W-I-D-E on Wednesday: Old Building

Newcastle Central Station seemed an appropriate Old Building for me to blip today for Bobsblips's Widwed challenge, as we boarded a train there this afternoon to London (Gatwick Airport): tomorrow we're flying to Toronto again to spend another couple of weeks enjoying time with our little grandson Paddy who's now 3 months old. (We'll also enjoy seeing his Mum & Dad of course, not to mention Granddog Oona.)
 
In order to fit the whole of the frontage of the station onto the photo I had to take a panorama shot, which has given the false impression that it's curved. The amusing thing is that the platforms and railway lines inside the station ARE curved as you can see in the bottom photo.
 
The station had a slightly shaky start owing to some financial difficulties experienced by the train companies involved. So in spite of the initial contract for its construction being signed in August 1847 (at a cost of £92,000, equivalent to about £9 million nowadays), it was not formally opened, by Queen Victoria, for 3 years (in August 1850). It was subsequently enlarged as demand for rail travel increased in the 1860s and 1870s, with a doubling of the number of platforms from 6 to 12. In the 1880s the station was lengthened to accommodate longer trains.
 
For most of my life the front part of the station (the portico - as seen in the top photo) had no windows and cars could drive through from one side to the other. However several years ago that was closed off and pedestrianised along with the fitting of glass windows.