Robert Thornton interviewed by Richard Malins

Interview with Robert Thornton conducted by Richard Malins in Reading on the 12th July 2021. Duration 1hr. 16 min. 59 sec. Career introduction; pre nationalisation structure; move to business structure; creation of architecture and design group; Management Buy out; current role; Development of Modular Concepts; key design issues; signage; British rail corporate identity; use of alphabets and fonts; awareness of Railway heritage; building architecture; Kings Cross St Pancras; Liverpool Street-last British rail in house architectural project; Tiverton parkway Station project; Architecture and Design group role changing; Experience of working with listed buildings; writing his book; changing budget for stations; Station Regeneration Programme; building maintenance and condition of railway station estate is an important benefit of privatisation.

One of over 150 oral history recordings made as part of the Britain’s Railways All Change (BRAC) archive project. BRAC was set-up to cover gaps in documenting the railway privatisation process in the United Kingdom, between 1994 and 1997, when the government-owned British Rail was dismantled into over 100 privately-owned companies. The interviews capture the recollections of people involved in the planning and implementation of the privatisation process, the management of change and running the railway during privatisation.