Newcastle Central Station

John Dobson's curving 1850 train shed, one of Britain's finest stations

Architecturally one of the great British railway stations. John Dobson's curving 200-metre train shed of 1850 was the first to use a curved roof structure of any size, and Thomas Prosser's portico and porte-cochère at the front provided the prototype for similar treatments at York and Manchester.

Worth a few minutes' look even if you are not catching a train. The original wrought-iron station name above the entrance is still in place; the interior shed roof, with three parallel arched spans of glass and iron, is best appreciated from the platforms.

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A story
Newcastle Central was opened by Queen Victoria in 1850 and was the first British railway station to use a curving cast-iron and glass train shed — a 200-metre arc that became the template for every great Victorian terminus that followed.