The description of BTM in your great buildings libraryt is incorrect. Brunel built the station between 1838 and 1840 and Bournes famous, contemporaneous, decription is still among the best. The structure is not of loadbearing masonry but is as two cranes tied down at the external walls by iron bars. The roof cantilevers out and the two jibs are joined at the ridge by a single oak block. The whole timber structure is bound round with a wrought iron flat.
Further support is given at the platform edge by cast iron columns.
The trackbed is raised 5.o m above ground on a series of lateral masonry arches . The external provide a counterweight to the iron ties and are in a Gothick style. It is important that the true nature of this structure is understood. Temple Meads is the oldest surviving Railway Terminus in the world. This document is provided for on-line viewing only.