Then and Now: How Ely Station has changed since the 1900s

It seems like almost every day in the city there is a new arrival or a farewell to a familiar sight which, over time, transforms the cityscape. 

Meanwhile, other iconic landmarks have truly stood the test of time and look just as they did in bygone eras. 

This is the second of many of the Ely Standard’s Then and Now features where we take you back in time.   

In future weeks, we will be sharing photos of shops, pubs, road layout changes and housing developments.

Why not send us a recommendation of places you, as Ely residents, would like to see or if you have any old photos, we would love to see them.  

This week we feature Ely Railway Station, which is still serving several passengers today, and is a key route for many who live and work in the area. 

What Ely Station looked like in the 1900s. (Image: Cambridgeshire Community Archive Network)

The first image was taken back in the 1900s. The station building which we know today can still be seen here, but it's clear there have been some changes since then to make the station more modernised for the present day.   

The station was opened in 1845 by the Eastern Counties Railway at a cost of £81,500; the land on which it was built being a marshy swamp.

The station was modified substantially by British Rail in the early 1990s, at the time that electrification of the line was taking place.

The station building was designed by Francis Thompson (architect) although Sancton Wood as chief architect is often given credit.

On opening, the station building had two Italianate towers – one at the north end and the other above the booking office. There were two cubed pavilions either side of an arcade.

When the station opened it had three platforms and these were linked by a footbridge to the south of the station buildings. This footbridge was later replaced (sometime before 1902) by a substantial brick footbridge located at the north end of the station but by 1925 a subway had been constructed and this is in use today

The second image shows what the station looks like now, and it highlights the changes to the building since the 1900s photo such as the difference to the entrance, but there are still a lot of similarities between each image as some of the windows in both photos are very similar. 

READ MORE: Then and now: When Ely Standard was on city's Market Street

What Ely Station looks like today. (Image: Google Maps)

Do you have any recommendations of places you’d like us to feature in Then and Now?

Email katie.woodcock@newsquest.co.uk with your request.