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Derelict London - London Transport - Tubes, trains, trams
An anonymous fan of this site writes:
"I’ve worked as a contracting engineer on both the over and underground railway networks for the many years and believe that you’d see the infrastructure and surrounding tundra as an Alladin’s Cave of subject material. More frightening is the knowledge that a great deal of the jaw dropping dilapidation is still operational. Access to the railways are of course restricted to authorised personal holding approved accreditations and even these are governed by levels of requirements for protection staff escortation or the need for operational downtime. Nevertheless, the stations themselves and nearby public highways, footpaths and bridges are often great vantage points for gathering records of the appalling state of what’s costing the fare paying passenger occasionally a lot more than just too much money. Keep up the great work. Meanwhile the creaking railway engineering industry battles on to fill the holes whilst main resources are focused on tarting up major stations and creating retail and commercial opportunities."
"I’ve worked as a contracting engineer on both the over and underground railway networks for the many years and believe that you’d see the infrastructure and surrounding tundra as an Alladin’s Cave of subject material. More frightening is the knowledge that a great deal of the jaw dropping dilapidation is still operational. Access to the railways are of course restricted to authorised personal holding approved accreditations and even these are governed by levels of requirements for protection staff escortation or the need for operational downtime. Nevertheless, the stations themselves and nearby public highways, footpaths and bridges are often great vantage points for gathering records of the appalling state of what’s costing the fare paying passenger occasionally a lot more than just too much money. Keep up the great work. Meanwhile the creaking railway engineering industry battles on to fill the holes whilst main resources are focused on tarting up major stations and creating retail and commercial opportunities."
An old poster that remained on a disused platform at Moorgate Station for many years but was removed in Autumn 2012 following the Jimmy Saville scandal.
INSIDE DISUSED TUBE TRAIN
Note the old "Smoking" carriage sign and the Jubilee Line map when it used to terminate at Charing Cross.
OLD TUBE TICKET MACHINES
Anyone remember these old ticket machines?
Ian Smith writes: "I remember these, I used to work on them as an apprentice at Lillie Bridge depot, they used to come into the works in a filthy state and took age to clean. The ink took ages to get off your skin."
Ian Smith writes: "I remember these, I used to work on them as an apprentice at Lillie Bridge depot, they used to come into the works in a filthy state and took age to clean. The ink took ages to get off your skin."
TOOLEY ST, SE1 - LONDON BRIDGE STATION REDEVELOPMENT
Tooley Street is going to be a building site for the next 5 years as a new ground-level concourse for the mainline rail station is created with the loss of some distinctive attractions and architecture.
London Bridge station will get new platforms, have UK's largest concourse, new lifts, escalators and entrances on Tooley Street and St Thomas Street. Entrance via Tooley Street will be via the railway arches which have now been emptied of its occupiers.
The London Dungeons have relocated to the old County Hall next to the London Eye. The horror attraction sold off many of its old props and exhibits at a car boot sale.
The On Your Bike bicycle shop relocated to new premises adjacent to Borough Market. Skinkers Wine Bar closed its doors after 38 years and its sister establishment The Cooperage closed after a nearly 30 years in Tooley Street.
The former South Eastern Railway offices will soon be demolished so a public plaza can be created in front of the new southern station concourse. The triangular block had been home to a WW2 museum and a restaurant. The WW2 museum - Winston Churchill's Britain at War Experience closed in January 2013 and will not be relocating or reopening. The building survived the Luftwaffe but not the modern day developers. Unfortunately, efforts to get the building a listed status were unsuccessful despite Tooley Street being deemed a "conservation area" by Southwark Council.
London Bridge station will get new platforms, have UK's largest concourse, new lifts, escalators and entrances on Tooley Street and St Thomas Street. Entrance via Tooley Street will be via the railway arches which have now been emptied of its occupiers.
The London Dungeons have relocated to the old County Hall next to the London Eye. The horror attraction sold off many of its old props and exhibits at a car boot sale.
The On Your Bike bicycle shop relocated to new premises adjacent to Borough Market. Skinkers Wine Bar closed its doors after 38 years and its sister establishment The Cooperage closed after a nearly 30 years in Tooley Street.
The former South Eastern Railway offices will soon be demolished so a public plaza can be created in front of the new southern station concourse. The triangular block had been home to a WW2 museum and a restaurant. The WW2 museum - Winston Churchill's Britain at War Experience closed in January 2013 and will not be relocating or reopening. The building survived the Luftwaffe but not the modern day developers. Unfortunately, efforts to get the building a listed status were unsuccessful despite Tooley Street being deemed a "conservation area" by Southwark Council.
THE STRAND WC2 - STRAND TUBE (renamed Aldwych)
Opened in 1907, The Strand Tube Station was the terminus of a short branch off the Piccadilly Line (Aldwych Branch Line). It was then renamed the Aldwych to avoid confusion with the Northern Line’s Strand station. The original name can still be seen on the tiling.
During the Second World War, the branch was closed and the station used as a public air raid shelter, with the tunnels being employed to store the Elgin Marbles and other precious artefacts from the British Museum. Service resumed in 1946, but ended permanently in 1994 after the cost of a lift replacement was deemed uneconomic for the 600 or so passengers who passed through every day.
Because the station is at the end of the line, it has proved an ideal venue for film crews and it can be glimpsed in films as diverse as Battle of Britain, Superman IV, The Krays, An American Werewolf in London and Patriot Games. It has also represented ‘Sun Hill’ tube station in television’s The Bill and appeared in Take It or Leave It (the film that chronicles the career of pop group Madness). The tunnel was used in Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter’ pop video. Legend has it that people who are employed to clean the stations and tunnels are scared of a mysterious figure, who roams the station at night. Legend is that the ghost that haunts the station is that of an actress, who did not manage to fulfil her dreams - the station stood on the former plot of the Strand theatre.
During the Second World War, the branch was closed and the station used as a public air raid shelter, with the tunnels being employed to store the Elgin Marbles and other precious artefacts from the British Museum. Service resumed in 1946, but ended permanently in 1994 after the cost of a lift replacement was deemed uneconomic for the 600 or so passengers who passed through every day.
Because the station is at the end of the line, it has proved an ideal venue for film crews and it can be glimpsed in films as diverse as Battle of Britain, Superman IV, The Krays, An American Werewolf in London and Patriot Games. It has also represented ‘Sun Hill’ tube station in television’s The Bill and appeared in Take It or Leave It (the film that chronicles the career of pop group Madness). The tunnel was used in Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter’ pop video. Legend has it that people who are employed to clean the stations and tunnels are scared of a mysterious figure, who roams the station at night. Legend is that the ghost that haunts the station is that of an actress, who did not manage to fulfil her dreams - the station stood on the former plot of the Strand theatre.
The pics of Aldwych tube station below were taken by Brian Mcdonnell:
METROPOLITAN RAILWAY TRAILER COACH
This trailer car built in 1904 is the only survivor from the first batch of electric tube trains. It was acquired from the army in Shoeburyness and transferred to the Woolwich Museum where it was set ablaze by vandals.
WATERLOO AND CITY LINE TRAIN
The Waterloo & City line - known as "the drain" to its users - is a short underground railway line with only two stations, Waterloo and Bank.It exists almost exclusively to serve commuters between Waterloo mainline station and the City of London, and does not operate late in the evening or on Sundays
The above train is rolling stock from 1940 which replaced wooden carriages. The 1940 stock was eventually replaced in 1992 & taken out of Waterloo station via cranes and transported on the back of lorries to Glasgow to be scrapped. This one survived intact.
THE NORTHERN HEIGHTS LINE - FINSBURY PARK TO ALEXANDRA PALACE
Tunnels leading to Highgate Station
This railway ran from Finsbury Park via Stroud Green and Crouch End to Highgate, with a branch from Highgate via Cranley Gardens and Muswell Hill to Alexandra Palace. In its heyday in the 1870's the line carried 60,000 passengers on one Whit Monday.
Plans were published by London Underground in the 1930s for its incorporation as part of the Northern Line (The Northern Heights Plan) but the onset of World War II stopped the work at an advanced stage. After the war the development plan was abandoned but passenger trains continued to run on this line until 1954. The service was reduced to freight haulage and tube traffic, until its final closure in 1970.
The trackbed has been converted into the PARKLAND WALK that alternates between running along the top of an embankment and through deep wooded cuttings of the original railway. It is London's longest local nature reserve.
"Follow the old railway line from Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace and see deer, bats, foxes and a variety of birds and butterflies." www.all4kidsuk.com
"Dramatic increases in anti-social behaviour, including drinking, drug taking and sexual activity have contributed to a public perception that the parkland walk is a no go area, according to a council report" Hampstead & Highgate Express
"And only footsetps in a lane, and birdsong broke the silence sound and chuffs of the Great Northern train for Alexandra Palace bound" - Diary of a Nobody by John Betjeman
Plans were published by London Underground in the 1930s for its incorporation as part of the Northern Line (The Northern Heights Plan) but the onset of World War II stopped the work at an advanced stage. After the war the development plan was abandoned but passenger trains continued to run on this line until 1954. The service was reduced to freight haulage and tube traffic, until its final closure in 1970.
The trackbed has been converted into the PARKLAND WALK that alternates between running along the top of an embankment and through deep wooded cuttings of the original railway. It is London's longest local nature reserve.
"Follow the old railway line from Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace and see deer, bats, foxes and a variety of birds and butterflies." www.all4kidsuk.com
"Dramatic increases in anti-social behaviour, including drinking, drug taking and sexual activity have contributed to a public perception that the parkland walk is a no go area, according to a council report" Hampstead & Highgate Express
"And only footsetps in a lane, and birdsong broke the silence sound and chuffs of the Great Northern train for Alexandra Palace bound" - Diary of a Nobody by John Betjeman
THE NORTH LONDON LINK - NORTH WOOLWICH TO CUSTOM HOUSE
North Woolwich station opened in 1847 as the southern terminus of the line from Stratford. The service was later extended beyond Stratford to Palace Gates (Alexandra Palace/Wood Green area). In 1963 diesel traction replaced steam and the service was cut back to Stratford with peak-hour trains to Tottenham Hale. In the 1980's the station building and a platform were closed and replaced by minimalist white canopy entrance and passenger shelter on the south side. In1985 the line from North Woolwich was electrified with the service running semi circular round inner north London & down to Richmond. I left my car in Richmond one night and after a night out woke up the next morning in Canning Town and remember this long slow train journey to Richmond before picking up my car and driving to work in Hampshire....
From 1984 to 2008 the original North Woolwich station buildings and one disused platform served as the North Woolwich Old Station Museum dedicated to the history of the Great Eastern Railway.
The "new" station closed in December 2006 as part of the closure of the Stratford to North Woolwich section of the Silverlink North London line to allow conversion of the North London Line between Stratford and Canning Town to a Docklands Light Railway line.
The other 2 station buildings( Silvertown & Custom House) are simple 1980's structures though situated near Silvertown is an interesting tunnel. Built in 1878, this 600m cut-and-cover tunnel allowed the railway to be diverted under the newly-built Connaught passage which connected the Victoria and Albert docks. Crossrail is to re-use the Connaught Tunnel route by 2018, with a new tunnel under the Thames near the site of North Woolwich station.
From 1984 to 2008 the original North Woolwich station buildings and one disused platform served as the North Woolwich Old Station Museum dedicated to the history of the Great Eastern Railway.
The "new" station closed in December 2006 as part of the closure of the Stratford to North Woolwich section of the Silverlink North London line to allow conversion of the North London Line between Stratford and Canning Town to a Docklands Light Railway line.
The other 2 station buildings( Silvertown & Custom House) are simple 1980's structures though situated near Silvertown is an interesting tunnel. Built in 1878, this 600m cut-and-cover tunnel allowed the railway to be diverted under the newly-built Connaught passage which connected the Victoria and Albert docks. Crossrail is to re-use the Connaught Tunnel route by 2018, with a new tunnel under the Thames near the site of North Woolwich station.
MAYFAIR W1 - DOWN STREET TUBE STATION
Quite a few disused underground stations are still in existence. This one was opened on what is now the Piccadilly Line in 1907 and it closed in 1932. It was never very busy. The well-heeled local residents tended not to use the tube, and the area was, in any case, already served by other nearby underground stations.
By 1939 both platforms had largely been bricked up, a concrete cap had been fitted over the shaft, and filters and steel doors had been installed to prevent any gas contamination. The station was therefore an obvious place for Winston Churchill and his wartime Cabinet to use as a deep-level shelter until the Cabinet War Rooms in Whitehall were completed. It then served as the wartime headquarters of the Railway Executive Committee.
ISLINGTON EC1 - CITY ROAD TUBE STATION
City Road was one of the stations built when the City & South London Railway now part of the Northern line) opened its extension from Moorgate to Angel in 1901. It is located between Old Street and Angel
City Road station was little used, and discussions of its closure took place as early as 1908. However, the station remained open until 1922 when the section between Euston and Moorgate was closed to enable the diameter of the tunnels to be increased so that larger trains could be operated. The station remained closed when the line was reopened in 1924. The platforms were removed and the lift shaft was converted for use as a ventilation shaft. . During World War II, the station was converted for use as an air-raid shelter.
The station building remained until the 1960s, when all but the structure immediately around the original lift shaft was demolished.Today little remains to indicate the site of the former station. At track level the short station tunnels just remain visible from trains passing through.
EUSTON - EUSTON TUBE STATION (Old Entrance)
1907-1914 Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway. This original building still stands to the side of the modern station
SHEPHERDS BUSH - WOOD LANE TUBE
1908-1947. Opening on 14/5/08 to coincide with the opening of the Franco-British exhibition in White City.Closed in 1947 and it has only just been demolished- the facade has been dismantled and some of it is to be re-erected at London Transport's Depot museum at Acton Town. This location was used in 1964 for Dr Who episode "The Dalek Invasion of Earth"
These pics of inside Wood Lane tube station were taken for Derelict London by tube driver Mick Hansford in Jan 2005
BROMPTON SW3 - BROMPTON ROAD TUBE
Brompton Road tube station is a disused station on the Piccadilly Line. It is located between Knightsbridge and South Kensington and opened in 1906. It was convenient for both the Brompton Oratory and the Victoria and Albert Museum but the statiion still saw little traffic and within 3 years some services passed through it without stopping. Nearby Knightsbridge station was modernised in 1934 with escalators replacing lifts & provided with a new entrance built closer to Brompton Road station, Brompton Road station itself closed.
During the war, the old station was the Royal Artillery's Anti-Aircraft Operations Room for central London.
The entrance and exits to the lifts were on Brompton Road but was demolished in 1972. The Cottage Place side of the building originally used for staff access still survives albeit partly incorporated into a larger building. The Old London Underground Company has proposed turning the above-ground buildings into a restaurant and make the underground space available to the London Fire Brigade Museum.
SOUTH KENSINGTON - SOUTH KENSINGTON TUBE ENTRANCE
Although the present South Kensington tube station is a fully functional station the old Piccadilly line surface building on Pelham Street is no longer in use.In contrast to the the rest of the present station this ox-blood building was designed by Leslie Green and houses the lifthaft but With the introduction of escalators in 1974 the station building was taken out of use.
ST JOHNS WOOD NW8 - MARLBOROUGH ROAD TUBE STATION
Open between 1868 and 1939 (Metropolitan Line), it had been a little-used station apart from some peak days during cricket season due to its proximity to Lord's Cricket Ground. The street that Marlborough Road station was named after has been renamed Marlborough Place.
The remains of the platforms and an outside shot of the station building and booking hall (then an Aberdeen Angus Steak House) were included in a scene from Metro-land, a 1973 BBC documentary presented by Sir John Betjeman. The building survives today and was in use as a Chinese restaurant although that has not gone.
HYDE PARK - HYDE PARK TUBE STATION BUILDING
The building with its ox-blood coloured tiles was the original entrance/exit for hyde park corner underground station and opened in 1906,only to close in the thirties when escaltors replaced the lifts. A sub surface station opened nearby in 1932.
It was opened as a restaurant and music venue in 1982 by Peter Boizot, Pizza Express’s founder, George Melly, Mica Paris, John Dankworth and Cleo Laine, and a long list of others on the international jazz circuit played here. Dankworth went straight there for a party straight after getting his knighthood at Buckingham Palace.After nearly 30 years of pizza and jazz,this venue finally closed down in June 2010 and is to be converted into The Wellesely a "boutique hotel" where the price of a room costs between £1000 and £8000 PER NIGHT and describes as London's first six star hotel....Hyde Park Corner station is still operational but is one of the few stations which have no associated buildings above ground, the station being fully underground. The current entrance to the station is accessed from within the pedestrian underpass system around the Hyde Park Corner junction. The non-operational part of the station is said to be chillingly haunted by the sound of girls crying.
BRICK LANE - SHOREDITCH TUBE STATION
A former London Underground station that opened in 1869 and closed permanently in June 2006. It was the northern terminus of the East London Line, with latterly a single platform alongside a single track that ran next to the disused Bishopsgate Goodsyard.Shoreditch tube station closed , to allow work to begin on the East London Line extension. It has been replaced by a new station nearby, Shoreditch High Street. The new line and station form part of the London Overground network, a suburban rail service operated by Transport for London but separate from the Tube network.
This old tube station situated on Brick Lane that closed in late 2007 should not be confused with Shoreditch Railway Station (in the last picture) on the North London Railway between Haggerston & Broad Street which closed in 1940.
This old tube station situated on Brick Lane that closed in late 2007 should not be confused with Shoreditch Railway Station (in the last picture) on the North London Railway between Haggerston & Broad Street which closed in 1940.
HIGHBURY STATION (old Northern and City Line entrance)
The NCL ran from Moorgate to Finsbury Park. Closed before the Victoria Line station (over the road) was opened.
KENTISH TOWN NW1 - SOUTH KENTISH TOWN TUBE
1907-1924. Situated on Northern Line between Camden Town & Kentish Town. It was closed during a power station strike on 5th June 1924 and never reopened. Building is now used as a massage/sauna & Cash Converters. A passenger accidentally alighted from a train which stopped at a red light at South Kentish Town soon after closure and although he soon realised his mistake and got back on the train, this inspired a published short story which told of a Mr. Brackett, who was trapped in the dark, deserted station for four days having stepped off a train stopped by a red signal. This story was expanded further by Sir John Betjeman on a BBC broadcast called "South Kentish Town" that he made in the 1950's.
Before getting into the idea of Derelict London I used to work in the blue building (The Verge though now renamed Bullet) to the right of this photograph. It never occured to me all those years ago that I should investigate down the cellars of the old pub to see if there were any secret tunnels
BARNSBURY N1 - YORK ROAD TUBE STATION
1906-1932. This was one of the original stations on the Great Northern Piccadilly & Brompton Railway, now the Piccadilly Line.It is typical of the Leslie Green designed stations. Being so close to King's Cross it saw little use, and Sunday services were withdrawn from 1918. The station remained open for weekday traffic until 1932 when it closed permanently.
BERMONDSEY SE1 - SPA ROAD RAILWAY STATION
Spa Road station was the terminus of London’s first railway, the London and Greenwich Railway, and, in fact, there are actually two disused Spa Road stations. The first, opened in 1836, was just down the road. The second one, shown here, replaced it in 1867 and was renamed Spa Road and Bermondsey in 1877. It was closed during the First World War due to staff shortages, and, because it had never attracted many passengers, was then never reopened.
Remains of the old platforms can still be seen from trains passing between Deptford and London Bridge. In 1999 a train from Dover to London Charing Cross collided with a train from Brighton to Bedford at Spa Road, causing both to derail. Four people were injured, and a number of passengers had to be evacuated through the old station.
The arch shown here displays the signage of the South East & Chatham Railway; some of the bricked-up ticket windows are also visible.
Remains of the old platforms can still be seen from trains passing between Deptford and London Bridge. In 1999 a train from Dover to London Charing Cross collided with a train from Brighton to Bedford at Spa Road, causing both to derail. Four people were injured, and a number of passengers had to be evacuated through the old station.
The arch shown here displays the signage of the South East & Chatham Railway; some of the bricked-up ticket windows are also visible.
There are some 800 arches in the viaduct that extends between London Bridge to Deptford. Between the old Spa Road Station and the disused Southwark Park Station (in South Bermondsey) is a stretch of this continuous viaduct built in the 1830's. Most of the arches in this stretch are derelict:
BERMONDSEY SE1 - SOUTHWARK PARK RAILWAY STATION
The next stop south of Spa Rd Station was Southwark Park station. It opened in 1902 and replaced the Commercial Docks station slightly to its south . It lay between Spa Road to the north west and Deptford to the south east.
Like Spa Road, it closed in 1915 due to wartime economies in WW1, and did not reopen due to competition from other public transport. The station building still survives although the entrances and windows are bricked up.
Like Spa Road, it closed in 1915 due to wartime economies in WW1, and did not reopen due to competition from other public transport. The station building still survives although the entrances and windows are bricked up.
SHADWELL - OLD STATION BUILDING
This original station building was one of the oldest on the network, and was built over a spring. First opened by the East London Railway in 1876, It was renamed Shadwell & St. George-in-the-East in 1900 but reverted to its original name in 1918. In 1983, a new ticket hall was built on Cable Street, replacing this original station building.
LEA BRIDGE ROAD STATION
Lea Bridge is a closed railway station on the line between Stratford and Tottenham Hale stations. This was handy for Orient's football stadium which used to be situated around the corner but since located to Brisbane Rd in Leyton.
The station was opened in1840 & was closed by British Rail on 8 July 1985. Prior to its closure the station had been neglected for some years and none of the original station buildings remained and the simple open-sided shelter present in 1985 on the road bridge over the tracks has also been demolished.
In December 2005 a new passenger service between Stratford and Stansted Airport reintroduced direct passenger services between Stratford and Tottenham Hale passing through the closed Lea Bridge station and plans are being considered to rebuild and reopen the station as part of wider plans for the redevelopment of the Stratford and Lower Lea Valley area.
WATERLOO STATION EUROSTAR TERMINAL
Following the relocation of the main Eurostar Terminal to St Pancras, Waterloo International lays empty.The first Eurostar left Waterloo on November 1994 and the last departed in November 2007. The £130m station, designed by Nicholas Grimshaw, was widely admired.It won the best building prize from the Royal Institute of British Architects for its "power and elegance" in 1994.
WATERLOO - NECROPOLIS RAILWAY STATION
An unusual train service operated from Waterloo to Brookwood Cemetery, near Woking. It conveyed the deceased and their accompanying mourners to their final resting place, the Brookwood Necropolis, which at one time was the largest cemetery in the world. The Necropolis was originally promoted as concerns about public health in the nation's capital and elsewhere had increased, London having suffered its first cholera epidemic in the mid-nineteenth century.The railway had many unusual features. In the cemetery there were two stations, one for the Anglican section and another for the Nonconformist section. The station was bombed in April 1941and suffered severe damage and was never rebuilt after the Second World War although the entrance pictured above still survives.
CAMBERWELL STATION
Camberwell railway station was on the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LC&DR). It opened in 1862 though a year later the name was changed to Camberwell New Road but in 1908 reverted to Camberwell. As with many other London stations such as Spa Rd, wartime restraints forced it to close in 1916.
Today Camberwell Station Road still survives where the original station building has been converted to a garage. At track level fragments of the platforms can be seen from passing trains.
Today Camberwell Station Road still survives where the original station building has been converted to a garage. At track level fragments of the platforms can be seen from passing trains.
BISHOPSGATE GOODSYARD STATION
Eastern Counties Railways terminus built in 1840 but after Liverpool St opened the station was rebuilt as a goods depot. Recently demolished to make way for E London line extension now known as the Overground. English Heritage lost a court case to save demolishing the site. Prince Charles described the arches as an "astonishing hidden treasure"
PLAISTOW STATION
(1858 - 1962) This part of the station closed when the Fenchurch Street line to Southend was electified.
SYDENHAM SE21 - SYDENHAM HILL WOOD TUNNEL
The sealed-up tunnel is on what was the Nunhead to Crystal Palace branch of the London Chatham & Dover Railway, opened in 1865 and closed in 1954. It is now used as a roost for bats.
SILVERTOWN - DISUSED LEVEL CROSSING
The approx site of the largest explosion ever to occur anywhere near London
This section of track known as "The Woolwich Abandoned Line" formed the Eastern Counties Railway extension to N Woolwich but on the building of Victoria Dock in 1850-55 the problems posed by the railway crossing the dock entrance via a swing bridge prompted the building of an avoiding line to the North of the dock. This track was then used as a siding from 1855-c1987.
In 1893, a chemical works was established in Silvertown.The factory produced mainly soda crystals with a smaller plant producing caustic soda. The caustic soda production was halted in 1912 and that part of the plant was closed and went un-used up to the outbreak of The Great War. At this point, because of the great demand for munitions by the government's 'Explosives Supply Department' , pressure was put on the plant back into production, this time purifying TNT... So reluctantly due to the high population density surrounding the area, production began in September 1915.
On Friday the 19th of January, 1917 at 6:52 pm a huge explosion ripped a large area of Silvertown from the face of the Earth. The sound was heard and the shock-wave felt all over London and Essex, it was heard over 100 miles away as far as Southampton and Norwich, the fires that followed were seen 30 miles away from as far as Guildford and Maidstone.
50 tons of TNT, loaded into nearby railway wagons (on the track pictured below ) awaiting transport out of the plant, being set off by a fire in the 'melt-pot' room and a large part of the factory instantly disappeared, many buildings immediately surrounding the location were immediately demolished. The blast started fires for miles around by large, red hot lumps of flying metal blown from the factory building.
In all, it was estimated 60 to 70,000 properties received damage. 73 people lost their lives immediately) over 400 were injured - this is a small number considering the size of the blast, due mainly to the time of day it took place and the fact it was the end of the 'working week' - the majority of workers had left the factories and for many locals it was time to be at home with their evening meals.Also, at the outbreak of the fire people had been warned to clear the area. Some people, living close by the factory and knowing what it produced, and, on realising that there was a fire, grabbed their children and fled as fast as they could.
It was initially thought that perhaps a bomb from an air raid had been the cause or even that a German spy had sabotaged the plant, but the real cause of the initial fire has never been fully discovered, although educated guessing suggests that the safety aspects of the old factory was really to blame. A memorial to the Silvertown Explosion stands near to the site and one at Postman's Park in EC1
This section of track known as "The Woolwich Abandoned Line" formed the Eastern Counties Railway extension to N Woolwich but on the building of Victoria Dock in 1850-55 the problems posed by the railway crossing the dock entrance via a swing bridge prompted the building of an avoiding line to the North of the dock. This track was then used as a siding from 1855-c1987.
In 1893, a chemical works was established in Silvertown.The factory produced mainly soda crystals with a smaller plant producing caustic soda. The caustic soda production was halted in 1912 and that part of the plant was closed and went un-used up to the outbreak of The Great War. At this point, because of the great demand for munitions by the government's 'Explosives Supply Department' , pressure was put on the plant back into production, this time purifying TNT... So reluctantly due to the high population density surrounding the area, production began in September 1915.
On Friday the 19th of January, 1917 at 6:52 pm a huge explosion ripped a large area of Silvertown from the face of the Earth. The sound was heard and the shock-wave felt all over London and Essex, it was heard over 100 miles away as far as Southampton and Norwich, the fires that followed were seen 30 miles away from as far as Guildford and Maidstone.
50 tons of TNT, loaded into nearby railway wagons (on the track pictured below ) awaiting transport out of the plant, being set off by a fire in the 'melt-pot' room and a large part of the factory instantly disappeared, many buildings immediately surrounding the location were immediately demolished. The blast started fires for miles around by large, red hot lumps of flying metal blown from the factory building.
In all, it was estimated 60 to 70,000 properties received damage. 73 people lost their lives immediately) over 400 were injured - this is a small number considering the size of the blast, due mainly to the time of day it took place and the fact it was the end of the 'working week' - the majority of workers had left the factories and for many locals it was time to be at home with their evening meals.Also, at the outbreak of the fire people had been warned to clear the area. Some people, living close by the factory and knowing what it produced, and, on realising that there was a fire, grabbed their children and fled as fast as they could.
It was initially thought that perhaps a bomb from an air raid had been the cause or even that a German spy had sabotaged the plant, but the real cause of the initial fire has never been fully discovered, although educated guessing suggests that the safety aspects of the old factory was really to blame. A memorial to the Silvertown Explosion stands near to the site and one at Postman's Park in EC1
ACTON - DISUSED VINTAGE TUBE MAINTENANCE ROLLING STOCK
HAMPTON COURT - RAILWAY STATION
This is still a functional railway station but most of the building looks derelict. Not a great advert for tourism considering the amount of people who come from all around the world to visit Hampton Court Palace which is virtually next door.
HOLBORN - KINGSWAY TRAM TUNNEL
1906-1952. This tram underpass originally connected a subterranean station at Holborn, and ran the length of Kingsway via a station at Aldwych before rising to the surface under Waterloo Bridge.
The original tunnel was built to carry the single deck cars then in use, but in 1930 the tunnel was closed for a period to allow alterations to be made to enable double-deck cars to be used. A new entrance was built at the northern end while south of High Holborn, the level of the track was lowered to give the necessary clearance. Both stations were rebuilt at the same time and finished in marble and stone with electric lighting.
The trams picked up their electricity supply through a conduit laid between the running rails. When trams were withdrawn in London, the subway remained unused though In 1953, London Transport used the subway to store 120 withdrawn buses and coaches in case they were needed for the Coronation.The southern section was rebuilt in the 1960's as an underpass for cars between Waterloo Bridge and the Aldwych. During the conversion Aldwych station was destroyed but Holborn tram station remains intact in an unused portion of the tunnel. Various films have been shot in the tunnel including 1998's The Avengers starring Uma Thurman & Sean Connery. These pics were taken with a very basic camera a few years ago hence the poor quality.
The original tunnel was built to carry the single deck cars then in use, but in 1930 the tunnel was closed for a period to allow alterations to be made to enable double-deck cars to be used. A new entrance was built at the northern end while south of High Holborn, the level of the track was lowered to give the necessary clearance. Both stations were rebuilt at the same time and finished in marble and stone with electric lighting.
The trams picked up their electricity supply through a conduit laid between the running rails. When trams were withdrawn in London, the subway remained unused though In 1953, London Transport used the subway to store 120 withdrawn buses and coaches in case they were needed for the Coronation.The southern section was rebuilt in the 1960's as an underpass for cars between Waterloo Bridge and the Aldwych. During the conversion Aldwych station was destroyed but Holborn tram station remains intact in an unused portion of the tunnel. Various films have been shot in the tunnel including 1998's The Avengers starring Uma Thurman & Sean Connery. These pics were taken with a very basic camera a few years ago hence the poor quality.
BLACKWALL TUNNEL SOUTHERN APPROACH
This traction telephone box has the initials L.P.T.B which stood for London Passenger Transport Board which was formed in 1933 to operate all public transport in Greater London.Where tramways were concerned,'traction' telephones were provided in the cast iron feeder pillars (the pillars had a small telephone cabinet on top, with louvered sides for better hearing of the telephone's ringer). Only a couple few of these pillars have survived as part of the street furniture.
FELTHAM TW13 - RAIL FREIGHT MARSHALLING YARD
This rail yard was built in 1918 by German prisoners-of-war. With its 32 miles of sidings it was the second largest yard in the country, complete with repair sheds for wagons and locomotives. However, rail traffic began to decline in 1960s, and the yard eventually closed in 1969. It was dismantled over the following decade.
Today, it is an overgrown wilderness. There is little evidence that there was a yard here, apart from one graffiti-covered concrete building. There are a few abandoned cars, burnt out by joyriders. Recent excavations on the site have revealed remains of Iron Age pottery.
ILFORD
Disused railway training school
FENCHURCH STREET STATION
An accumulator tower for storing hydraulic power. The tower was constructed around 1900. It held a large tank of water which was put under pressure by a weighted piston.The pressurised water was forced through pipes to provide power to operate machinery such as turntables and a lift to move wagons on and off the viaduct. The depot closed in 1949 and the buildings on the site, with the exception of the accumulator tower and the viaduct, were demolished.
KINGS CROSS - SIDINGS AT REAR OF STATION
These pics were taken a few years ago and the area is now undergoing significant regeneration.
SHOREDITCH EC2 - VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
Ex Tube trains on remains of old railway bridge. Village Underground is a project to providing affordable workspace for creatives in Shoreditch and transforms 4,000 sq. ft. of Victorian warehousing into a multi-functional art, music and cultural centre. Recycled London Underground train carriages arekitted out using sustainable materials, they will have carbon-neutral heat and power, the interiors are eco designed, and there is a rooftop garden.
Below is a gallery of old carriages, signs, former station buildings, etc
KINGS CROSS RAILWAY STATION
As of October 2012, the £500m work at the station is nearly complete. The shops & ticket hall in the 1970s canopy at the front of the station have now been boarded up ready for demolition which will reveal the original 1851 facade of the station building.
According to deveopers Murphy "The final stage is the transformation of the space currently occupied by the Southern Concourse into one of the largest open public spaces in Central London, to be known as King’s Cross Square." The new layout reorients the station entrance to the side with the ticket offices, departure information and new retail and dining options placed beneath an impressive new latticed roof.
According to deveopers Murphy "The final stage is the transformation of the space currently occupied by the Southern Concourse into one of the largest open public spaces in Central London, to be known as King’s Cross Square." The new layout reorients the station entrance to the side with the ticket offices, departure information and new retail and dining options placed beneath an impressive new latticed roof.
Old gaslight holders above disused doorways at Limehouse Station
LIMEHOUSE - The £95-a-ticket boats to the Olympic Park.
The Olympic and Paralympic passenger boat service along the Lea was planned to evolve into a popular leisure business over the course of its 15-year contract. Water Chariots, which ran river transport to the Games but provoked fury with its prices went bust before London 2012 even finished.
Water Chariots boasted it would offer up to 120 return trips a day to the Olympic Park from its newly-renovated base at Limehouse Basin marina, south of the venue by the Thames, and from Tottenham Hale to the north, using a fleet of 15 specially-built vessels. One of these vessels named Usain Boat, had its name plate unveiled by Prince Charles.
Water Chariots boasted it would offer up to 120 return trips a day to the Olympic Park from its newly-renovated base at Limehouse Basin marina, south of the venue by the Thames, and from Tottenham Hale to the north, using a fleet of 15 specially-built vessels. One of these vessels named Usain Boat, had its name plate unveiled by Prince Charles.
An old sign still in situ at Charlton level crossing
