1838 4th June
Paddington Station
The first temporary Great Western Railway terminus at Paddington opens for services between London and Maidenhead.
Brunel engineering · permanent subject timeline
Paddington Station
The London terminus of Brunel's Great Western Railway. This page combines historical context with 6 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database Brunel chronology.
Historical context
Paddington Station: overview and significance
What happened?
Paddington developed as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway. Brunel's later station design used iron and glass train-shed roofs to create a large covered arrival and departure space.
Why was it important?
Paddington shows Brunel working not only on routes and structures but on the passenger architecture of the railway system. The station became the metropolitan gateway to the Great Western network.
World History Database records
Paddington Station timeline
The records below are selected from the 361-record Brunel chronology and are rendered as static HTML in chronological order.
1838
1851
1851 2nd January
Paddington Station
Brunel presents preliminary plans for rebuilding Paddington as a grand permanent railway terminus.
1853
1853 February
Paddington Station
The Great Western Railway approves Brunel's plans for a grand permanent terminus at Paddington.
1853
Paddington Station
Brunel designs the permanent station with architectural detailing undertaken by Matthew Digby Wyatt.
1854
1854 16th January
Paddington Station
The first Great Western Railway service departs from Brunel's new Paddington Station before completion of the roof.
1854 29th May
Paddington Station
Brunel's permanent Paddington Station formally opens with a three-span wrought-iron and glazed train shed.
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from World History Database Brunel records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
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