The Victorian station buildings were opened on 9 October 1848;the other buildings located in Winton Square,including the North Stafford Hotel,were opened in June 1849. All these buildings were constructed by John Jay to the design of H.A. Hunt of London,using an architectural style referred to as "robust Jacobean manor-house".[1] The station was built by the North Staffordshire Railway Company (NSR) and,until the amalgamation of 1923,housed the company's boardroom and its principal offices.[2]
On 14 September 2015,the station began its new development project. Platform 1 saw the introduction of automatic ticket barriers in December 2015,along with new fast ticket machines. The historic entrance onto platform 2 following reconstruction work was reopened in February 2016,with new automatic ticket barriers and ticket machines. Alongside this,platform 2 gained a new retail space and the waiting room was also refurbished,opening in January 2016.[4]
Design
The station is situated in Winton Square,which is described as Britain's only piece of major town planning undertaken by a railway company specifically to offset a station building. It is a Grade II* listed building,one of four listed buildings in the square;the North Stafford Hotel,directly opposite the station,is also Grade II* listed,while a statue of Josiah Wedgwood and a row of railway cottages either side of the square are Grade II listed.[2][5][6]
The building is constructed of dark red brick,with black diapering and stone dressings. It has three Dutch-style gables;the central gable has a prominent first-floor bay window,which is decoratively mullioned,above which is a parapet bearing the NSR's coat of arms. Behind the bay window is the boardroom of the NSR,while the remainder of the upper floor was designed as office space. Either side of the bay window is a terrace,which runs across the top of an arcade of Tuscan columns flanking seven arches,each of which contains a fanlight.[2]
for south and eastbound services to Derby,Stafford and London Euston
for north and westbound services to Crewe,Macclesfield,Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly
a bay,for northbound stopping services to Manchester Piccadilly.
There was a central through-line without a platform,but this was removed in May 2009;platform 1 was also lengthened to accommodate longer trains.[citation needed]
Facilities
Stoke-on-Trent station is owned by Network Rail and is managed by Avanti West Coast. The main entrance to the station is from Winton Square,opposite the North Stafford Hotel,into a large modern booking hall;it has an enquiry office,ticket machines,a cashpoint and level access to platform 1. On this platform are the main buildings,refreshment room and bar,free CCTV-covered racks for 66 bicycles,a post box,toilets,a refurbished waiting room,a first class lounge with wi-fi and offices for the British Transport Police. There is both a tiled passenger subway and a passenger operated lift connecting platform 1 with 2 and 3.[7]
The station building retains much of its mid-Victorian character,including a classic glazed roof,built in 1893,that spans the platforms. A war memorial,with brass nameplates naming the employees of the North Staffordshire Railway who died during World War I,discreetly flanks the entrance to platform 1. The station underwent restoration work in the 1990s,having fallen into disrepair.[2]
The station is currently served by five train operating companies;these provide the following general off-peak services,in trains per hour/day (tph/tpd):
Freight trains on Mondays, carrying Cornish clay for use in Stoke's pottery industry, pass through the station. These trains supply an industrial spur line at Cliffe Vale, just north of Stoke station.
Freight trains on Fridays also take various freight wagons from Arpley Sidings, near Warrington, to Axiom Rail (Stoke Marcroft) for general repairs, maintenance and sometimes conversions. The return up to Arpley Sidings, with completed wagons, normally happens on the same day.
Future proposals
There are proposals to reopen the mothballed Stoke–Leek line.[13][14] This would allow Leek to be reconnected to the National Rail network for the first time in 40 years, via Fenton Manor, allowing for future metro services.[15][16] The plan has received approval from the county council and is in the early construction phase of a new station at Leek and the connecting railway.
In October 2020, Stoke-on-Trent City Council proposed a tram network. Stoke station would connect to Hanley, with onward trams to Tunstall and Burslem.[18]
The original, now disused, goods yard lies behind the northbound platforms. There were various proposals for its use, including an "iconic" conference centre. However, in April 2007, Virgin Trains announced that 264 new car parking spaces would be made available at Stoke-on-Trent station by January 2009, adding to the two existing small car parks.[19] A new access road, junction and traffic lights were constructed to serve the goods yard road entrance, when the A500 upgrade was completed in 2006/7. The new car park opened October 2009.
Winton Chambers (a self-contained section of the main station building, including the entire upper floor) is currently leased to the University of Staffordshire, which has its main Stoke-on-Trent campuses in College Road, off Station Road, and in Leek Road nearby. The university also leases nos. 1, 2 & 3 Winton Square and nos. 4 & 5 Winton Square which, with the North Stafford Hotel and the current station, comprise the original 1848 station complex. There is also a Subway outlet situated to the right of the hotel.
Directly opposite the station entrance is the statue of potter Josiah Wedgwood (1730–1795), sculpted by Edward Davis and erected in 1863. Wedgwood holds in his hand an exact copy of the Portland Vase, the reproduction of which showed the British that they could at last surpass the achievements of the finest craftsmen of the Roman Empire. The statue stands in front of the North Stafford Hotel.
Also directly opposite the station is the British Pottery Manufacturer's Federation Club (The Potter's Club), which is a large private members' club situated in Federation House. Established in 1951, it is run for the benefit of the many local pottery manufacturers.
Also the main Royal Mail depot for Stoke-on-Trent is located opposite the station, next to the North Stafford Hotel. Until the early 1990s, mail arrived from all over the county into Stoke station and then transferred across the road to the sorting office.
University Quarter
Staffordshire University has expanded rapidly in recent years[when?] and a large area to the north-east of the station is now seen as a developing University Quarter.[20] It now absorbs the relocated sixth-form college, previously sited a mile or so to the south at Fenton, and the main further education college just to the north and possibly also the Burslem campus of Stoke-on-Trent College. This £150m "quarter regeneration" will also entail investment in the immediate surroundings of the station.[citation needed]
References
↑Pevsner, Nikolaus; The Buildings of England - Staffordshire, Penguin Books Ltd, 1974. ISBN0-14-071046-9 (page 262)
12Stations in Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees are considered part of North East England, while stations in the unitary areas of York and North Yorkshire are considered part of Yorkshire and the Humber.
↑Stations in North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire are considered part of Yorkshire and the Humber, while all other stations are considered part of the East Midlands.
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