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65-497: "Dry Land" was originally released on Armatrading's second studio album Back to the Night in May 1975. (A&M Records). The song was recorded at Basing Street Studios in Notting Hill , London, now known as Sarm West Studios . It is generally believed that Armatrading wrote the music for the song and Nestor wrote the lyrics, though this is not clear cut. At the time of the song's composition, Armatrading and Nestor were engaged in writing many songs together, eventually writing over

130-573: A 145V AC supply could light the terminus, office, goods yard and Royal Oak and Westbourne Park stations. It was praised for its scale and showing that electricity could compete with gas lighting on the same scale. Paddington became an important milk depot towards the end of the 19th century. A milk dock was built 1881, and by the 20th century over 3,000 churns were being handled at the station every day. Other goods such as meat, fish, horses and flowers were also transported through Paddington. Passenger traffic continued to improve as well. In March 1906,

195-511: A daily morning and evening service in both directions, changing at Newport, Cardiff or Swansea. This route has been in existence since 1906. Paddington is the terminus for suburban trains to West London, Thames Valley , Reading , and Didcot , operated by Great Western Railway. The general off peak service pattern in trains per hour (tph) is: Great Western Railway Elizabeth line (operates from underground Elizabeth line platforms, A and B) Heathrow Express Until May 2003, Paddington

260-621: A departure board. Platform 7 is dedicated to the Heathrow Express . Flight information display screens for airline passengers are provided at the Heathrow Express ticket office near these platforms. An integrated timetable is offered between Paddington and Rosslare Europort in Ireland via the Stena Line ferry from Fishguard Harbour railway station with through ticketing to stations and

325-491: A fourth span of 109 feet (33 m) was added on the north side, parallel to the others. The new span was built in a similar style to the original three spans, but the detailing is different and it has no transepts. The area between the rear of the hotel and the concourse is called the Lawn. It was originally unroofed and occupied by sidings, but was later built up to form part of the station's first concourse. Paddington's capacity

390-536: A grand terminus dedicated to the GWR would be acceptable, and consequently this was approved in February 1853. The main station between Bishop's Bridge Road and Praed Street was designed by Brunel, who was enthusiastic at the idea of being able to design a railway station himself, although much of the architectural detailing was by his associate Matthew Digby Wyatt . He took inspiration from Joseph Paxton 's Crystal Palace and

455-464: A great deal to be in her position. Gage's remarks helped Armatrading to "grow up" and made her realise that she could in fact be a performer and make a living from music, something she had previously not considered. Armatrading herself did not like the album at the time, and "practically disowned it", dismissing it as "a load of rubbish" and "a waste of time", saying that she hadn't done some things very well because of her state of mind and unhappiness at

520-468: A hundred of them, and both of them wrote music and lyrics, played piano, and sang. At the time of the recording of Back to the Night , the album's producer, Pete Gage , remarked: "as soon as I heard Pam Nestor play – there's one number, it was the blueprint for Dry Land, there's no doubt about it, Joan had actually learnt bits and pieces of Pam's piano playing". The song was said to be Gage's favourite track from

585-406: A markedly better record than Whatever's for Us , [...] it's on this record that glimpses of the greatness to come appear: the upbeat island feel of "Travel So Far," the powerfully intimate "Dry Land," and the inventive melodies of the title track." Steve York, who played bass guitar on the album, commented that "it was not a commercial success but it is a highly original and interesting album. Joan

650-401: A port with Bristol if the railway from Birmingham was extended. The first station was a temporary terminus for the GWR on the west side of Bishop's Bridge Road, opened on 4 June 1838. The first GWR service from London to Taplow, near Maidenhead, ran from Paddington in 1838. After the main station opened, this became the site of the goods depot. Brunel did not consider that anything less than

715-563: Is a London railway station and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the main line station dates from 1854 and was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel . As of the 2022–23 Office of Rail & Road Statistics, it is

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780-833: Is a unique writer with a distinctive voice." Wilfrid Mellers, writing in Angels of the Night , stated that "the tone is bold, the rhythms sprightly and the phrasing clipped" and singled out the songs "Travel So Far" and "Steppin' Out" as "reggae-style peans to freedom". According to the A&;M website, Back to the Night was voted one of the top ten albums of 1975 by English music critics. All songs written by Joan Armatrading, except where indicated. Recorded at Basing Street Studios, London, Morgan Studios, London and Rockfield Studios, Monmouthshire Mixed at Basing Street Studios, London; mastered at Sterling Sound, New York City Paddington Station Paddington , also known as London Paddington ,

845-497: Is also the eastern terminus for Heathrow Express and the western terminus for Elizabeth line services from Shenfield . Elizabeth line services also run through Paddington westwards to Reading , Heathrow Terminal 5 , and Heathrow Terminal 4 , and eastwards to Abbey Wood . Situated in fare zone 1 , it has two separate tube stations providing connections to the Bakerloo , Circle , District , and Hammersmith & City lines . It

910-433: Is one of 11 London stations managed directly by Network Rail . The station has been perennially popular for passengers and goods, particularly milk and parcels. Major upgrades took place in the 1870s, the 1910s and the 1960s, each trying to add additional platforms and space while trying to preserve the existing services and architecture as much as possible. Paddington was first served by London Underground trains in 1863, as

975-450: Is quietly destroying musical barriers, providing something fresh and invigorating that's flavoured by lingering touches of Soul , Blues , Folk and the sounds of Joan's Caribbean birth-place; the result is one of the most compelling artists working in Britain today." In a retrospective review for Allmusic , Dave Connolly gave the album two and a half stars and commented: "While it's not

1040-614: The Big Four grouping in 1923. A tube railway for the Post Office, opened in December 1927, could cater for around 10,000 mailbags every day. Paddington was extended again from 1930 to 1934. Platforms 2 to 11 were extended past the Bishop's Road bridge and a new parcel depot was built. Suburban services, which had never been considered important at Paddington, were increased as new housing estates in

1105-579: The Elizabeth Line , alongside London Liverpool Street , it has become far busier, and London Paddington had become the 2nd busiest station in the United Kingdom during the 2022–23 period, with 59.2 million total passengers, behind London Liverpool Street and ahead of London Waterloo , the former busiest station. Paddington is the London terminus for long-distance high-speed trains operated by Great Western Railway . Two services go to Heathrow Airport :

1170-477: The Euston Arch ) in a classical and French-chateau design. It opened on 9 June 1854, and had 103 bedrooms and 15 sitting rooms. Each corner contained a tower containing two additional floors beyond the five storeys of the main block. It was originally run by a consortium of GWR shareholders and staff, before the company took over operations completely in 1896. The station was substantially enlarged in 1906–1915 and

1235-420: The Heathrow Express travels non-stop at a premium fare, while Elizabeth line takes the same route but calls at all intermediate stations. The station has 13 terminal platforms, numbered 1 to 12 and 14 from south-west to north-east (left to right as seen from the concourse). Platforms 1 to 8 are below the original three spans of Brunel's train shed, platforms 9 to 12 beneath the later fourth span. Platform 13

1300-484: The München Hauptbahnhof . The glazed roof is supported by wrought iron arches in three spans, respectively spanning 68 feet (21 m), 102 feet (31 m) and 70 feet (21 m). The roof is 699 feet (210 m) long, and the original roof spans had two transepts connecting the three spans. It is commonly believed that these were provided by Brunel to accommodate traversers to carry coaches between

1365-729: The West End or the City . However, recent redevelopment of derelict railway and canal land, marketed as Paddington Waterside , has resulted in new office complexes nearby. The station is in London fare zone 1 . In addition to the Underground stations at Paddington, Lancaster Gate station on the Central line is a short walk away to the south. A little further to the south lie the conjoined parks of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens . The narrow busy section of

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1430-476: The Acton-Northolt line closed. When its London Marylebone terminus was closed, Chiltern Railways diverted its services to London Paddington as did Wrexham & Shropshire between 2008 and 2011. On 9 August 1920, a passenger train collided with the buffers. Two people were injured. The following year, a passenger train was being shunted into a platform and collided with three luggage vans already occupying

1495-646: The Home Counties started being built. Bishop's Road station was rebuilt, giving an extra four platforms to Paddington (Nos. 13–16) and providing a new ticket office and entrance for suburban services next to the bridge. A public address system was introduced in 1936. By this time, around 22,000 parcels a day were being forwarded from Paddington, with the Royal Mail service processing around 4,500 mailbags and 2,400 parcel bags every day. The station came under attack several times during World War II . On 17 April 1941,

1560-438: The London end of the four train sheds. Platform 14 can only be reached indirectly via the north-western end of platform 12. A footbridge crosses the north-western end of the station and gives access to platforms 1–12 and 14. There are ticket barriers to platforms 2–7 and 10–14. A first-class lounge on Platform 1 provides complimentary refreshments and Wi-Fi internet access. It also has screens showing television news as well as

1625-415: The Night telling producer Pete Gage: "The problem is, I don't want to be a singer ... I want to be a songwriter, I just want to write songs, but I want other people to sing the songs." The making of the album was a difficult experience for Gage. He had been hired by Mike Stone, an American promoter, who was then acting as Armatrading's manager. Stone described Armatrading as being "very difficult" following

1690-533: The album shows a development of the mood of Armatrading's first album Whatever's for Us , and explores different aspects of her talent and musical leanings, as it encompasses elements of folk , jazz , calypso and up-tempo songs. Because of this a number of musicians were hired, so they could reflect the variety of styles Armatrading was coming up with. The album features some experienced musicians, notably Jean Roussel , Colin Pincott, and Andy Summers . The album

1755-576: The album who would be "sympathetic" and "patient". In the studios, Armatrading was frequently absent-minded and would sometimes walk out, forget where she was supposed to be, and wander off. Because of this, Gage eventually lost his patience with her and while driving Armatrading to Paddington Station so that she could catch the train to visit a friend in Reading , he gave her a dressing down, telling her she should think herself lucky to have musicians and studios at her disposal and that many artists would give

1820-559: The album, "Cool Blue Stole My Heart" and "Steppin' Out", were included in the set list for Armatrading's seminal concert at Studio L in Cologne , known as the Rockpalast , in February 1979, and were also included in the live album Steppin' Out released in that year. The song "Dry Land" was said to be the favourite track of the album's producer, Pete Gage , who described it as "a very sensitive number", saying: "I loved that song". "Dry Land"

1885-465: The album, and he described it as "a very sensitive number". After its release as an album track and single, "Dry Land" was re-released on several collections of Armatrading's work: Live at the Bijou Cafe , (1977); Love and Affection , (1996); Love and Affection: Joan Armatrading Classics 1975–1983 (2003); and Joan Armatrading: Gold (2005). "Dry Land" was a favourite of DJ John Peel and appears on

1950-402: The best railway in the country. The GWR had originally planned to terminate London services at Euston as this allowed them to use part of the London and Birmingham Railway 's track into the station, which would have been cost effective. This received government approval in 1835, but was rejected as a long-term solution by Brunel as he was concerned it would also allow Liverpool to compete as

2015-550: The compilation album Kat's Karavan: The History Of John Peel On The Radio . The song was covered by Irish singer Freddie White and released on his album Do You Do in 1981. Back to the Night Back to the Night is the second studio album by the British singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading . The album was released in April 1975 by A&M Records (AMLH 68305). Musically,

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2080-449: The departure of Pam Nestor, but nevertheless having "immense talent". Gage himself was struck by Armatrading's musical ability, describing her as "having a huge amount of natural talent". Armatrading found it difficult to make the album, partly because of her reluctance to perform and partly because she was unhappy during this time, later saying that she had "been going through a bad period". Gage went out of his way to recruit musicians for

2145-458: The departure side of the station was hit by a parachute mine, while on 22 March 1944, the roof between platforms 6 and 7 was destroyed by two 500-pound (230 kg) bombs. Passenger traffic greatly increased through Paddington during the war, partly by evacuation to the relatively quiet Thames Valley , and because holidaymakers chose to travel west as large areas of the south and east coasts had been taken over for military purposes. On 29 July 1944,

2210-487: The ends of the platforms for horse and coach traffic. The first GWR service from the new station departed on 16 January 1854, though the roof had not been finished at this point and there were no arrivals. It was formally opened on 29 May, and the older temporary station was demolished the following year. The Great Western Hotel was built on Praed Street in front of the station from 1851 to 1854 by architect Philip Charles Hardwick , son of Philip Hardwick (designer of

2275-460: The following year. Three new platforms were added; platform 12 in November 1913, platform 11 in December 1915, and platform 10 the following year. The roof was completely reconstructed between 1922 and 1924, replacing Brunel's original cast-iron columns with steel replicas. Unlike several other London termini, Paddington saw no damage during World War I . Although Victoria and Charing Cross were

2340-520: The front by Praed Street and at the rear by Bishop's Bridge Road, which crosses the station throat on Bishop's Bridge . On the west side of the station is Eastbourne Terrace, while the east side is bounded by the Paddington arm of the Grand Union Canal . The station is in a shallow cutting, a fact obscured at the front by a hotel building, but which can be clearly seen from the other three sides. To

2405-411: The goods depot at Westbourne Park was moved to Old Oak Common . The main departure platform was extended in 1908 and used for milk and parcels. In 1911, work began to separate light and empty carriage traffic from running trains between Paddington to Old Oak Common, which involved the rebuilding of Westbourne Park station. The work was halted because of World War I but resumed in 1926, to be completed

2470-487: The incoming main railway line between Ladbroke Grove and Paddington station is known as Paddington Throat among some engineers. The National Rail station is officially named London Paddington , a name commonly used outside London but rarely by Londoners, who call it just Paddington , as on the London Underground map . This same practice applies to all the London mainline rail termini, except London Bridge. Parts of

2535-503: The late 2010s improved air quality. London Paddington has always been one of the busiest stations in the UK, and was ranked as the 8th busiest station in the United Kingdom during the 2016–17 period according to the Office of Rail & Road, with 36.6 million passengers during that period, and was placed between Stratford and London St Pancras International . However, as a result of the opening of

2600-464: The latter could be moved to a more southerly position. Aside from the June 1878 work, Brunel's original roof structure remained untouched throughout the improvements. The GWR began experimenting with the electric lighting in 1880, leading to Paddington being decorated with Christmas lights that year. Although the system was unreliable, it spurred the GWR on to a more ambitious lighting scheme in 1886, in which

2665-514: The main station building. Coinciding with this project, a new taxi rank and pick up point was built north of the main station, as well as comprehensive upgrades to Paddington tube station . The underground platforms opened as the Elizabeth line on 24 May 2022. The station had historically been criticised for very poor air quality inside the train shed; however, the replacement of diesel InterCity 125 trains by bi-mode Class 800 and 802 trains in

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2730-423: The main stations for military movement during the war, Paddington was used for some of this traffic. On Armistice Day 1922, a memorial to the employees of the GWR who died during the war was unveiled by Viscount Churchill . The bronze memorial, depicting a soldier reading a letter, was sculpted by Charles Sargeant Jagger and stands on platform 1. The GWR was the only railway company that continued through

2795-544: The north of the station is the Westway , to the northeast is Edgware Road , and to the east and southeast is the London Inner Ring Road . The surrounding area is partly residential, and includes the major St Mary's Hospital , restaurants and hotels. Until recently there was little office accommodation in the area, and most commuters interchanged between National Rail and the London Underground to reach workplaces in

2860-474: The original western terminus of the Metropolitan Railway , the world's first underground railway. In the 20th century, suburban and commuter services appeared at Paddington as the urban sprawl of London moved westwards. Despite the numerous upgrades and rebuilding, plus damage sustained in particular during World War II , Brunel's original design is still recognisable. The station complex is bounded at

2925-493: The pocket timetables it publishes, and its services to Bath, Bristol, Weston-super-Mare and South Wales are in timetable number 1. With the building of the Elizabeth line Paddington gained two more low level platforms numbered A and B. These are located underground in the Elizabeth line section of the station directly to the south west of the main concourse. The concourse stretches across the heads of platforms 1 to 12, underneath

2990-407: The same year. By this time, public opinion had turned against wholesale demolition and redevelopment of stations such as Euston, and consequently the rebuilding work was done with an eye towards preserving Brunel and Wyatt's original station design. Special steam services began to be run from Paddington again in the 1980s. In 1982, a bronze statue of Brunel was erected on the station concourse. It

3055-582: The second busiest station in the United Kingdom, after London Liverpool Street , with 59.2 million entries and exits. Paddington is the London terminus of the Great Western Main Line ; passenger services are primarily operated by Great Western Railway , which provides commuter and regional passenger services to west London and the Thames Valley region, as well as long-distance intercity services to South West England and South Wales . The station

3120-590: The song in Amsterdam and finished it in London three months later. The majority of the songs on the album were written by Joan Armatrading, though two (the tracks " Dry Land " and "Come When You Need Me") were a carry over from her collaboration with lyricist Pam Nestor , which had begun with Armatrading's debut album Whatever's for Us . Several tracks from Back to the Night subsequently appeared on many compilation albums: "Steppin' Out", "Dry Land", "Cool Blue Stole My Heart", and "Come When You Need Me". Two songs from

3185-657: The songs arose from Armatrading's experience of touring in the US following the release of Whatever's for Us . Sean Mayes notes in his biography of Armatrading that while Joan was playing in the Bronx , New York, she stayed in a hotel in Times Square and would often walk the streets around the hotel late at night, after a performance. It was through this that she acquired her love of "night people", encountering "beggars, buskers … and Vietnam veterans with bits of their arms and legs missing". It

3250-446: The station directly to Heathrow Airport . From 1999 until 2003, Express Baggage check-in facilities for airline passengers were provided in the Lawn, however these were progressively replaced by retail units. The station's fourth span was renovated in 2010, involving repair and restoration of the original glazed roof, so that platforms 9 to 12 can once more enjoy daylight. A false ceiling or crash deck had been in place since 1996. Work

3315-464: The station was closed for three hours because the platforms were saturated with passenger traffic, while on the subsequent August bank holiday , crowds were controlled in tight queues along Eastbourne Terrace by mounted police. Steam traffic began to be replaced in the late 1950s. Between 1959 and 1961, suburban services switched to diesel multiple units , while the last regular long-distance steam train left Paddington on 11 June 1965. The track layout

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3380-400: The station, including the main train shed , date from 1854, when it was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel as the London terminus for the Great Western Railway (GWR). It is one of eleven stations in London managed by Network Rail . After several false starts, Brunel announced the construction of a railway from Bristol to London on 30 July 1833. This became the GWR, and he intended it to be

3445-447: The time of the album's making. The photographs that appear on the album cover are in silhouette at the insistence of Armatrading. At the time she would not agree to be photographed, saying: "I don't want my picture on the cover of the album, it'll have to be something else." The only way the photographer, Clive Arrowsmith , could persuade her was to agree to take profile shots and shade the images so her face couldn't be seen. Many of

3510-456: The tracks within the station. However recent research, using early documents and photographs, does not seem to support this belief, and their actual purpose is unknown. The original station used four platforms, 27-foot (8.2 m)-wide and 24-foot-6-inch (7.47 m)-wide departure platforms, a 21-foot (6.4 m) arrival platform, and a 47-foot (14 m) combined arrival platform and cab road. A series of nineteen turnplates were sited beyond

3575-515: Was completed and the restored roof unveiled in July 2011. A second phase of improvements began in July 2014 and was completed two years later. Network Rail originally planned to demolish Span 4 and build an office block over it, which was successfully contested by Save Britain's Heritage . In the mid 2010s, construction began on an underground station as part of the Crossrail project, located south west of

3640-403: Was decommissioned in December 2016 to permit lengthening of platform 12 for 10-coach trains. Platform 14 is within the Metropolitan Railway 's old Bishop's Road (Suburban) station to the north-west. Immediately alongside are through platforms 15 and 16, used by the London Underground 's Hammersmith & City and Circle lines. The current operator, Great Western Railway, assigns numbers to

3705-466: Was doubled to four tracks in the 1870s. The quadrupling was completed to Westbourne Park on 30 October 1871, Slough in June 1879 and Maidenhead in September 1884. An additional platform (later to become No. 9) opened in June 1878, while two new departure platforms (later Nos. 4 and 5) were added in 1885. One of the lines between what is now platform 5 and 7 was removed, in order that

3770-437: Was mixed at Basing Street Studios, London, and mastered at Sterling Sound, New York. While making Back to the Night , Armatrading realised she could make a career out of music, and her experiences during the recording of the album convinced her to apply herself to the task of doing so. Before this album, Armatrading had simply wanted to be a songwriter. She was a reluctant singer and performer and did not want to sing on Back to

3835-575: Was part of the Virgin CrossCountry network with services to the North of England and Scotland via Oxford and Birmingham New Street . From June 2005 until May 2018, Paddington was the terminus for Heathrow Connect services. Until December 2018, Chiltern Railways operated a weekday parliamentary service from South Ruislip and to High Wycombe via the Acton–Northolt line . It ceased when

3900-421: Was promoted on tour with a six-piece jazz-pop group called The Movies . Following the release of her debut album, Whatever's for Us , a collaboration with lyricist Pam Nestor , Armatrading ended her contract with Cube Records and signed instead with A&M . Back to the Night was recorded in 1974 at Basing Street Studios , London; Morgan Studios , London; and Rockfield Studios , Monmouthshire . It

3965-536: Was released as a single (AMS 7205) in 1976. The song "Back to the Night" was later re-released as a re-mix version in November 1983 as the b-side of the single "Heaven" (AM 162) from the compilation album Track Record . The album was a critical rather than a commercial success and did not sell in large numbers. A review in Record Mirror referred to the album's "indefinable magic" and music that's "a lot funkier" than her debut album and stated, "Joan Armatrading

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4030-464: Was renamed First Great Western in 1998, and merged with First Great Western Link and Wessex Trains to form the Greater Western franchise in 2006. In 2015, the operating company was renamed Great Western Railway . In the mid 1990s, the Great Western Main Line approaches and platforms were electrified as part of the Heathrow Express project. Opening in 1998, the airport rail link connects

4095-451: Was reorganised in 1967, abolishing the distinction between arrival and departure platforms that had been a feature of Paddington since opening. A new set of sidings was built south of Royal Oak, and the track curve into Paddington was eased. Services to the Midlands were rerouted via Marylebone during this time. The station concourse was enlarged in 1970, and the ticket office was rebuilt in

4160-510: Was sculpted by John Doubleday and funded by the Bristol and West Building Society . Between 1989 and 1999, the Lawn was re-roofed and separated from the concourse by a glass screen wall. It is surrounded by shops and cafes on several levels. As with other major British railway termini, Paddington is owned and managed by Network Rail . Train services were privatised in 1996, initially to Great Western Trains and Thames Trains . The former company

4225-495: Was the people she met that provided the background for the songs on Back to the Night , for example, the song "No Love For Free" being about the prostitutes Armatrading encountered on her wanderings around the Bronx. "Cool Blue Stole My Heart" recalls a holiday Armatrading had in Amsterdam. Armatrading mentions during a live concert released as the Steppin' Out DVD that she began writing

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