(The Lawn) Paddington Station

In 2015 a multi-million-pound regeneration project saw Network Rail and English Heritage with shared objectives to balance the need for improved footfall against the preservation of historic structure. As part of plans to remodel an internal retail space (The Lawn), a historic summary and listed building impact assessment were carried out. One of Britain’s most important early Victorian railway stations, designed by Isambard Brunel and Matthew Wyatt, it is significant for its striking spans and cathedral-like transepts. The scheme followed on from the Master plan of 1999 which had returned the splendour and clarity of the original design by removing ad-hoc additions to reveal the original structure. The key addition to the station was The Lawn (once the stationmaster’s garden), a double height structure of glass and concrete at the station’s south end. Our heritage input was to work with the designers in providing an initial historic building impact assessment for the pre – app; this was followed by a summary of architectural and historic significance of the Lawn and a design and heritage impact assessment of proposals. The work enabled Paddington Lawn to improve its brand as a top spot for station retailing and dining whilst integrating modern design with original period station architecture.