Railway History: The Rise of the Railway Station
Gain a unique insight into British history as you explore the heritage and uses of railway stations from the 19th century to now with this online course from the University of Strathclyde.
Duration
4 weeks
Weekly study
3 hours
100% online
How it works
Unlimited subscription
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Go behind the scenes of York Railway Museum with the University of Strathclyde
Railway stations are an integral part of British history, helping to shape the economy and Britain’s built environment.
On this four-week course, you’ll discover the heritage of railway stations and their significance in British history and culture.
You’ll explore York’s Railway Museum – one of the UK’s most popular museums – and go behind the scenes to locations that are not open to the public.
With this unique insight, you’ll reflect on how railway station heritage can be preserved and displayed.
Explore railway stations as an aspect of British architecture
Victorian railway stations are a highly visible aspect of Britain’s built environment. On the course, you’ll explore how the innovative architecture and design of these stations have had a significant influence on British architecture.
You’ll also discover how stations helped to shape the urban environments of towns and cities and to draw people into rural locations.
Explore the role of the stationmaster and other station staff
Next, you’ll unpack the uses of railway stations and the people within them.
You’ll learn how stations have helped stimulate an economy centred on railway travel and provided jobs to a new cohort of workers including stationmasters, ticket office staff, and transport police.
You’ll delve further into the role of station people to understand their experiences and the current issues regarding the treatment and safety of station staff.
Learn more about the history of British railways
Finally, you’ll consider how railway stations have been represented throughout British culture in art, film, and literature.
By the end of the course, you’ll understand the importance of railway stations in British history.
Week 1
Architecture and Design
Welcome to the Course
Here we'll introduce you to what you'll be learning over the next 4 weeks, and who you'll be learning with.
Welcome to the Week
In this activity, we'll think about the very first railway stations.
Styles of Stations
In this section, we'll look at various aspects of station architecture.
Station Scenes
Here we'll think about the many and varied functions of railway stations and how they might have appeared in the Victorian period.
Week 2
Using the Station
Welcome to the Week
Here we'll introduce what we'll be learning this week.
Hospitality
In this section we'll look at how stations provided gradually more facilities - but not always the warmest of welcomes - for a range of travellers and other customers.
Buying and Selling
In this activity, we'll dedicate attention to the retailers that made themselves at home in stations.
Spaces
Here we'll examine the various distinct spaces in stations and how they were divided.
Week 3
Station People
Welcome to the Week
In this section, we'll cover what we'll be learning throughout the week.
The Stationmaster
In this activity, we'll learn about the role of the stationmaster.
Station Occupations
Now we've learned about the stationmaster, we'll turn our attention to the other occupations present in the railway station.
Safety, Crime and Spectacle
We'll now dedicate some time to looking at how railway stations were often contentious sites, places of crime, protest and spectacle.
Week 4
The Station in the Cultural Imagination
Welcome to the Week
Here, we'll cover what we'll be learning in our final week.
The Station in Art
In this activity, we'll think about representations of the railway station in art of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Station in Literature
We'll now move on to explore how the railway station is represented in literature, across various genres.
The Station and Children
Before we conclude, we'll think about connection between children and the railway station in literature.
Summary and conclusion
To conclude this week, we'll summarise what we've learned and have some space for discussion.
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