Wolverhampton High Level Station was built in 1852 and lay on what used to be known as the Stour Valley Line. The modern day Wolverhampton Station now occupies the site and there is little left of what my father photographed as the station suffered a major phase of modernisation in the mid 1960’s.
Photo and Text: DJ Norton
The present Wolverhampton station dates from 1964 to 1967 when the High Level station was completely rebuilt by the architect Ray Moorcroft as part of the modernisation programme which saw the West Coast Main Line electrified.
More recently in 2004, a new through platform – platform 4, was constructed on the site of infrequently-used sidings. This has greatly enhanced the capacity of the station. A new footbridge was also constructed, to allow access to the new platform but also to improve access to the existing ones.
Members of the public are now able to access the second half of the new Wolverhampton railway station, following the completion of main construction on Phase 2 in March 2021.
The new station forms part of a significant local transformation being carried out, as part of the city’s £150m Interchange scheme. Within the city scheme, there are improvements planned for bus, Metro, cycle and train connectivity.
Architects: Austin Smith Lord
This was my first visit to Wolverhampton, arriving at 8.42 on a crowded Bournemouth bound Cross Country train, which was destined to terminate at Reading.
The low autumn sun presents some exposure problems, along with some enchanting light and shade.
Many of the 1960s features have been retained.
modernmooch.com 