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ABSTRACT
Results of a study of the southern portion of the railway lands adjacent to York Station are considered. An early straight shed and a rare combination of three roundhouses, variously built by the Great North of England Railway, the York and North Midland Railway and the North Eastern Railway at the York South Motive Power Depot, were investigated and preserved in situ beneath the new rail operating centre, the largest in the country. Originally constructed between 1841 and 1864, these remarkable engine sheds remained in railway use for up to 120 years. Documentary and archaeological evidence is considered and placed within a wider context to explain how these buildings were adapted as their functions evolved. This allows us to understand how the sheds remained in operation after comparable structures at other depots became obsolete.
Acknowledgements
This paper is the culmination of a complex programme of archaeological investigations whose integration into an already demanding construction project was achieved by BAM Construction Ltd and Ramboll with the support of Network Rail’s project manager, Luan Anderson, and input from York’s City Archaeologist, John Oxley. Documentary research by the late Christopher Phillpotts provided the basis for Ramboll’s initial historical study of York South’s development by Edward James. Particular thanks are extended to Mark Sissons, Bill Fawcett and Nick Beilby, who provided expert advice on various aspects of historic railway development, architecture, structures and equipment. Archaeological fieldwork by PCA was supervised by Aaron Goode, under the management of Robin Taylor-Wilson. Frank Meddens (PCA) is acknowledged for overseeing editorial work on earlier drafts of this paper, and Mark Roughley (PCA) for the illustrations.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes on the Contributors
Phil Emery is an archaeologist with 30 years of experience in commercial archaeology gained prior to his joining Canal & River Trust as a Senior Heritage Advisor in 2016. Having entered archaeology as a volunteer in Southwark (1982/3), he worked for the Museum of London’s Department of Greater London Archaeology (1986–90), Norfolk Archaeological Unit (1992–2001), Birkbeck College (2001) and, as a heritage consultant, Gifford, now Ramboll (2002–16). He oversaw excavations at Norwich Greyfriars (1992–5) and led the investigations at St Pancras burial ground as part of construction of High Speed 1 (2002–4), both projects culminating in monographs. At Westminster Hall (2005–6) Phil was instrumental in recovering remains of the King’s Table, and subsequent interpretation and publication, and at Fulham Palace (2004–present) he helped steer three successive restoration projects. Phil has worked in Sweden, France (repatriating the remains excavated at St Pancras of two prelates who died in exile in England after the Revolution) and Sudan. He has a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Leeds (1986) and a Master’s degree in Archaeological Practice (1991) from the University of York. He is a Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and a Trustee of Fulham Palace Trust.
Rebecca Haslam has worked in the professional archaeological sector since 2001. In her capacity as a Senior Project Officer at Pre-Construct Archaeology she has directed many large-scale urban and rural projects in London and south-east England that have ranged in date from the prehistoric period to the 20th century; however, post-medieval and industrial sites have formed the core of her research interests in recent years. Her ten-year tenure as the lead archaeologist on the King’s Cross Central redevelopment project has fostered a keen interest in railway archaeology and the development and evolution of Britain’s railway network. Rebecca was awarded the Association for Industrial Archaeology’s Archaeological Report Award 2017 in recognition of her work on King’s Cross.
Notes
1 Ramboll / PCA, ‘Archaeological Investigations at the York Engineering Triangle Site, Cinder Lane, off Leeman Road, York Assessment Report’ (unpublished report, Ramboll / Pre-Construct Archaeology, 2013); Ramboll / PCA, ‘Evaluation: Ole Anchor Positions, York Engineers’ Triangle, Cinder Lane, off Leeman Road, York Railway Station, York’ (unpublished report, Ramboll / Pre-Construct Archaeology, 2015); Emery, P. & A. Goode, ‘York South Motive Power Depot Revealed- Archaeological Investigations for Network Rail’s New Operating and Training Facility’, Society for Historical Archaeological Newsletter, 45.2 (2012), 30–1.
2 Ramboll, ‘York Engineers’ Triangle: Interim Heritage Statement’ (unpublished report, Ramboll, 2012a); Ramboll, ‘York Engineers’ Triangle: Heritage Statement’ (unpublished report, Ramboll, 2012b).
3 Ramboll, ‘York Engineers’ Triangle: Archaeological Remains Management Plan’ (unpublished report, Ramboll, 2012c).
4 Griffiths, R. & J. Hooper, Great Northern Railway Engine Sheds Vol. 3: Yorkshire and Lancashire (Nottingham: Booklaw / Railbus Publications, 2000), 99.
5 Hoole, K., The Railways of York (Clapham: Dalesman Books, 1976), 15, 40.
6 Ibid., 37.
7 TNA RAIL 232.32a, Contract dated 22 September 1840 from the Great North of England Railway to Joseph and Richard Crawshaw.
8 Bright, I. & G. Thompson, ‘Obsolescence in the Round; an Archaeological Investigation at the Former Midland Roundhouse at King’s Cross’, London’s Industrial Archaeology (forthcoming).
9 Wrottesley, J., The Great Northern Railway. Volume 1: Origins and Development (Batsford, 1979), 12–13.
10 Ibid., 13; Nock, O.S., The Great Northern Railway (Ian Allan, 1974), 4.
11 Simmons, J. & G. Biddle, The Oxford Companion to British Railway History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), 192.
12 Ibid., 576.
13 Ibid., 214.
14 Fawcett, B., A History of North Eastern Railway Architecture Volume I: Pioneers (Hull: North Eastern Railway Association, 2001), 108.
15 TNA RAIL 770.14, Letter from YNM chief engineer Thomas Cabry requesting permission to proceed with the construction of the 1852 roundhouse.
16 TNA RAIL 527.23691, Plans of the three roundhouses, probably dating to William Bell’s 1889–90 rebuild; TNA RAIL 527.590, Plans and cross sections of the 1852 roundhouse, probably compiled by William Bell in 1889.
17 Fawcett, ref. 14.
18 TNA RAIL 527.590, ref. 16.
19 TNA RAIL 527.590, ref. 16.
20 Ibid.
21 Ibid.
22 Morriss, R., The Archaeology of Railways (Stroud: Tempus, 1999), 143.
23 Ibid.
24 Tucker, M.J., ‘The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, London, NW1: Scoping Report for Archaeological Work below Ground’ (unpublished report 3, The Roundhouse Trust, 2003).
25 Fawcett, ref. 14.
26 Ibid., 145.
27 Morriss, ref. 22, 144; Rennison, R.W., Civil Engineering Heritage: Northern England (Thomas Telford, 1996), 179–80.
28 Morriss, ref. 22.
29 Bolger, P., BR Steam M.P.Ds. – NER (Ian Allan, 1984), 10.
30 Simmons, J., The Railways of Great Britain: A Journey through History (Bristol: Book Promotions Ltd, 1986), 27.
31 Ibid.
32 Hoole, K., North Eastern Railway Engine Sheds (Newton Abbot: David and Charles Ltd, 1972), 153–4.
33 TNA RAIL 527.2369e, Architectural plan of the 1864 roundhouse as designed by Thomas Prosser.
34 Ibid.; TNA RAIL 527.2368e, Contemporary cross-section drawing of the 1864 roundhouse as designed by Thomas Prosser.
35 TNA RAIL 527.2369e, ref. 33; Hoole, K., Rail Centres No. 2: York (Nottingham: Booklaw Publications, 1983), 74.
36 Hoole, ref. 35.
37 TNA RAIL 527.2368e, ref. 34; TNA RAIL 527.2369e, ref. 33.
38 Ibid.
39 Townend, P.N., Top Shed: A Pictorial History of King's Cross Locomotive Depot (Ian Allan Ltd, 1989), 76.
40 TNA RAIL 527.2368e, ref. 34.
41 Hoole, ref. 35, 20.
42 Ibid.
43 Ibid., 94.
44 Griffiths & Hooper, ref. 4, 103.
45 TNA RAIL 527.23691, ref. 16; TNA RAIL 527.590, ref. 16.
46 TNA RAIL 527.2368e, ref. 34; TNA RAIL 527.2369e, ref. 33.
47 Hoole, ref. 5, 37; Hoole, ref. 35, 23.
48 Greaves, J., ‘The First World War and its Aftermath’, in F. Carnevali & J. Strange (eds), 20th Century Britain. Economic, Cultural and Social Change (Harlow: Pearson Longman, 2007), 128; Wolmar, C., Fire & Steam: How the Railways Transformed Britain (Atlantic Books, 2007), 208.
49 Hoole, ref. 35, 100–1.
50 Hoole, ref. 32, 38.
51 Whitehouse, P. & D. St John Thomas, LNER 150 (Newton Abbot: David and Charles Ltd, 2002), 10; Bonavia, M.R., A History of the LNER Volume 1. The First Years, 1922–33 (George Allen & Unwin), 1.
52 Rose, P., Railway Memories No. 5: Return to York (Todmorden: Bellcode, 1994), 21, 23.
53 Hoole, ref. 32, 93; Griffiths & Hooper, ref. 4.
54 Whitehouse & St John Thomas, ref. 51, 85–6.
55 Hoole, ref. 32, 97; Hoole, ref. 35, 103.
56 Hoole, ref. 5, 79.
57 Jackson, T., British Rail: The Nation’s Railways (Stroud: The History Press, 2013), 26.
58 Ibid., 27.
59 British Railways Board, The Reshaping of British Railways (Her Majesty’s Stationary Office, 1963), 103–5.
60 Bolger, ref. 29, 9; Hoole, ref. 5, 38.
61 Ibid.
62 Hoole, ref. 32, 38.
63 Ibid., 79.
64 Morriss, ref. 22, 144.
65 Ibid.
66 Griffiths, R. & J. Hooper, Great Northern Railway Engine Sheds: Volume 2: The Lincolnshire Loop: Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire (Huddersfield: Challenger Publications, 1996), 117.
67 Hoole, ref. 35, 252.
68 Ibid.
69 Townend, ref 39, 33.
70 Ibid.
71 Hoole, ref. 35, 99.
72 Whitehouse & St John Thomas, ref. 51, 13.