Bishopsgate Goodsyard
Bishopsgate Goodsyard
Bishopsgate, built on a large masonry viaduct, was the original London passenger terminus for trains from East Anglia. After the line was extended into a new station at Liverpool Street it was converted into one of the largest goods yards in the country. In the 1960s a large fire destroyed the warehouses built on the viaduct but the arches forming the undercroft of the goods yard remained intact. They were historically important as they included some of the earliest examples of railway engineering in the world, dating from 1840.
Since then, the city has slowly been encroaching towards this site from the south and west and this redundant goodsyard became the subject of redevelopment proposals in the early 2000s. The original proposals for the London Overground extension showed the route running along the existing, Grade II listed Braithwaite viaduct. However, on the grounds that the existing structure could not support the new railway line, an application was made for its demolition to construct a new viaduct and associated commercial development.
Based on our previous experience working on London Bridge Station, English Heritage asked us to look at the issues of retaining and reusing the viaduct. In addition to the structural implications of reuse, we explored the broader issues of how the new station should relate to its surrounding environment, and what should be done with the rest of the site to provide a commercially viable solution.
Additionally, as structural engineers, we carried out an appraisal of the condition of the viaduct structure and, working with architects Farrells, provided advice on how the arches may be used temporarily until a phased redevelopment could begin. A diverse mixed-use scheme was proposed with a new linear park to the south, linking Brick Lane and Shoreditch High Street. The site became the home of the new Shoreditch station on the London Overground in 2007. Our work at this early stage served as the formative proposals for the full £900m scheme of 130,000m2 of offices and affordable workspace, and 1,600m2 of retail that was subsequently granted planning permission in 2021.
Client: Hammerson and Ballymore/English Heritage
Architects: Farrells