Edinburgh Waverley: A Novel Railway Station

by Ann Glen

144 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2013

About the author

Ann Glen is a Scottish railway historian. She comes from a family of civil and mechanical engineers with links to the railways. She is a graduate of Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities, a Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and by profession a geographer and economic historian.

She has campaigned for her local area in Calderbank for decades.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very niche book, but absolutely fascinating! It describes how Waverley Railway Station in Edinburgh came to be, how it was developed, constrained, expanded, and re-developed several times over its life. The book is full of photos and maps, backing up the text. The period from the Mid 1800s through to the 1950s is covered in detail, but I felt that the time from the 1950s to the present felt rather rushed.
The second half of the book covers the redevelopment and modernisation of the station by Network Rail, and is mostly a brilliant set of photos showing all the work that went on behind the scenes. The fitting of the escalators at Waverley Steps is incredible, and much credit is due (and given) to the companies involved in the whole refurbishment.
The book is very well researched, the text is detailed and readable, and the photos are excellent.