News / Bristol Temple Meads
Derelict rooms at Temple Meads to become new shops and toilets
A number of empty and derelict rooms at Bristol Temple Meads look likely to become new shop units and toilet facilities.
The Midland Rooms are located to the left of the main entrance to the station and originally contained waiting rooms, offices and accommodation for railway staff.
Their refurbishment is part of a multi-million pound redevelopment of Temple Meads by Network Rail.
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The Midland Rooms were former offices and passenger facilities, with the Midland Shed (now a car park) the trainshed extension to Brunel’s passenger shed – photo: Martin Booth
Network Rail’s heritage manager Colin Field said that the spaces will be brought back into use “including comprehensive repair of the roof; reinstatement of floors; and replastering of walls and ceilings, including reinstatement of cornices”.
“Some loss of original partition walls is required to provide adequate space for retail, but this has been minimised as much as possible and key features such as chimneys stack and wall stubs have been retained so that the original wall locations can still be read.
“Where historic features have survived, such as the small office with its tile floor, and the surviving ceilings, they will be retained and restored.
“External changes necessary to bring the rooms back into sustainable use will be executed in the same way as has been consented for the Platform 3 offices on the other side of the forecourt, in order to maintain a harmonious approach.
“This includes new doors detailed to match the original openings, following the precedent set by the GWR with its 1930s alterations.”
The Midland Shed and the Midland Rooms were constructed as part of the ‘joint’ Temple Meads station in the 1870s – photo: Martin Booth
In a statement, Bristol Rail Campaign said: “Temple Meads currently lacks good places where people can meet, wait for friends or part company.
“The Midland Rooms are ideally situated for this, being outside the ticket barriers but close to the station’s main entrance. Modern, accessible toilets will also be a welcome addition…
“We were surprised that these plans do not address to arched entrance currently used by vehicles entering the covered car park in the Midland Shed.
“This passes between two of the retail units, and could presumably be a feature of this development once the car park closes.”
They added: “We welcome these plans, which will play a part in the renaissance of Temple Meads.
“They are part of the masterplan which will over time transform the Midland Shed into a destination in its own right.”
The Midland Rooms have been largely unused since the 1960s – photo: Martin Booth
Bristol Civic Society also welcomed the proposal, with their statement saying that “this is an underused part of the station which has struggled to find a purpose since the Midland Shed closed to trains in the mid 1960s. As a consequence it has suffered from decades of neglect.”
“These rooms were originally small offices, and we accept that to adapt them for retail use it will be necessary to alter internal partitions and change access. Some of these changes will affect significant facades.
“However, the best way to assure the future of a historic building is to find it a good use, and these alterations seem like a fair price to pay to achieve that goal.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
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