Preston bus station
Encyclopedia
Preston Bus Station is the central bus
terminus
in the city of Preston in Lancashire
, England
.
architectural style between 1968 and 1969, designed by Keith Ingham and Charles Wilson of Building Design Partnership
with E. H. Stazicker, it has a capacity of 80 double-decker buses, 40 along each side of the building. Some claim that it is the second largest bus station
in Western Europe
. Pedestrian access to the Bus Station is through any of three subways, one of which links directly to the adjacent Guild Hall, while the design also incorporates a multi-storey car park
of five floors with space for 1,100 cars.
The building's engineers, Ove Arup and Partners
, designed the distinctive curve of the car park balconies "after acceptable finishes to a vertical wall proved too expensive, contributing to the organic, sculptural nature of the building. The edges are functional, too, in that they protect car bumpers from crashing against a vertical wall. The cover balustrade protects passengers from the weather by allowing buses to penetrate beneath the lower parking floor."
project. In 2000, opposition to the demolition led to a failed application for listed building status by English Heritage
. Preston Borough Council (as it was then known) opposed the application.
Putting forward the case for a smaller terminus, a report, commissioned by the council and Grosvenor in 2000, stated that "buses arriving and leaving the bus station have very low bus occupancy rates indicating that passengers alight and board elsewhere in the town centre. The bus station car park similarly suffers from the poor pedestrian linkages." Listing was subsequently rejected.
On October 11, 2005, Preston City Council and developer Grosvenor Holdings
signed an agreement to go ahead with the Tithebarn redevelopment project, which calls for the demolition of the current bus station.
A survey conducted by the Lancashire Evening Post
in May 2010 found that Preston Bus Station was Preston people's favourite building.
A further application to list the bus station was rejected in 2010 and a review of the decision was turned down in 2011 . It featured on the 2012 World Monument Fund's
list of sites at risk .
It featured in a song on the show All Over the Place
(view here http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/allovertheplace/place/preston_bus_station/index.shtml)
.
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
terminus
Terminal Station
Terminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...
in the city of Preston in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Design
Built in the BrutalistBrutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture is a style of architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, spawned from the modernist architectural movement.-The term "brutalism":...
architectural style between 1968 and 1969, designed by Keith Ingham and Charles Wilson of Building Design Partnership
Building Design Partnership
Building Design Partnership is a firm of architects and engineers employing over 1200 staff in the UK and internationally.-Foundation:The firm was founded in 1961 by George Grenfell Baines with architects Bill White and John Wilkinson, quantity surveyor Arnold Towler and eight associate partners:...
with E. H. Stazicker, it has a capacity of 80 double-decker buses, 40 along each side of the building. Some claim that it is the second largest bus station
Bus station
A bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
in Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
. Pedestrian access to the Bus Station is through any of three subways, one of which links directly to the adjacent Guild Hall, while the design also incorporates a multi-storey car park
Multi-storey car park
A multi-storey car-park is a building designed specifically to be for car parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place...
of five floors with space for 1,100 cars.
The building's engineers, Ove Arup and Partners
Arup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
, designed the distinctive curve of the car park balconies "after acceptable finishes to a vertical wall proved too expensive, contributing to the organic, sculptural nature of the building. The edges are functional, too, in that they protect car bumpers from crashing against a vertical wall. The cover balustrade protects passengers from the weather by allowing buses to penetrate beneath the lower parking floor."
Threatened demolition
The building is threatened with demolition as part of the City Council's Tithebarn redevelopmentPreston Tithebarn redevelopment
The Preston Tithebarn redevelopment project was a £700 million city centre regeneration initiative, which was intended to be developed by Preston Tithebarn Partnership, a 50/50 joint venture between Grosvenor and Lend Lease Corporation in partnership with Preston City Council. In October 2005,...
project. In 2000, opposition to the demolition led to a failed application for listed building status by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
. Preston Borough Council (as it was then known) opposed the application.
Putting forward the case for a smaller terminus, a report, commissioned by the council and Grosvenor in 2000, stated that "buses arriving and leaving the bus station have very low bus occupancy rates indicating that passengers alight and board elsewhere in the town centre. The bus station car park similarly suffers from the poor pedestrian linkages." Listing was subsequently rejected.
On October 11, 2005, Preston City Council and developer Grosvenor Holdings
Grosvenor Group
Grosvenor is a privately owned property group with offices in 18 cities. It has four regional investment & development businesses in Britain & Ireland, the Americas, Australia and Asia Pacific; an international fund management business, which operates across these markets and in continental Europe;...
signed an agreement to go ahead with the Tithebarn redevelopment project, which calls for the demolition of the current bus station.
A survey conducted by the Lancashire Evening Post
Lancashire Evening Post
The Lancashire Evening Post is a daily newspaper based in Fulwood, a suburb of the city of Preston, Lancashire, England. According to the British Library, its first edition was published on 18 October 1886...
in May 2010 found that Preston Bus Station was Preston people's favourite building.
A further application to list the bus station was rejected in 2010 and a review of the decision was turned down in 2011 . It featured on the 2012 World Monument Fund's
World Monuments Fund
World Monuments Fund is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and training....
list of sites at risk .
It featured in a song on the show All Over the Place
All Over the Place (children's television programme)
All Over the Place is a children's television programme produced by the BBC. It is similar in ways to the discontinued programme Wonderful World of Weird, however All Over the Place is not principally a game show...
(view here http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/allovertheplace/place/preston_bus_station/index.shtml)
.
External links
- http://www.michaelmackenzie.co.uk - Series titled last bus - New images of Preston bus station
- Preston Bus Station in pictures
- Lee Garland Photography shots of Preston Bus Station, Sept 07
- Website to save Preston bus station