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Our Story
At Centenary Lounge we are passionate about celebrating the history of GWR, Art Deco and the 1930s
Welcome!
Hi I’m Aasia Baig, founder and managing director of Centenary Lounge. I am really excited to take this opportunity to welcome you to the Centenary Lounge family.
Centenary Lounge is a heritage brand born in 2009, taking inspiration from the stunning railway refreshment rooms of the 1930s Art Deco Golden Age of Travel. Although our interiors, service and values are inspired by a bygone era and acknowledge the past, we as a company are future thinking and firmly rooted in our present; just as the visionary railway companies were in the 1930’s period! Our values are very much about people. We like to lead by example, delight and surprise customers by turning a simple coffee break or afternoon tea into a memorable event
We like to offer something that’s above and beyond of what’s expected. Whatever we do we must have a positive emotional impact on the guest, delivering an exceptional and memorable experience at all times.
I hope you feel the love that we do for Centenary Lounge and you enjoy your time here.
Happy memories
Love, Aasia x
How it all started
Our first café opened in 2009 at Birmingham Moor Street, on the centennial anniversary of the station’s opening by the Great Western Railway (GWR), hence the name ‘Centenary Lounge’.
In 2012 we expanded our offering with a refreshment stand at Birmingham’s Snow Hill Station based on a 1920’s Empire Fruit Stall. Complete with dark wood panelling and chrome accessories, Refreshments by Centenary Lounge honours our commitment to contemporary yet elegant Art Deco design.
Centenary Lounge Worcester, opened in early 2019. Spread across two floors of a beautiful Grade II listed Georgian building, this is our largest facility to date. The ground floor continues the 1930s Art Deco theme whilst the upper floor takes inspiration from the building’s original features with a stylish Georgian-style tearoom.
Centenary Lounge at Leamington Spa Station, is located on Platform 2. Serving the Express Menu with a selection of organic and barista style coffees, speciality taste award winning teas and a selection of wines, spirits and beers for you to enjoy on your journey.
AAsia Baig
The Founder
Aasia Baig, our founder, began her journey in the railways in 2001, when she and her husband opened their first retail store in Solihull Station.
In 2003 Birmingham Moor St Station reopened after extensive restoration by Chiltern Railways. When Aasia visited the station looking for an empty unit where she could open a quality cafe, she fell in love with the charming quaint station. This encouraged her to learn about the history of the railways and the refreshment rooms and thus the idea of recreating a 1930s Great Western Railway inspired refreshment room was born.
Allow yourself to be transported back to the golden age of travel
- In The Spotlight
- Literature
- History
Awards
2014
Centenary Lounge at Birmingham Moor Street won a Theo Paphitis Small Business Sunday Award, and was shortlisted for a National Railway Heritage Award. Here’s Centenary Lounge founder, Aasia Baig, accepting the award from the man himself.
2023
Centenary Lounge was honoured with the prestigious Network Rail Conservation Award for the outstanding restoration of Leamington Spa’s refreshment room. This accolade is a testament to our commitment to preserving and enhancing the historical significance of railway buildings.
Centenary Lounge on TV & Radio
2010
BBC Radio 5 Live’s breakfast show hosted their General Election debate at the Centenary Lounge at Birmingham Moor Street, with Conservative Chancellor George Osborne and Lord Paddy Ashdown of the Liberal Democrats.
2010
Centenary Lounge at Birmingham Moor Street in the BBC Two Documentary series ‘Great British Railway Journeys’ hosted by Michael Portillo.
2015
Centenary Lounge at Birmingham Moor Street was featured in the BBC One six-part spy drama series ‘The Game’ – Episode 3, starring Tom Hughes and Brian Cox.
2017
Our Recreations crockery made an appearance on Channel 4’s ‘Amazing Spaces’.
2023
Centenary Lounge at Leamington Spa was featured in the latest episode of ‘The Architecture the Railways Built’ with Tim Dunn on the Yesterday Channel.
Unusual Railway Pubs & Refreshment Rooms
Our café was also featured in Bob Barton’s book, Unusual Railway Pubs, Refreshment Rooms and Ale Trains. This book features interesting and unusual places to eat and drink in stations around the UK, including film locations, historical sites and quirky places to eat and drink.
The author, Bob Barton, has spent five years visiting remarkable hostelries where cask ale and coffee is served along with generous portions of railway heritage and now you can too, with the help of this lavishly illustrated guide.
History of GWR
In the 1930s the ‘Big Four’ railway companies, GWR, LMS, LNER and SR, dominated Britain’s railways. Undergoing a period of vast modernisation, GWR refurbished their Edwardian and Victorian refreshment rooms to the latest Art Deco style, a look that they would forever be synonymous with.
Always at the cutting-edge of technology and style, GWR started in 1833 with Isambard Kingdom Brunel as its first Chief Engineer. GWR celebrated its centenary in 1935 by refurbishing interiors in the Art Deco style of the day.
As part of the 1930s modernisation, the Great Western Railway also commissioned new rolling stock and rebuilt stations, hotels, goods facilities and other infrastructure. As a result, the company grew to become one of the largest commercial ventures in the world.
By 1923 the network was carrying 170 million passengers and 60 million tons of goods per year. With 108,110 employees the GWR empire stretched from its London Paddington HQ as far as Penzance in Cornwall and north to Liverpool and included ocean-going ships, aeroplanes, some of the country’s finest hotels and major docks in South Wales.
The company also launched the world’s fastest scheduled train service, The Cheltenham Flyer, and created the iconic GWR roundel as part of its Deco-styled rebrand – an element we still feature in the branding for Centenary Lounge.
Our Food
For the last fifteen years, our friendly staff have been passionate about providing outstanding quality food and traditional customer service in beautiful settings that recapture all the glamour and style of the 1930s railways; the golden age of travel.
Continuing our dedication to freshness and high quality, all food is prepared on site daily using the finest seasonal ingredients and local produce where possible. We detail vegan and gluten free options, but please ask our team if you have any specific dietary requirements.
