Qualla: London Paddington Station

London Paddington Station: Introduction

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Oxyman, CC BY 2.5. Isambard Kingdom Brunel announced the construction of a railway from Bristol to London on 30 July 1833. He intended it to be the best railway in the country. When it came time to build the London terminus, he rejected any compromise: nothing less than a grand station dedicated entirely to the Great Western Railway would do. The glazed roof he designed — three spans of wrought iron arches, the widest reaching 102 feet across, the whole structure 699 feet long — took inspiration from Joseph Paxton's Crystal Palace and the Hauptbahnhof in Munich. It opened in January 1854. In the year ending March 2025, an estimated 69.9 million people passed through it, making Paddington the third busiest station in Great Britain.

Image: Oxyman | CC BY 2.5

London Paddington Station: Brunel's Shed

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Cnbrb at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0. The train shed that stands today is substantially the one Brunel designed, though it has been modified and expanded in the century and a half since. The original three spans were joined by a fourth span of 109 feet in 1906–1915, added parallel to the others in a similar style. Th...

Image: Cnbrb at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0

London Paddington Station: War, Steam, and Survival

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jaggery, CC BY-SA 2.0. During the Second World War, Paddington was attacked multiple times. On 17 April 1941, a parachute mine hit the departure side of the station. On 22 March 1944, two 500-pound bombs destroyed the roof between platforms 6 and 7. Yet passenger traffic increased dramatically througho...

Image: Jaggery | CC BY-SA 2.0

London Paddington Station: A Bear from Peru

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Democoma, CC BY-SA 4.0. Under the clock on platform 1, beside Brunel's statue, stands another figure: Paddington Bear, the creation of author Michael Bond. In Bond's stories, the small bear was found at the station having arrived from 'deepest, darkest Peru,' with a note attached to his coat reading 'pl...

Image: Democoma | CC BY-SA 4.0

London Paddington Station: The Station Now

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Sunil060902, CC BY-SA 4.0. In the year ending March 2025, Paddington handled 69.9 million entries and exits — third in Great Britain after London Liverpool Street and London Waterloo. The opening of the Elizabeth line in May 2022 significantly increased the station's reach: underground platforms A and B co...

Image: Sunil060902 | CC BY-SA 4.0