Lithograph. Great Western Railway. Entrance Gateway, Bristol Station. Drawn and lithographed by J C Bourne.

Bristol Station opened in 1840 as the western terminus of the Great Western Railway from London Paddington. The station was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and is now known as Temple Meads. It is Bristol’s oldest and largest station. This lithograph by John Cooke Bourne (1814–1896) shows the entrance gateway to the station. The station was extended in 1870 and again in 1930 to meet rising demand.

A series of lithographs by Bourne depicting the Great Western Railway were published in 1846. However, this print does not appear to have been part of that series. Bourne was also known to produce single views which were published individually.

It has been estimated that no fewer than 2,000 prints of railway subjects were produced during the years 1830 to the late 1840s, and scarcely a line opened without at least one view of its engineering accomplishments being published. It is difficult for us today to understand the emotional as well as financial commitment to railways during these early years. The railway was often seen as a slowly spreading symbol of change and progress towards a better world.