This very welcome book offers dissertations on the major London train termini, with the history of their construction and every major development since, alongside period images and new photographs that get to show off all the architectural talking points with lockdown levels of commuters in the way. Here, then, is the entrepreneur who dared to dig up Lords, create a cut 'n' cover train line underneath it, and get the ground pitch perfect for the next season's cricket without ever missing a day's play. Here is the underground overground station where you can do all but sit and wait for your train. Here is the station where millions pass through an area calculated by using the beer barrel as a measuring stick.

Not all of the imagery is to the same uniform standard (ooh, look, a lift), but a lot of the shots are perfectly fine for students of architecture, and/or go some to explain what we're looking at when passing through. In fact the passing through may just become a pause and reflection, and I don't say that because of all the war memorials I knew nothing about here – this is just about good enough to make these stations a destination in and of themselves. Not Victoria, though – Victoria's a mess. Eye-opening, and very amenable with it, this gets a strong four stars – if not more from the serious hobbyist historian.

The real star of this book’s show, for me, is the photography. It’s utterly glorious! So many of the images provide birds-eye views one couldn’t get as an everyday pedestrian!

Whether or not the reader has spent any time in London before picking this up, they’ll inevitably find something of interest in it. I’ve been blessed to visit London several times, and used the Tube fairly extensively, so many a station name included is familiar to me. Paddington is, of course, particularly loved–not only because I stayed closest to there on my last visit, but because of Paddington Bear! (And he suitably gets a mention in this book, as well–as he should.)

Green does a fantastic job at setting each station in both its historical and present-day contexts; the text does read a tad bit dry for me at times, mostly because I’m not 100% a railway aficionado–I’m 125% a London aficionado. 😀 I particularly appreciated Green’s inclusion of literary and film references; one could not mention King’s Cross, for example, without mentioning Harry Potter! And, I learned something new in the section on St Pancras–Midland Railway’s original route ran across the St Pancras churchyard, and Thomas Hardy was a trainee assisting in exhuming bodies to help pave (literally) the way for the station. Some of his writings soon after reflected that experience. (Can’t say I envy him!)

I definitely recommend the read; come for the pictures, and stay for the text.

4/5 stars.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Even if you didn’t read a single word in this book, it’s so worth the purchase. The pictures are so beautiful and artfully taken. The book has so much information that I had no idea and was very interesting.

This is both visually stunning and so very interesting! A tour of London's Victorian train stations, both current and defunct, it's arranged loosely in geographical order. Each article includes not only information about the history and construction of the station, but interesting anecdotes from its time in service, from wartime use to the site of the first railway murder!

Each station is documented with a generous number of gorgeous photographs, both contemporary and from archives. Architectural details are lovingly showcased in large-scale and detail shots.

This would be of great interest to history buffs, architecture enthusiasts, armchair travelers, amateur historians, and anyone interested in the growth of cities and transit. There are so many fascinating stories here, and a fabulous visual tour!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Architecture and train aficionados rejoice! This tome is filled with the history of railways in Greater London as well as images, maps, and short biographies of individuals memorialized at the various terminus stations. Images highlight the unique architectural designs of individual stations as well as some of the surrounding sights juxtaposed with artworks or lithographs of the station in earlier days. Table of contents, index, and further readings provided for ease of navigating the text as well as diving deeper into topics. Would make a beautiful coffee table book after personal use.

This book made me travel to London and I was brought back to the times I started a trip from those stations.
I learned about them and their history. Great illustrations.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Of course, England had a big hand in the Industrial Revolution and the arrival of railroads. The British sure knew how to build stations that, all these years later, still impress. They can add pleasure and excitement to a journey.

A number of sites are featured in this title. I immediately tested the book by looking for St. Pancras and Kings Cross because I have spent time in them. Sure enough, they are here along with many others including Paddington, London Bridge, Charing Cross and a number of others.

This title is packed with photos, maps and texts. If its subject matter is of interest, this is highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are m