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    • Derelict homes now Demolished
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Derelict London - Photography, Social History and Guided Walking Tours
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Derelict London - Railway Stations, Yards and Rolling Stock

London Transport - Railways

​​Join the mailing list (see bottom of page) to find out about Derelict London and London's Lost Rivers guided walks as soon as tickets are released plus news on my latest books and website updates. My latest book London's Lost Music Venues is out now and more information can be found at www.londonslostmusicvenues.com.
Poster with Jimmy Saville advertising weekend Awaydays on a disused London platform
A poster from the early 1980s that remained on a disused platform at Moorgate Station for many years but was removed in 2012 following the Jimmy Saville scandal.

Barking, IG1 - Abandoned Railway Rolling Stock

​Between Barking and Dagenham Dock railway stations are these sidings with some redundant freight train wagons  Cartic 4 wagons (car transporters).
Barking, IG1 - Abandoned Railway Rolling Stock (2021)
​Between Barking and Dagenham Dock railway stations are these sidings with some redundant freight train wagons including some Cartic-4 wagons (car transporters). Ford launched its Dagenham Dock to Halewood (Merseyside) train using Cartic-4 wagons (up to 34 cars on each double-deck wagon) in 1966 continuing until 2013. 

The Ford Motor Company at Dagenham opened in 1931 and has produced nearly 11 million cars and more than 39 million engines in its history on its 475 acre site. It once employed 40,000 staff though these days the figure is now 2,000 and the plant only assembles engines.
Ford launched its Dagenham Dock to Halewood (Merseyside) train using Cartic 4 wagons (up to 34 cars on each double deck wagon)in 1966 continuing until 2013.
Decaying Cartic-4 wagons (car transporters) on sidings between Barking and Dagenham Dock railway stations (2021)
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Barking, IG1 - Abandoned Railway Rolling Stock (2021)

North Woolwich, E16 - Silverlink (aka North London Link) 

The derelict boarded up North Woolwich Station by the defunct North London Link  railway.
North Woolwich Station (2019)
North Woolwich station opened in 1847 as the southern terminus of the line from Stratford. The station photographed here was built in 1854. 

​In the 1980s the station building and a platform were closed and replaced by a minimalist white canopy entrance and passenger shelter on the south side. In 1985 the line from North Woolwich was electrified  with the service running semicircular round inner north London & down to Richmond. I left my car in Richmond one night and after a night out in Ealing 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. Parts of this line from North Woolwich to Custom House via Silvertown have been utilised by Crossrail with a new tunnel under the Thames near the site of North Woolwich station.

There were plans to convert the Grade II listed old Station as a public workspace for artists, local residents and creative businesses and to  receive funding by the Mayor of London. Though that fell through and in 2020 the former station was advertised for sale for £1 million as a commercial building suitable for D1 use - which includes educational, medical or religious purposes.
Dilapidated ironwork and canopy of the abandoned North Woolwich Railway Station
North Woolwich Station Trackside (2016)
Buddleia takes over the trackside of the North Woolwich Station in the London Borough of Newham
North Woolwich Station Trackside (2016)
The closed down basic rebuild of North Woolwich Station photographed by Paul Talling for Derelict London
The modern North Woolwich Station (pic 2007 before it was demolished)

Silverlink, E16 - Silverlink (aka North London Link) 

​ The other 2  station buildings( Silvertown & Custom House) were simple 1980s structures though situated

Parts of this line from North Woolwich to Custom House via Silvertown have been utilised by Crossrail. 
Silvertown Station building and platforms shortly after closure
Silvertown Station (2007)
​Silvertown Station was opened in 1863 in this booming area of employment with a high concentration of factories. A decline in the factories and closure of nearby docks in turn led to less use of the railway line resulting in the removal of one of the two tracks in 1980, leaving just one platform to serve trains in both directions. The old station buildings had also been demolished  around that time and a basic building replaced it. After London City Airport opened nearby in 1987, another boost in passengers was not to come as the walk through adjacent side streets, and the relatively infrequent service, which was peripheral rather than into central London, led to little usage of the airport interchange.  Yet another very basic new station building replaced the one built ten years previous, and this one was opened in 1989 by Michael Portillo the then Minister of State for Transport. 

As with North Woolwich and Custom House Silverlink Stations this station closed in late 2006 and the building and track slipped into dereliction over the years. 

The station buildings and platforms were demolished in 2012 as part of the construction of Crossrail. The Docklands Light Railway Woolwich Arsenal branch now provides a substitute service for much of this part of the old Silverlink service with the nearest DLR station to the disused Silvertown station being London City Airport.

My photographs below show Silvertown Station and its vicinity in 2011 when decay had really set in. These days it all looks very different with the Crossrail track running through it with flood protection walls either side which locals nickname the 'Berlin Wall'
Desolate overgrown railway line in Silvertown, East  London
Buddleia takes over disused station in Silvertown near London City Airport
Overgrown and vandalised blue and white station at Silvertown in E16
Plaque at Silvertown station saying this foundation stone was laid by Michael Portillo MP Minister of State for Transport on Saturday 7th October 1989
Vandalised smashed up interior of disused railway station
Track taken up at former Silvertown station in East London
Disused platform signage at redundant Silvertown station
View of overgrown trackbed and derelict Silvertown station with Tate and Lyle factory to the right

Connaught Tunnel, E16 - Silverlink North London line 

Grafiiti on the walls and disused railway in the Connaught Tunnel, viewed from Silvertown
Connaught Tunnel, E16 (2011) viewed from Silvertown
On the line heading out of Silvertown towards Custom House is an interesting tunnel. 

When the Royal Victoria Dock opened in 1855 the line had to have a swing bridge over the entrance to the dock, which increased journey times. In response, the line between Canning Town and North Woolwich was rerouted north of the dock through two new stations, at Custom House and Tidal Basin. Built in 1878, this 550 m cut-and-cover tunnel allowed the railway to be diverted under the Connaught passage which connected the Victoria dock and newly built Albert dock. 

Crossrail is re-using the Connaught Tunnel after spending £50M on a renovation project. Crossrail says that around 100 m of tunnel wall was removed and replaced with a new tunnel lining. The existing brick arches and the tunnel approaches were retained and repaired. A large concrete base was installed on the dock floor to ensure the safety and stability of the Connaught Tunnel. 

These photographs were taken in 2011 when I saw it in all its tranquil glory before the Crossrail works. Needless to say that you are forbidden to wander down here these days (Section 55 the British Transport Commission Act 1949 states a penalty for trespass on railways applies in relation to any railway, siding, tunnel, railway embankment, cutting or similar)
Disused signal trackside on the North London Line in Silvertown
Approach to the disused Connaught Tunnel at the Royal Docks
Arches within the Connaught Tunnel in Silvertown
Connaught Tunnel now used by Crossrail
Abandoned railway tunnel in East London
The overgrown entrance to Connaught Tunnel viewed from Custom House
Connaught Tunnel, E16 (2011) viewed from Custom House

Custom House Station, E16 - Silverlink North London line 

The former trackbed between the platforms of  Custom House Silverlink Station
Custom House Silverlink Station (2011)
The main station building was demolished in 1969 and replaced by little more than a shelter. In 1995, it became an interchange station with the Docklands Light Railway before the Silverlink part closed in 2006. Photographed here in 2011 just after the line had been removed.
Disused permit to travel machine at derelict Custom House Silverlink Station
British Rail sign for the North London Link platforms with list of stations

Kings Cross,N1 - Kings Cross Station

 Boarded up old concourse frontage at King's Cross Station in London
King's Cross Station 2012
​The area of King's Cross was previously a village known as Battle Bridge which was an ancient crossing of the River Fleet (see www.londonslostrivers.com). The river flowed along what is now the west side of Pancras Road until it was rerouted underground in 1825. The name "Battle Bridge" is linked to tradition that this was the site of a major battle between the Romans and the British Iceni tribe led by Boudica, though this is hotly disputed by some historians.

King's Cross station, the biggest in England at the time, opened in 18552 as the London terminus of the Great Northern Railway (GNR) taking its name from a monument to King George IV that stood in the area but demolished in 1845. A single-storey extension containing the main passenger concourse, ticket office and shops, was built at the front of the station in 1972 obscuring the Grade I-listed façade of the original station. This extension was demolished in late 2012. 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.
​
These photographs taken in 2012 of the boarded up shops & ticket hall provide a reminder of the 1970s unloved structure. A public square now occupies this space in front of the station.
Boarded up shops and ticket hall at Kings Cross Station before demolition
Diversion signs during redevelopment of Kings Cross Station redevelopment
Old concourse and boarded up WH Smith at  Kings Cross Station

​Kings Cross, N1 - Railway Lands at Rear of Station

Derelict boarded up flats of Stanley Buildings and the German Gymnasium behind Kings Cross station
Railway lands at rear of ​Kings Cross Station (2003)
This area consists of approximately 67 acres of former railway lands to the north of King's Cross and St Pancras stations. Around here were coal yards, warehouses and gas works. The coal arrived by rail and was distributed around London via the adjacent Regents Canal. There were also some Victorian blocks of living accommodation for the workers. More information about these residential blocks is covered in the Derelict London book.

After World War II the area declined  and became an abandoned post-industrial district and until the early 2000s it was well known for prostitution and drug abuse. Since then, King's Cross Central, a multi-billion pound mixed-use development has regenerated the site. Below is a selection of photographs that I took of the area between 2003 and 2012.
Industrial wasteland of chimneys, boarded up tenements and gas holders viewed from St Pancras station in London
Boarded up Culross Buildings flats behind Kings Cross Station
run-down stairwell of Victorian flats behind Kings Cross Station in North London
Vacant blocks of flats called the Culross Buildings near St Pancras Station
Neglected London railway arches in railway lands behind Kings Cross
boarded up fish and coal building and coal yards and warehouses behind Kings Cross.
Boarded up building in abandoned post-industrial district at Kings Cross, London
The vacant Victorian Culross Hall at Kings Cross before demolition.
Abandoned Victorian blocks of living accommodation for the workers at Kings Cross.
Broken windows of derelict Kings Cross warehouse known for prostitution and drug abuse
Decaying canopy at railway lands to the north of King's Cross and St Pancras stations.
 Abandoned buildings and  disused railways in post-industrial district at Kings Cross
Looking through the fence at neglected rail yards at Kings Cross in 2003
Neglected railway warehouse on Goods Way at Kings Cross
Unoccupied derelict London railway building off York Way in Kings Cross
Demolition of railway arches at St Pancras
Demolition of Victorian viaduct behind St Pancras station in preparation for Eurostar
Ruins of railway arches at St Pancras in London
Derelict Bagleys Warehouse in Kings Cross before redevelopment
Derelict condo next to St Pancras in London
Boarded up flats beside St Pancras, London
Dilapidated block of Stanley Buildings in Kings Cross

​Royal Mint Street, E1 - Hydraulic Accumulator Tower 

Derelict hydraulic accumulator tower in Royal Mint Street at Minories prior to demolition
​Royal Mint Street, E1 - Hydraulic Accumulator Tower (2005)
​Royal Mint Street Depot (originally called Minories Depot) was opened in 1858 by the London and Blackwall Railway Company on the site on the site of the closed down Minories Railway Station. The station building situated within a viaduct was retained for the goods depot. The depot closed in 1951 and the station building is now The Minories pub. Later, Tower Gateway DLR and offices were built on the site of the rail yard. 

This tower survived until 2015 when it was demolished to make way for a large residential development. The hydraulic accumulator tower 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.

Dalston, E8 - Dalston Junction Station

Boarded up derelict former Dalston Junction Station building
Ruins of old Dalston Junction railway Station in London
​Dalston Junction station was first opened in 1865 on the North London line to Broad Street  (a station adjacent to Liverpool Street station). The line to Broad Street and the station closed in 1986 and lay derelict until the building was demolished and the line cleared in 2005. I took these two photographs back in 2003, and they had somehow got buried in my hard drive until now. 

Louise  Masset was the first person to be executed in Britain in the 20th century when she was hanged at Newgate prison in January 1900 for the murder of her 3-year-old son.  His battered, naked body was found, wrapped in a shawl, dumped in the women's toilet at Dalston Junction station. The child had been beaten with a brick and suffocated. In 1959, Dalston Junction was used for scenes in the film 'Look Back in Anger' starring Richard Burton. A launch party for the film was held in the station buffet.

A new station called Dalston Junction has been built on this site and opened in 2010 as part of the London Overground network. The photographs below of the stretch between Dalston Junction and Haggerston were taken in 2005 of the trackbed and bridge replacement works.
North London Line bridge replacement works between Dalston Junction and Haggerston
Railway bridge replacement works between Dalston Junction and Haggerston
 Abandoned railway line between Dalston Junction and Haggerston in 2005 before the London Overground took it over

​Feltham, TW13 - Rail Freight Marshalling Yard

Graffiti covered abandoned concrete building at ​Feltham Rail Freight Marshalling Yard
​Feltham, TW13 - Rail Freight Marshalling Yard (2007)
​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 the 1960s, and the yard eventually closed in 1969. It was dismantled over the following decade.

When I took these photographs in 2007 when it was an overgrown and tranquil wilderness. There were a few abandoned cars burnt out by joyriders but little evidence that there was a yard here, apart from one graffiti-covered concrete building. Recent excavations on the site have revealed remains of Iron Age pottery.

Despite the depot closing decades ago the site had remained in railway ownership and in 2020 South Western Railway started construction on a new £60 million depot on this site.
Derelict concrete building at ​Feltham Rail Freight Marshalling Yard
​Vandalised shell of abandoned building at Feltham Rail Freight Marshalling Yard
Abandoned burnt out car at ​Feltham Rail Freight Marshalling Yard in SW London
​Burnt out frame of stolen scooter at Feltham Rail Freight Marshalling Yard
​Overgrown abandoned vehicle at Feltham Rail Freight Marshalling Yard, SW London
Poppies and undergrowth around a burnt out car in West London
Abandoned concrete structure with graffiti in W London
Abandoned tunnel in ​Feltham Rail Freight Marshalling Yard
Derelict graffiti covered tunnel in  abandoned Feltham railway yard

​Lea Bridge Road, E10 - Lea Bridge Station

Disused Lea Bridge Station building on the road bridge above the railway line
​Lea Bridge Road, E10 - Lea Bridge Station 2005
​The station was opened in 1840 by the Northern and Eastern Railway as Lea Bridge Road and is thought to be the earliest example of a station having its building on a road bridge, with staircases down to the platforms. The original station building was an Italianate style structure and featured a bell turret on the roof with a bell that was rung when a train was due. The station building was demolished during the mid 1970s and replaced with the simple shelter photographed here in 2005. By then, a train service operated between Tottenham Hale and North Woolwich via Stratford and the withdrawal of that service led to the closure of the station in 1985. 

The derelict remains of the old station have been demolished and replaced by a new station on the site costing £11 million opened in 2016.  Greater Anglia Trains stop here on a service between Stratford and Bishop's Stortford and Meridian Water.

​Bermondsey, SE1 - Spa Road Railway Station

Railway arches of disused Spa Road Station in Bermondsey, South London.-
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 were actually two Spa Road station sites. The first, opened in 1836, further along the viaduct. The second one, shown here, replaced it in 1867 and was renamed Spa Road and Bermondsey in 1877.  When the South Eastern and Chatham Railway was formed in 1899, the station was remodelled and given the current appearance.

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 bricked-up ticket windows are also visible.
There are some 800 arches in the viaduct that extends on the stretch between London Bridge and Deptford. Between the old Spa Road Station and the disused Southwark Park Station is a stretch of this  continuous viaduct built in the 1830s. Many of the arches in this stretch are derelict. The pics below were taken between 2008 and 2016.
Dark and dingy railway arches between London Bridge and Deptford
Derelict lock-ups under the arches in South London
Corrugated iron boarded up railway arches in South London
 Victorian arches of the London and Greenwich Railway in Bermondsey
Buddleia and boarded up railway arches in South London
Neglected railway arches in South London
Scrap tyres and boarded up railway arches in South London
Vacant brick railway arches in South London

​Bermondsey, SE1 - Southwark Park Railway Station

Alleyway and bricked up entrance to Southwark Park ghost railway station in Bermondsey, South London
​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.

The abandoned interior of the ticket hall and foundations for the platforms were uncovered by Network Rail in 2015 as part of the Thameslink Programme upgrade. The station was discovered as engineers constructed the Bermondsey Dive Under, which has seen viaducts partially demolished and rebuilt to allow trains from south-east London and Kent to dive under a new route carrying Thameslink services from Croydon. They uncovered the footings for the former platforms while preparing the top of the viaduct for new track and used the roof space of the former ticket hall to fill in the old skylights.
The abandoned interior of the ticket hall of Southwark Park Station is not visible due to bricked up windows
Corbetts Passage and bricked up window to abandoned South London railway station
Narrow passage under railway arch on Southwark Park Road
Bricked up windows at discarded Southwark Park station in South London

Camberwell, SE5 - Camberwell Railway Station

Dilapidated  closed down Camberwell Railway Station in South London
Cars outside the defunct Camberwell Railway Station now an auto services workshop
​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 to passengers 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. Various proposals  to reopen the station have been put forward in recent years.

The Northern Heights Line - Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace (Parkland Walk)

The abandoned Highgate (high level) Railway Station photographed by Paul Talling of Derelict London
The abandoned Highgate (high level) Railway Station (2004)
This railway ran from Finsbury Park via Stroud Green, Crouch End, Highgate Cranley Gardens, Muswell Hill to Alexandra Palace. In its heyday in the 1870s the line carried 60,000 passengers on one Whit Monday.

The platforms of Crouch End Station still survive and the abandoned Highgate (high level) Railway Station opened in 1867 still sits directly above Highgate tube station (which opened in 1941). Because of the hilly terrain, the station was built in a deep cutting with tunnels at each end of the station. The original high level station buildings were demolished during the Second World War and a new central platform with reinforced concrete canopies were built, including a stairway leading down to the new Highgate Northern Line ticket hall. 

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.

"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 footsteps 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 abandoned railway ran from Finsbury Park via Stroud Green,Crouch End, Highgate Cranley Gardens, Muswell Hill to Alexandra Palace.
Trackbed of Northern Heights railway line  converted into Parkland Walk
Sculpture of a spriggan by Marilyn Collins on the Parkland Walk inspired Stephen King.
Overgrown steps down to abandoned platform of the closed down Crouch End station
Muddy footpath along route of abandoned North London railway line
Derelict Highgate Railway tunnels on the Parkland Walk
Dark abandoned railway tunnel leading to the defunct Highgate station
 A stairway leading from the derelict station down to the Highgate Northern Line ticket hall.
Central platform with reinforced concrete canopies at the abandoned Highgate station
Overgrown platforms of the disused Highgate station in North London
Abandoned electrical box at derelict railway station in Highgate, London
Highgate station in a deep cutting with tunnels at each end.

​Plaistow Station, E13 - Disused Buildings

Disused station buildings at Plaistow in East London
Broken windows of abandoned station building at Plaistow Station
​The Fenchurch Street–Southend service was withdrawn from Plaistow and these buildings and platforms used by that service have been abandoned since 1962. These photographs were taken in 2003, but they still remain derelict while the rest of the station is fully functioning.

​Blackfriars Road, SE1 - Former South East Railway Blackfriars Station 

 Former South East Railway Blackfriars Station livery on Blackfriars
​Blackfriars Road, SE1 - Former South East Railway Blackfriars Station
Surprising modern day evidence of a station that was only open for 5 years. This is the entrance to the former SER Blackfriars Station. Situated on the Blackfriars Road opposite the present day Southwark tube station. The tiling under the bridge on both sides of the road still shows evidence of World War Two shrapnel damage from the Blitz of 1940 and a V2 rocket in 1944. Many surrounding buildings were damaged beyond repair.  More visible evidence of wartime London can be seen on the Derelict London War page.

Work on the station was commenced by the Charing Cross Railway Co on its line from London Bridge to Charing Cross, and it was taken over by the South Eastern Railway Co. before opening in 1864. Closure came 5 years later when the South East Railway opened its Waterloo Station (now Waterloo East).  In 1886 the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) opened a station on the north bank of the river called St. Paul's and renamed Blackfriars in 1937. 

The Big Burrito Company were based under the arch but that had closed down when these pics were taken and the Lebanese Grill has since opened in its place. A while ago there was a café called The Toast Office with a great mock Post Office sign. There were plans to encase half the pavement area in glass to accommodate a trendy café but there is no update on those plans.
Former South East Railway Blackfriars Station entrance is now a cafe
Charing Cross Railway lettering at the disused South East Railway Blackfriars Station
Evidence of World War Two shrapnel damage from the Blitz and a V2 rocket at the old Blackfriars Station
Evidence of World War Two shrapnel damage in the tiling on the Blackfriars Road opposite Southwark Station
Bomb damage under the arches of a closed down London railway station

​Shoreditch, E1 - Bishopsgate Goods Yard

Derelict and overgrown Oriel Gate into the abandoned Bishopsgate Goodsyard in East London
The Grade II listed Oriel Gate into the Bishopsgate Goodsyard (2003). It is still there but has been obscured by boards for many years.
​Bishopsgate was a railway station in use from 1840 to 1875 as a passenger station and then converted into a freight terminal. By 1882 the Goodsyard was in full operation catering for 1,600 carts in and out of the station daily and was the focus for receiving imported food via the eastern ports from continental Europe.

Bishopsgate Goodsyard  was destroyed in a fire in 1964 which killed two customs officials and destroyed hundreds of railway wagons, dozens of motor vehicles and millions of pounds worth of goods. Regeneration has been very slow with one of the reasons is that the site stretches across the borough boundary between Tower Hamlets and Hackney.

Substantial remains lay derelict until much was demolished in the early 2000s to make way for Shoreditch High Street railway station which now stands on the site.

A mixed-use development named The Goodsyard has been proposed for the remainder of the site.
Entrance to the abandoned London Bishopsgate Goods yard obscured by graffiti covered wooden boards
Decaying remains of brick walls and arches of the Bishopsgate Goodsyard
Elaborate arched windows at neglected remains of Bishopsgate Goodsyard in Shoreditch
Deserted interiors of  Bishopsgate Goodsyard in Shoreditch, East London
Relinquished bridges on railway lands in East London
Desolation of abandoned arches at Bishopsgate Goodsyard next to Shoreditch Boxpark
Abandoned railway lands off Brick Lane in East London
Disused railway lands and brick arches in Sclater Street in Shoreditch
Vacant railway arches of the Bishopsgate Goodsyard in East London
Danger falling masonry sign at derelict railway arches in East London
Remains of crumbling brick walls of Bishopsgate Goodsyard in Brick Lane, East London.

Waterloo Station, SE1 - Waterloo International Railway Station

Disused and empty Waterloo International station terminus of the Eurostar international
Waterloo Station, SE1 - Waterloo International Railway Station (2008)
Waterloo International station was the London terminus of the Eurostar international rail service from its opening in 1994 to its closure on 2007, when it was replaced by St Pancras International as the terminal for international rail services. 

​This £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. After laying empty for a decade the platforms were incorporated into the main Waterloo station. In  2010 two of the disused platforms hosted theatrical performances of The Railway Children. The audience was seated either side of the actual railway track. The show includes the use of a steam engine, coupled to one of the original carriages from the 1970 film being shunted in and out of the theatre area.
Information sign at closed down Waterloo Eurostar saying 13 years, 81,891,738 travellers.Goodby Waterloo. Hello St Pancras
Sign displaying information that Waterloo International is now closed
Pigeons at former Eurostar Terminal at Waterloo Station
Disused e-ticket machines at London Water Eurostar terminus

London Bridge Station, SE1 - Redevelopment Before (2013) and After (2021)


London Bridge Station, SE1 - After Redevelopment (2021)
Tooley Street was a building site for 5 years as a new ground-level concourse for the mainline rail station was created with the loss of some distinctive attractions and architecture. This is a selection of my photographs taken in 2013 and some up top date ones taken in roughly the same position.

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, a triangular 'Flat iron' block was home to a WW2 museum and a restaurant  was demolished, and a public plaza was created in front of the station concourse. The Winston Churchill's Britain at War Experience closed in 2013 and never relocated. 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.
Enter at your peril lettering at the entrance to former London Dungeon on Tooley Street before relocation

London Bridge Station, SE1 - After Redevelopment (2021) reimagined, rebuilt and reopened railway arches
Dead pub the Cooperage on Tooley Street closed down as part of London Bridge Station redevelopment

Mcdonalds at London Bridge Station, After Redevelopment (2021)
Photograph of derelict boarded up pub in Tooley Street, South London

Rebuilt Tooley Street arches at London Bridge Station, after Redevelopment
Below are a few more Tooley Street photographs taken in 2013
The former South Eastern Railway offices, a triangular 'Flat iron' block was home to a WW2 museum and a restaurant  was demolished
Tooley St, SE1 - South Eastern Railway offices (2013)
Bus stop sign for London Bridge London Dungeon on Tooley Street
Hooded executioner statue at defunct London Dungeon in Tooley St
Derelict London Dungeon Museum at London Bridge
Hooded skull with scythe at old London Dungeon in Tooley St

London Bridge Station, closed down Cooperage pub under the Tooley Street arches before redevelopment
Boarded up Skinkers Bar in Tooley Street, London Bridge
On Your Bike closed down premises under the arches at Tooley Street, London Bridge.
London Bridge Station, boarded up Tooley Street brick arches before redevelopment
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London Bridge Station, Tooley Street arches before redevelopment (2013)n for Costain. Creating tomorrow's railway at London Bridge.
JCB at
London Bridge Station, Tooley Street arches during rebuilding of the station
The disused South Eastern Railway offices at London Bridge a triangular 'Flat iron' block was later home to a war museum but now demolished
The former South Eastern Railway offices, home to a Britain at War museum has been demolished
Poster for Winston Churchill Britain at War theme museum in Tooley Street, London
South Eastern Railway offices entrance on Tooley Street, London

​Canning Town, E16 - Abandoned Railway Bridge

Abandoned railway bridge across the River Lea in ​Canning Town, London, E16
​Canning Town, E16 - Abandoned Railway Bridge (2020)
​A railway bridge on this site goes back to 1848 with this one replacing a swing bridge in the early 1900s. The bridge was used to carry the goods line over Bow Creek (the tidal River Lea) from Canning Town to sidings that served the former East India Dock warehouses. The railway closed in 1967 around the same time as the East India Docks. The bridge is sealed off to the public, but I managed to get up there myself for some photographs. The Crunch (a supergroup)used it in their promo video for their Neon Madonna single in 2015. A supergroup in my household anyway as it includes members of Sham 69, Cockney Rejects, The Clash & Diamond Dogs.
Disused goods railway bridge across the Bow Creek in  ​Canning Town, E16
Derelict  bridge that carried sidings across the River Lea that served the former East India Dock warehouses
Overgrown redundant iron railway bridge across the River Lea to Canning Town
View of the O2 Millenium Dome and the River Lea from abandoned railway bridge at Canning Town

​
Brentford, TW7 -  Brentford Branch Line (aka Brentford Dock Line)

Remains of a viaduct of the Brentford Branch Line (aka Brentford Dock Line) by the Grand Union Canal
Brentford, TW7 - Remains of Viaducts of the Brentford Branch Line (aka Brentford Dock Line)
The Brentford branch line aka the Brentford Dock Line, was mainly a freight railway branch line  which opened in 1859. It ran 4 miles from Southall to Brentford Dock via Brentford Town Goods (a station that opened in the line later in 1930). The line to the wharves was also closed after which this line south of Brentford Town (Goods) Station was dismantled. As you can see here parts of the viaduct which carried the line into the dock remain intact.

Brentford Town Goods itself closed in 1970. In 1977, a waste transfer station opened on the site of the yard, after the Greater London Council did a deal with British Rail to use the line for the transport of rubbish. Four trains a week still serve the waste station transporting rubbish to a landfill site in Oxfordshire.
Remains of disused railway viaduct  of the Brentford Branch Line (aka Brentford Dock Line) in West London
Arches below abandoned railway line in Brentford used as motor repair workshop
parts of the disused viaduct in Brentford remain intact
Disused railway viaduct in Brentford painted orange and used as an MOT garage

Below are some more railway photographs taken by myself over the years of running this website. I have hundreds more and 
Brookmill Road Nature reserve, St Johns,SE8. 
Dilapidated railway waggon on a disused railway embankment
Disused railway station building at Catford Bridge in South London
Vandalised signal box Battersea, London near Clapham Junction.
Disused railway tunnel, on the defunct The Crystal Palace and South London Junction Railway in Upper Sydenham, South London.
Train carriage covered in  street art now a café in Deptford, South London
Derelict abandoned railway shed in Finsbury Park, North London
Repurposed rail waggon to hold plants at Free Trade Wharf in Shadwell, East London.
down-at-heel  railway arches at Loughborough Junction near Brixton in South London
Sign for the defunct Post Office Railway at Mount Pleasant in Clerkenwell.
Disused viaduct at Millwall Park on the Isle of Dogs next to a former Millwall FC ground.
Derelict railway workers hut by the track in Mortlake, Southwest London.
Neglected garages beneath the disused railway viaduct in Muswell Hill, North London
Overgrown abandoned railway tracks at New Barnet in North London
The closed down Upper Sydenham Station on the defunct Crystal Palace and South London Junction Railway that closed in 1954
Former Limehouse Station in Three Colt Street, East London is now a nursery
The former Limehouse Station building in Three Colt Street is now a children's nursery
The decaying window of the former Shadwell and St George in the East Railway Station in East London that closed 1941
Corrugated iron sheeting covering railway arches at Loughborough Junction near Brixton in South London
Overgrown redundant railway buffers in New Barnet, North London
The former Primrose Hill Station street level building
Narrow gauge railway track at Royal Gunpowder Mills.,Waltham Abbey.
Narrow gauge railway waggons at Royal Gunpowder Mills. Waltham Abbey, EN9.
Narrow gauge locomotive  once used at the Royal Arsenal munitions works in Woolwich
Royal Gunpowder Mills. Waltham Abbey, Avonside 0-4-0T Woolwich locomotive once used at the Royal Arsenal munitions works in SE London
Overgrown remains of a partially demolished railway viaduct in  Bethnal Green, East London
Repurposed train carriage as modern art adorned with giant bugs at Vinegar Yard, London Bridge, SE1
Vandalised Waterloo Station rail workers offices
Nature takes over railway sidings at New Barnet, EN5
Abandoned trackside building at West Hampstead in North London
Overgrown railway sidings near Wimbledon station in South London
Entrance to Gillespie Park in  Highbury which was formerly railway sidings and marshalling yards.
The disused Grosvenor Road ghost railway station in Pimlico.
Remains of railway track in Railway Fields, Haringey, North London which was formerly a  railway goods yard.
Green gaslight holders above abandoned entrance to Stepney East Station (now Limehouse Station) on the Commercial Road in East London
Blue boarded up garage doors under neglected railway arch in South London
Dilapidated green doors with no parking painted on them under Brixton railway arch in South London

Links to other pages on this website:

Derelict London Transport - Tube Trains and Stations

​Derelict London Transport - Trams

Paul Talling's Derelict London - all photographs are copyright © 2003-2023
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