Hull Paragon Interchange  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) The original station entrance | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Kingston upon Hull England | ||||
| Coordinates | 53°44′37″N0°20′46″W / 53.7435°N 0.3460°W /53.7435; -0.3460 | ||||
| Grid reference | TA090287 | ||||
| Managed by | TransPennine Express | ||||
| Platforms | 7 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | HUL | ||||
| Classification | DfT category B | ||||
| History | |||||
| Opened | 1847 | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  2.383 million | ||||
| 2020/21 |  0.538 million | ||||
| 2021/22 | 1.993 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 2.383 million | ||||
| 2023/24 | 2.640 million | ||||
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Hull Paragon Interchange is atransport interchange providing rail, bus and coach services located in the city centre ofKingston upon Hull, England. TheG. T. Andrews-designed station was originally namedParagon Station, and together with the adjoining Station Hotel, it opened in 1847 as the new Hull terminus for the growing traffic of theYork and North Midland (Y&NMR) leased to theHull and Selby Railway (H&S).[1] As well as trains to the west, the station was the terminus of the Y&NMR and H&S railway'sHull to Scarborough Line. From the 1860s the station also became the terminus of theHull and Holderness andHull and Hornsea railways.
At the beginning of the 20th century theNorth Eastern Railway (NER) expanded the trainshed and station to the designs ofWilliam Bell, installing the present five arched span platform roof. In 1962 a modernist office block Paragon House was installed above the station main entrance, replacing a 1900s iron canopy; the offices were initially used as regional headquarters forBritish Rail.
A bus station was erected adjacent to the north of the station in the mid-1930s. In the early 2000s plans for an integrated bus and rail station were made, as part of a larger development including a shopping centre;St Stephen's shopping centre, a hotel, housing, and music and theatre facilities. The new station, named "Paragon Interchange" opened in September 2007, integrating the city's railway and bus stations under William Bell's 1900s trainshed.
The station is currently operated byTransPennine Express, which provides train services along withNorthern Trains,Hull Trains andLondon North Eastern Railway.
In 1840 theHull and Selby Railway opened the first railway line into Hull, terminating at a passenger and goods terminal,Manor House Street station, adjacent to theHumber Dock, near the old town. Subsequently, the Hull and Selby Railway entered into working arrangements with theManchester and Leeds Railway and then theYork and North Midland Railway. In 1845 anact of Parliament[which?] enabled the York and North Midland and/or the Manchester and Leeds to take a lease of the company with an option to buy the line at a later date – only the York and North Midland was subsequently active. In 1846 the Hull and Selby completed itsBridlington branch which connected from a junction atDairycoates near Hull to a line the York and North Midland was building from Bridlington to Seamer, connecting to itsYork to Scarborough Line, forming a railway route from Hull toScarborough on the east coast.[2]
| York and North Midland Railway (Hull Station) Act 1847 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Citation | 10 & 11 Vict. c. ccxviii |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 22 July 1847 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
In 1846 the York and North Midland and Manchester and Leeds railways began proceedings to create a new terminal station and connecting branch line in Hull.[3][4] TheYork and North Midland Railway (Hull Station) Act 1847 (10 & 11 Vict. c. ccxviii) was subsequently passed.[n 1]
The new station had the advantage of being better situated for travellers, and allowed the old station to be used exclusively for freight traffic. In addition the Hull and Selby company were keen to attract the investment in a new station from the leaseholders, as the capital investment was likely to increase the permanence of the relationship with the lessors.[6]
The branches to the station were constructed off the Bridlington branch: a branch turning north-east close to the line's crossing of the Hessle Road;[map 1][7] and a branch turning south-east at 'Cottingham Junction' near to Haverflatts farm;[map 2][8] the two branches met at a junction 0.5 miles (0.8 km) roughly west of the new station.[7] In addition a new connecting chord was made from the Hull and Selby Line,[map 3] to the Bridlington branch,[map 4] allowing direct through running from the west into the new station.[9] The station was located on the western edge of the growing Georgian town, and took its name from "Paragon Street".[10]
Construction contracts had been signed by early 1847, before the bill had been formally passed.[n 2] The station opened in 1847 without any notable ceremony.[11]
The station and hotel were both in theItalian Renaissance style, with bothDoric andIonic order elements; the facades show inspiration from the interior courtyard of thePalazzo Farnese. The main station building was aligned east–west, south of the tracks, facing onto Anlaby Road – a two-storey centrally located booking hall was entered via a smallporte-cochère,[map 5] and flanked by eleven bay wide single storey wings, with two storey three bay buildings on either end, one a parcels office, the other the station master's house.[11][12][10] The train shed contained five tracks and two platforms, each 30 feet (9.1 m), covered with a three span iron roof.[map 6] The station site was nearly 2.5 acres (1.0 ha).[n 3][11]
_early_1900s_or_before%2c_postcard.jpg)
The hotel was in a similar style to the station, located at the east end of the station with its main façade and entrance facing east.[map 7] It was completed in 1849 as a three-storey building, nine bays wide, of area 120 by 130 feet (37 by 40 m). The centre of the building contained a 650 feet (200 m) square lightwell with ground glass roof.[13][12][10]
Architect for both buildings wasG. T. Andrews, and represent his last major commission. The station and hotel were described by some contemporaries as "Hudson's Folly", who thought the scale of the development too great;[14] the station was the largest built in England to that time associated with a railway station.[10] By the time of completion of the station hotelGeorge Hudson, chairman of the York and North Midland was in disgrace after his fraudulent dealings had been discovered.[10] The hotel's official opening ceremony took place on 6 November 1851.[11]
Additional facilities at the station also included a locomotive house, on the west end of north side of the main shed;[map 8] a coal depot to the north-west;[map 9] and a turntable.[15] A new engine shed was constructed in the 1860s, and a 20 engine shed was constructed in the mid-1870s.[16][n 4]
In 1853Queen Victoria visited the town, and the use of the station hotel given to the corporation for the accommodation of the royal party; athrone room was created on the first floor, and theroyal household accommodated on the second. The royal party including the Queen,Albert, Prince Consort and five royal children arrived on theRoyal Train on 13 October 1853 at Paragon Station. The visit concluded with a dinner at the hotel on 14 October.[18]
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In 1853 theVictoria Dock Branch Line had opened in Hull, connecting theVictoria Dock and a number of stations in Hull on a circular route around the outskirts of the town; the line connected to the existing network at junctions 0.5 miles (0.8 km) west of the station.[19][20] This line was doubled in mid 1864 and brought more trains into Paragon: from theHull and Hornsea Railway (opened 1864); and from theHull and Holderness Railway (opened 1854[21]) via a connecting chord to the Victoria Dock Branch Line.[22] Further developments in the 1860s created additional or shorted routes into Paragon; theYork to Beverley Line was completed in 1865 with the opening of the Market Weighton to Beverley section;[23] theHull and Doncaster Branch to south Yorkshire in 1869;[24] and the line to Leeds extension was completed, extending the line from Hull to Leeds to the city centre, and allowing through running westward.[23]
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In 1873 theManchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway obtained running powers into Hull, and passenger trains from that company running to Paragon from August.[25] In 1898/9 theHull and Barnsley Railway and the NER began work towards constructing a joint dock in Hull (seeAlexandra Dock); as part of this cooperation between the two companies the H&BR gave the NER running powers over its line in Hull, and the NER allowed the H&BR to run into and use Paragon station.[26]
The growth of traffic was accommodated in the mid-1870s by adding a third middle platform to the trainshed; the outer platforms were also lengthened beyond the shed, and short bay platforms added on either side. The cross platform was widened at the expense of the length of the main platforms; the booking office and parcels offices swapped positions, and the middle portico walled up to create greater enclosed space.[27][28][29] In 1884/5 the hotel was also expanded, adding room at first floor level by extending westward across a concourse entrance.[27] In 1887 a station canopy was added over the ends of the departure (southside) platform that extended beyond the shed.[28][n 5]
In addition to the standard facilities the increasedemigration to the United States in the 19th century led to the construction of an emigrant station,[map 11] south-west of the main station, in part due to concerns over public health dangers, such as cholera; the station also enabled more efficient handling of the large numbers of emigrants. The station rooms were built in 1871 to the designs ofThomas Prosser, and extended 1881. Because of its historical significance the building is now grade II listed.[30][31][32][33]
An extensive enlargement of the station was authorised by the NER board in 1897, as part of the extension programme the station's engine shed facilities were transferred to a new site atBotanic Gardens;[34][16][n 6] the transfer was complete by 1901, and in 1902 work began on the rebuilding of the station; the expansion of the site was northwards towards Colliers Street, and required purchases and demolition of houses south of the street.[27][28][36]
The main station was enlarged to a design by NER architectWilliam Bell. The extension included a new five span steel platform roof, with a two span roof over the concourse, built by theCleveland Bridge & Engineering Co.,[map 6] with the offices resited to the east end of the station, facing the station concourse, together with the adjacent Hotel. Half of the new office spaces was taken up by a tiled booking office, with wooden booking windows, and architectural detailing infaience.[map 12] The booking office's main entrance faced Paragon Square (Ferensway) accessed under a large iron madeporte-cochère.[12][37][38][map 13] The enlarged station opened 12 December 1904.[39] An additional range of buildings was builtc. 1908 to the south-east of the station, to provide stock rooms for the hotel.[40][41][map 14][n 7]
As built the station had nine platforms under the four southernmost spans of the roof; the northernmost span had facilities for special goods, such as cars and horses, and was screened off from the other four;[42] it was served by platform 1, known as thefish dock orfish platform, which was also used for fish.[43] The southern bay platforms, and 1887 platform roof was retained for a total of fourteen passenger platforms; platforms 1–9 also received low level roofs outside the main shed.[44] The original station offices were retained and used as waiting rooms and parcel offices.[45]
In 1904 the station signalling system was converted to an electro-pneumatic power signalling system – the station had two signal boxes:Paragon Station box was a 143 lever box and was located at the end of platforms 1 and 2;[map 15]Park Street box, with 179 levers was located 714 feet (218 m) west of the station.[46][map 16]
In World War I, the station hosted a rest station and canteen for servicemen.[47]
On 5 March 1916 during aFirst World WarZeppelin raid that killed 17, a bomb blast blew out the glass in the station roof.[48]
From 1924 passenger trains running from theHull and Barnsley Line became able to run into Paragon station with the construction of a connecting chord between the NER and H&BR networks in north-west Hull.[map 17] The H&BR'sCannon Street station closed in the same year.[49]
On 14 February 1927 it was the site of a head-on train collision (seeHull Paragon rail accident) in which 12 passengers were killed and 24 seriously injured, caused by a signalling error.[50][51]
In 1931–32 the hotel was internally revamped, and expanded by the addition of an extra storey of rooms on the roof, replacing staff bedrooms; and by cement rendered wing on either side of the main entrance; anart deco entrance onto the station concourse was also added.[10][52]A railway museum was established by Hull Museums directorThomas Sheppard in the station in 1933.[53][54]
In 1935 the decision was made to resignal the station and approaches, replacing the 1904 electro-pneutmatic power signalling system with an electrically operated system. "Park Street" and "Paragon station" signal boxes were to be replaced with a single box; the running lines out of the station, including those controlled by theWest Parade signal box,[map 18] were to betrack circuited.[46][n 8] The system was an early British example of electrical interlocking. 48 points were controlled, using thumb switches in the signal box.[55] Power supply was from theHull Corporation at 400 V 50 Hz three phase, with a backup generator powered by a 28 horsepower (21 kW)Petter oil-engine. The main external system was electrified at 110 V AC, with shunt signals at 100 or 55 V AC; the point motors, previously electro-pneumatically operated were retained, with a 50 cubic feet (1.4 m3) per hour 80 pounds per square inch (550 kPa) max. pressure compressor system, duplicated for redundancy.[56] Signalling was electric lamp backlit.[57] TheWestinghouse Brake and Signal Company Ltd was the main supplier of the equipment.[58] A new signal box was installed,[map 19] a LNER type 13, resembling in architectural design theSouthern Railway'sStreamline Moderne signal boxes, but with square corners.[59]
During theHull Blitz of 1941 the station received direct hits on the night of 7 May, with many incendiary bombs hitting the roof. The signal box was badly damaged when aparachute mine exploded nearby[60] during the same night the station's small railway museum was destroyed by fire.[54]
The main entrance canopy was replaced by an office buildingParagon House in 1962.[12][61][map 13] The building was originally used as a regional headquarters forBritish Rail, but was unused in later years.[62]
In 1965 theNewington branch which had been used by trains running from west of Hull to Bridlington and beyond was closed and replaced by a new chord near Victoria crossing.[map 20][map 21][63] The roofs sheltering platforms 1–9 outside the main shed were removed in the 1970s.[64]
In the 1980s a new "travel centre" (booking and information office) was added on the station concourse. The body of the building was faced with light sandstone, with lighting via semicircular arched windows, and an approximatelybarrel roofed skylight. In the same period aclerestory roofed waiting room was added at the head of the station platforms, an architectural homage to both Victorian trainshed roofs andclerestory carriages.[65]
After the privatisation ofBritish Transport Hotels in the 1980s the "Royal Station Hotel" was renamedRoyal Hotel.[62]
In 1990 the hotel was gutted by a fire,[66][67] the interior was rebuilt and the hotel re-opened in 1992.[12]
In 2000 outline planning permission was given for a transport interchange and shopping and leisure complex near Ferensway, Hull; in 2001 full planning documents were submitted for works on a 42-acre (16.8 ha) site included a new shopping arcade development incorporating a hotel and car parking facilities; a transport interchange incorporating the station; as well as landscaping, setting out of streets, a petrol station and a housing development.[68] The development also included new facilities for theHull Truck Theatre and theAlbemarle Music Centre.[69] The shopping development is known asSt Stephen's shopping centre.[70] The interchange fully opened on 16 September 2007.[71][72]
Features of the railway 2007 station redevelopment include a new canopy to the Ferensway entrance;[70][map 13] the "Paragon House" office block was demolished as part of the redevelopment.[62] The former station booking office area was restored, and in 2009 opened as a community area.[73] From 2009 amobility scooter hire service was provided at the station.[74] The interior of the booking office is used (2011) as a branch ofWH Smith.[62]
The new transport interchange was officially opened by theQueen and theDuke of Edinburgh when they unveiled a plaque on 5 March 2009 after arriving at the station on theRoyal Train.[75]
A £65,000 bronze statue of Hull resident poetPhilip Larkin byMartin Jennings was unveiled on the concourse of Hull Paragon Interchange on 2 December 2010, marking the 25th anniversary of the poet's death. The statue was located near to the entrance to the Station Hotel, a favoured watering place of the poet.[76][77] In 2011, an additional five slate roundels containing inscriptions of Larkin's poems were installed in the floor around the statue;[78] and in 2012 amemorial bench was installed around a pillar near the statue.[79]
In February 2017 a full-size model of the Gipsy Moth aircraft used byAmy Johnson to fly solo from Britain to Australia, created over a six-month period by inmates ofHull Prison, was put on display at the station.[80] This remained throughout theCity of Culture but moved to the adjacentSt Stephen's shopping centre in March 2018.[81] The station underwent a revamp during 2017, with a £1.4 million investment providing a new waiting area and more retail units.[82]
In August 2023, a planning application was made by Network Rail to bring Platform 1 back in to use.[83]
In September 2024, TransPennine Express announced a £500,000 refurbish of the toilet facilities, following a letter from Hull MPDiana Johnson, who described the situation as "unacceptably poor".[84]
Hull Paragon Interchange  | |
|---|---|
 The bus concourse in 2010 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Ferensway,Hull |
| Bus stands | 38 bus stands + 4 coach stands |
| Bus operators | East Yorkshire Megabusplus National Express Stagecoach in Hull Stagecoach in Lincolnshire |
| History | |
| Opened | 16 September 2007 |
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A bus station was built adjacent to Paragon station in 1935, at a cost of £55,000 on land freed byslum clearance.[85]
A new bus station integrated with the main railway station was developed and constructed in the first decade of the 21st century. (see also §Paragon station post privatisation.)
Hull Paragon Interchange opened on Sunday 16 September 2007 combining rail and bus station services on a single site. The bus terminal has 38 bus and 4 coach stands, replacing a separate 'island' bus station;[71][86] the site of the former Hull Bus Station, adjacent to the north of the railway station now forms part of theSt Stephen's shopping centre.[87] The bus ranks are located at the north of the station, in a "saw-tooth" arrangement. The entrance to the station is from Ferensway, and a reversing roundabout was provided at the west end of the station.[88][89] The station has approximately 1,700 bus departures per day (September 2010).[89] The area under the northernmost span of the trainshed roof was converted into the concourse and queueing area for the bus station.[62][map 22]
Bus services run from the station to all areas of Hull, as well as to theEast Riding andNorth Lincolnshire and as far out asYork,Leeds,Grimsby andScunthorpe on some express services. Most city bus services are operated byStagecoach East Midlands, whilstEast Yorkshire is the main bus company for services to the East Riding. Services toNorth East Lincolnshire are operated byStagecoach in Lincolnshire andStagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes.[90]
Hull Paragon is managed by TransPennine Express, serving mainly its North TransPennine route and several Northern Trains routes. Additional services are provided by Hull Trains and London North Eastern Railway.
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TransPennine Express | Terminus | |||
| Northern Trains | Terminus | |||
| Terminus | ||||
| Northern Trains | ||||
| Brough | Hull Trains London – Hull / Beverley | Terminus | ||
| Cottingham | ||||
| Brough | London North Eastern Railway East Coast Main Line (Limited service) | Terminus | ||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Terminus | Hull and Selby Railway | Hessle | ||
| Terminus | Hull and Holderness Railway | Hull Botanic Gardens | ||
| Hull and Hornsea Railway | ||||
| Victoria Dock Branch Line | ||||
| Terminus | London and North Eastern Railway (Hull and Barnsley Line) | Springhead Halt | ||
| Future services | ||||
| Doncaster | Northern Connect Sheffield – Hull | Terminus | ||
| Leeds | TBA Northern Powerhouse Rail | Terminus | ||
| Doncaster | ||||
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The railway station is commonly known asParagon Station,Hull Paragon or justHull Station;National Rail refers to the station asHull (HUL). The name originates from nearby Paragon Street, which was itself built inc. 1802;[95]the name dates back earlier. TheParagon Hotel public house, now theHull Cheese, gave its name to the street and dates back as far as 1700.[96]
The station was opened asHull Paragon Street on 8 May 1848 by theYork and North Midland Railway;[97] theNorth Eastern Railway used the nameHull Paragon,[97] however, theParagon suffix was used inconsistently over ninety years from its opening to 1948.[98]
Since theBritish Railways period, which commenced in 1948, the official name has beenHull, which excludes theParagon suffix.[99][n 9]
The termHull (Paragon) has also been used byNetwork Rail.[100] Since redevelopment in 2007, the official name has beenParagon Interchange; however, as of 2012, timetables continued to useHull, except when referring to bus services.[99]
The hotel has been known as theStation Hotel orRoyal Station Hotel from its early history;[101] after privatisation in the 1980s, the owners renamed itRoyal Hotel.[62] As of 2014, as part of theMercure Hotels group, the hotel's official name is now theMercure Hull Royal Hotel.[102]
The station has been used as a filming location in the filmClockwise,[103] in an episode ofAgatha Christie's Poirot "The Plymouth Express"[104] and in the comedyOnly Fools and Horses episode "To Hull and Back".[105] In the 2024 filmBlitz directed by Oscar winner Sir Steve McQueen, the station was used to replicate war timeLondon Waterloo station.[106]
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