for medium loads

Ref: lnwrcs1497b Public Records Office Close up showing Curzon Street's steam powered lorry for transporting very heavy loads throughout the city

Ref: lnwrcs2160 CC Green A cart load of hay being weighed at Smithfield Market prior to being sold at the corn and fodder markets

Ref: lnwrcs2123 NRM The LMS office situated inside Birmingham Corporation's Smithfield wholesale fruit and vegetable market

Ref: lnwrcs2316 DJ Norton A panoramic elevated view of Curzon Street Goods Station from Vauxhall viaduct seen on 25th July 1955

Ref: lnwrcs2316a DJ Norton Close up showing Proof House junction alongside Curzon Street's former Excursion Station buildings

Ref: lnwrcs2316b DJ Norton Close up showing Curzon Street No 1 signal cabin in company with two unidentified ex-LMS 2-6-0 'Stanier Crabs'

Ref: lnwrcs2316c DJ Norton Close up showing sidings Nos 21 to 36 with an ex-LMS 0-6-0 Diesel shunter working adjacent to the former GJR station

Ref: lnwrcs2175 Anon Copy of drawing of the covered landing provided at the Curzon Street Canal Wharf for the L&B Railway

Ref: lnwrcs2173 Birmingham Libraries An Ackerman perspective of Birmingham in 1845 showing the L & B and GJ stations at Curzon Street

Ref: lnwrcs2173a Birmingham Libraries Close up showing the two stations in the Ackerman perspective of Birmingham in 1845 with Proof House

Ref: lnwrcs2174 R Foster Map showing Birmingham's three principle stations in 1845 serving London, Derby, Manchester and Liverpool

Ref: lnwrcs2165 R Foster An over all plan showing the routes into Curzon Street Goods Station's sidings and warehouses in 1864

Ref: lnwrcs2165a R Foster Close up of the 1864 plan showing the interchange of lines between the former L & B, GJR and B & G lines

Ref: lnwrcs2165b R Foster Close up of the 1864 plan showing the original Banbury Street cattle sidings and Curzon Street's main warehouse

Ref: lnwrcs2165c R Foster Close up of the 1864 plan showing the expanded facilities of Top Yard at Curzon Street Goods Station

Ref: lnwrcs2164 R Foster Plan of the development of Curzon Street's Top Yard and its facilities between 1865 and 1890

Ref: lnwrcs2161 R Foster Plan showing the throat of Curzon Street Goods Station including the buildings erected to service the yard

Ref: lnwrcs2162a R Foster Part of an 1888 diagramatic plan of Curzon Street showing Lawley Street Junction and Curzon Street Wharf sidings

Ref: lnwrcs2162b R Foster Part of an 1888 diagrammatic plan of Curzon Street showing the carriage shed and Proof House Junction

Ref: lnwrcs2162c R Foster Part of an 1888 diagrammatic plan of Curzon Street Goods Station showing the sidings and warehouses

Ref: lnwrcs2315 J Copsey Schematic showing the original routes to New Street station from Aston, Coventry and Gloucester

Ref: curzon_street_map A Doherty Map showing the location of Curzon Street Goods Station in relation to Banbury Street and Curzon Street