Exeter Civic Society is delighted to see three buildings of Central Station awarded listed status: the main station building, the luggage/pedestrian bridge over the rails and the link building between them.
We supported the application, as a unique building, of good quality, and one which enhances the local area. It is relatively unchanged since it was built in the 1930s. The main alteration to the exterior is the conversion of the area in front from a taxi pull-in to a pedestrian area, which has actually been an improvement.
From the communication of Historic England:
“Exeter Central Station, Queen Street, Exeter, Devon is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as an excellent example of a purpose-built Southern Railway station of the 1930s;
* for its accomplished and well-composed Wren Revival design, incorporating quadrant wings with offices above and an integrated passenger footbridge and luggageway with lifts;
* for the high degree of completeness and survival. The station retains a substantial proportion of its historic fabric, both externally and within the offices above the booking hall.
Historic interest:
* as a notable expression of the Southern Railway’s interwar commitment to providing architecturally ambitious stations tailored to their locations and civic importance, in this case creating a prominent gateway building for the city of Exeter;
* as an embodiment of the confidence and ambition of public architecture in Exeter during the interwar period, prior to the extensive destruction caused by Second World War bombing;
* for its particularly sensitive and historically significant setting adjacent to Rougemont Castle and the city walls (scheduled monuments), Northernhay and Rougemont Gardens (Registered Park and Garden at Grade II) and Royal Albert Memorial Museum (listed at Grade II).”
For those who want to read the full HE case, follow the link: Exeter Central Station, Non Civil Parish – 1495589 | Historic England