June 2010

The Annual General Meeting of the Farnham Decorative and Fine Arts Society was held on Tuesday June 15th  in the Maltings followed by a talk on ’St. Pancras and Friends: a Journey through London’s Stations’ by Andrew Davies.

The Chairman Peter Duffy reported on a growth in the membership and the many activities, other than the Lectures, which include Church Recording, Garden Recording, Heritage Volunteers and work with local Young Arts Groups and Charities. He thanked the Committee and all those involved in the running of the Society and Mrs Elizabeth Bagnall, the President, thanked all the Volunteers and those involved in the charitable work. Study Days and Outings and Theatres were also available to Members.

Mr. Duffy introduced Mr. Andrew Davies who is an Academic, Author and Tour Guide well known to members for his brilliant and informative talks. Mr. Davies showed that Railway Stations are beautiful, monumental buildings which are often overlooked. He talked about the first simple wooden structures of the railway to the steam trains and iron rails of the Industrial Revolution. Stations were built by different companies who used design to reassure and attract people to use the Railways. The Euston Arch was a monumental Gateway to the North, sadly demolished in the 1960s, along with the elegant Booking Hall. Government control stopped the lines from crossing a useful road so all routes from the north stopped at the Euston Road.

Many stations have distinctive features: Kings Cross has the clock from the great Exhibition; Paddington was designed by Brunel with gothic windows and decorated arches; the Victory Arch entrance to Waterloo is a war memorial for World War I. These soaring edifices of glass, iron, brick and stone are like secular Cathedrals in size and design.

Attracting passengers to use the railway resulted in Posters advertising destinations such as Sea Side Resorts, the Winter Sales and the Exhibition of 1934 and produced a unique art form in the early 20th Century.

Sadly the railways became neglected in the mid 20th Century and many significant buildings were demolished. In 2000 a renaissance started with the Docklands Light Railway and the Jubilee line. Canary Wharf Station was designed by Norman Foster and is a brilliant design in glass and steel of monumental proportions, larger than St. Pauls Cathedral. A journey on the D.L.R is a great way to view the rejuvenated Docklands.

The St. Pancras refurbishment brought back the glories of the past with the Lakeland blue decorative ironwork of the arches contrasting with the rose and cream of the building. The front is like a fairytale castle with exquisite carvings. In the concourse is a statue of Sir John Betjeman who so loved Railways and was instrumental in saving St .Pancras from destruction.

Andrew Davies shared his enthusiasm with us in this wonderful talk and opened our eyes to look beyond the trains to see the dramatic modern and historic buildings which still give pleasure today.

Written by Heather Fox