Last night we hosted an event with renowned travel and architecture writer Christopher Beanland as he spoke about his new book Station: A Journey Through 20th And 21st Century Railway Architecture And Design published by Batsford.
After looking at some of the stations and information from the book in depth, there was a lively Q&A and debate where the room was divided by their views on the Elizabeth Line. The evening ended as always with a book signing. We have a few extra signed copies in store if you are fast.
Many railway books are about nostalgia for the steam age, but this one is different: a global study of railway architecture from the 1950s onwards and into the future. In 50 fascinating entries, Christopher Beanland looks primarily at stations but also covers starkly brutalist signal boxes and depots, charming art-adorned undergrounds and international examples of pioneering signage and design.
Station explores LA’s iconic Union Station, the verdant Atocha Station in Madrid and Warsaw’s spectacular modernist stations, but it also includes less familiar examples such as Saudi Arabia’s high-speed Haramain Line, the joyous monorail at Walt Disney World Resort and Mexico’s anticipated Tren Maya. The book also contains essays on topics including hanging railways in Germany and Japan, the intriguing architecture and design of Berlin’s U-Bahn stations and the joy of interrailing.
Illustrated with glorious photographs throughout, this stylish and contemporary book is a celebration of modern railway architecture at its best and will appeal to rail enthusiasts and architecture aficionados alike.
