HS2 begins restoring historic railway building

Work is now under way on a project to transform Birmingham’s Grade I-listed Old Curzon Street Station building for HS2.Midlands contractor KN Circet is leading a team of local restoration specialists on the 12-month restoration of one of the world’s oldest railway buildingsThe team will carry out intricate restoration work on the building, which was designed by the notable architect Philip Hardwick and opened in 1838 as the Birmingham terminus for the London and Birmingham Railway Co (L&BR) line that connected to Euston Station in London.The project will be undertaken by KN Circet’s transport and infrastructure division, working for HS2’s enabling works contractor LMJV, made up of Laing O’Rourke and J Murphy & Sons.The Grade I listed building has been integrated into HS2’s plans for the new Curzon Street Station, which incorporate a setting to reflect the history of the old station as well as the Grade II-listed Woodman pub. The public space surrounding the station will feature the historic track alignments of the former goods yard that used to lie to its east, and the gardens and new eastern concourse façade have also been designed to complement the architecture of the building.Work on the old station building will include a new steel structural frame for strengthening, a new lift giving access to all four levels, new glass balustrade for the historic staircase, internal fit-out, roof repairs, structural repairs to the external façade, and a full clean of the external building masonry.The team which will include local specialists who have traditional skills including carpentry and stonemasonry. Companies on board so far to work with KN Circet include Solihull-based Umberslade doing the strip-out, Redditch-based Orton Group supplying mechanical and electrical design and installation, and Rugeley based JFE Attridge Scaffolding Services.Old Curzon Street Station was the first railway terminus serving the centre of Birmingham and built during a period of great significance and growth for the city. Having suffered extensive damage during the Birmingham Blitz, and surviving two applications for its demolition in the 1970s, it is now listed on the ‘Heritage at Risk Register’ maintained by Historic England. The refurbishment will see this status change for the first time in over a decade. The plan is to use it as an HS2 visitors centre, with facilities for office space, exhibition purposes and catering.