| Physical description: | BUILDINGS
Platform building, Platform 1 (Type 11) (1895)
Platform building, Platform 2 (Type 11) (1915)
Overhead Booking Office and Concourse, (late 1980s)
Signal Box (1915)
STRUCTURES
Platform 1, (1895)
Platform 2, (1895)
Canopies, (late 1980s)
Overbridge, (c.1917)
Footbridge, (1915 - later modified)
CONTEXT
Canterbury Railway Station consists of one wayside (Platform 2) on the south and one island (Platform 1) on the north, with both original platform buildings remaining. The northern side of the island platform is not used for passenger services. The wayside platform is accessed from the footbridge via a ramp, while the island platform is accessed by stairs. An overhead booking office accessed from the Canterbury Road overbridge on the east and from Broughton Street on the north was rebuilt in the late 1980s.
PLATFORM BUILDING- Platform 1 (1895)
External: Rectangular polychromatic face brick building with gabled roof and surrounding cantilevered awning clad in corrugated roof sheeting. The face brick is in stretcher bond, with dark brick walls and lighter salmon coloured bricks forming a dado, framing the upper half of the windows and doors and with a diamond pattern dentil course at the high level. The building is eight bays in length, with the bays defined by engaged brick piers which coincide with the awning brackets. Original chimneys with cement mouldings and terracotta flues remain but have been painted.
The cantilever awning is on filigreed steel brackets supported on decorative cement capped brick engaged piers and bolt fixings to the station building brick walls. The soffit lining is the underside of the corrugated steel roof fixed to intermediate exposed purlins. There is a decorative timber moulding at junction with brick wall. The canopy returns around the western end of the building but not the eastern or stair access end. The awning edges are finished with a decorative timber boarded valance.
The external walls rise from a projecting brick plinth (now painted) with a decorative two part cement dado moulding which frames the salmon brick dado and is continuous between door and window openings. Decorative cement window and door frames rise above the dado moulding, each with a decorative keystone.
The original window and door openings have segmental arches and the windows feature a decorative moulded cement sill. The original timber windows were double hung with a double paned lower sash and a multi-paned upper sash featuring coloured glass. Much of the original coloured window glass remains as well as the original fanlights above the door openings. The doors were timber panelled.
The end brick gables feature a louvre within a round brisk window frames in salmon coloured voussoir shaped bricks with four cement keystones. Cast iron down pipes present. Faded painted black and white "Ladies" wall sign.
Internal: The building comprises a booking hall entered by a set of double doors at the bottom of the stairs with two original timber ticket windows; a booking office with timber circuit box (electrification era); station masters room; general waiting room with timber and marble topped fire surround and hearth; ladies waiting room and ladies toilet, a lamp room and men's toilet. The internal usage has now changed, and the toilets have modern fitouts, though retain mid-century tiles and original partitions and doors.
PLATFORM BUILDING- Platform 2 (1915)
External: Rectangular face brick building with gabled corrugated steel roof and integral shallower sloped cantilevered awning. The face brick is in stretcher bond. The building is four bays in length, with the bays defined by engaged brick piers which coincide with the awning supports. The original chimney with cement mouldings and terracotta flue remains.
The cantilever awning is on standard double bowed steel brackets supported on decorative cement haunches and bolt fixings to the station building brick walls. The soffit lining is the underside of the corrugated steel roofing fixed to intermediate exposed purlins. There is a decorative timber moulding at junction with brick wall. Vertical timber boards form valances at each end of awning.
The external walls rise from a projecting brick plinth three/four courses high with a decorative dado moulding run in cement which is continuous between door and window openings. Decorative cement window and door frames rise above the dado moulding.
The original window openings feature a moulded cement sill with a scalloped fringe. The original timber windows were double hung with a single paned lower sash and a six paned upper sash featuring coloured glass, with glass louvres in the toilet windows. The original window glass as well as the upper glazing bars has been removed from all but one window. Original door openings featured fanlights matching the upper window sashes. All the original timber panelled doors have been removed.
Internal: The building comprises a general waiting room with timber benches; ladies room and ladies toilets and men’s toilets. The internal usage has now changed and the toilets have modern fitouts and finishes, though retain mid-century tiles and original partitions and doors. The waiting room and ladies room have original ripple iron ceiling, ceiling rose and plaster wall finishes.
OVERHEAD BOOKING OFFICE (late 1980s)
The original timber clad overhead booking office has been demolished and replaced by a new steel framed metal hipped roof structure.
SIGNAL BOX (1915)
External: Canterbury signal box is located beside the Bankstown suburban line, in the Canterbury Station precinct. It is a two storey timber framed structure clad in ‘checked and chamfered’ weather boards. It has a hipped, galvanised corrugated iron roof with wide eaves on all sides. The first floor (or operating level) has wood framed, sliding windows on three sides with a blank rear wall. On the eastern end of the building there is a landing, incorporating an enclosed toilet. The landing extends past the front of the building over a public walkway to a flight of metal stairs. The ground floor incorporates the interlocking room and relay room. The interlocking room has four windows in the front wall. In the rear is the relay room, featuring four windows in the rear wall. The eastern extension is flat roofed and is constructed of precast concrete panels between exposed verticals simulating timber weatherboards. There is one door at the eastern end of this extension (2009).
Internal: The interior walls and ceiling of the first floor are lined with wall boards, and the timber floor is covered in linoleum. On the ground floor, the interlocking room is unlined, and the long and narrow lined relay room houses signalling relays which control the operation of signalling circuits.
PLATFORMS (1895)
Platform 1 has an asphalt surface with its original brick face and a concrete edge. The northern or 'goods' side of this platform is constructed in the same manner. Platform 2 also has its original brick face with a concrete edge.
FOOTBRIDGE (1915)
Haunched beam design consists of tapered cantilevers bearing on platform trestles and brick piers on each side support shallow beams over the railway tracks. The footbridge has been modified at a later unknown date.
OVERBRIDGE (c.1917)
The overbridge consists of steel girders supporting a jack arched brick and concrete deck. The girders span the Up and Down lines supported on concrete and brick abutment walls. The parapet walls are brick.
CANOPIES (late 1980)
New steel framed and metal roof clad canopies have been erected over the access stairs to the island platform and at the eastern end of the wayside station building, as well as the access ramp.
MOVABLE
NSW Railway heritage listed sites contain significant collections of stored movable railway heritage, including furniture, signs, operational objects, ex-booking office and ticketing objects, paper records, clocks, memorabilia, indicator boards and artwork. Individually, these objects are important components of the history of each site. Together, they form a large and diverse collection of movable objects across the NSW rail network. Sydney Trains maintains a database of movable heritage. For up-to-date information on all movable heritage items at this site, contact the Sydney Trains heritage team. |
Physical condition and/or
Archaeological potential: | PLATFORM BUILDINGS
Generally in good condition.
2016: Some stringline mouldings missing. Finial broken/missing. Signs of damp/salt attack. Mortar loss up to 1cm in places. Paint work unfinished/multiple schemes. Intrusive elements: badly placed ducting, air con units above doors, canopy connection to end facade.
OVERHEAD BOOKING OFFICE
Good condition.
SIGNAL BOX
The exterior is in reasonably good condition with some peeling of paint. A fire has caused some internal damage to the rear wall and ceiling of the operating level and there is evidence of past white ant activity (Jeff Moonie, 2000).
PLATFORM
Generally in good condition.
OVERBRIDGE
Good condition.
CANOPIES
Good condition. |