Bricklayers Arms railway station
Bricklayers Arms | |
---|---|
Location | Southwark |
Local authority | Southwark |
Owner | London and Croydon Railway/South Eastern Railway |
Key dates | |
1844 | Opened |
1847 | Opened (Willow Walk Goods) |
1852 | Closed (Passengers) |
1977 | Closed (General Goods) |
1981 | Closed (Coal/Parcels) |
Other information | |
Coordinates | 51°29′35″N 0°04′52″W / 51.49304°N 0.0811163°W |
London transport portal |
Bricklayers Arms was a railway station in Southwark opened by the London and Croydon Railway and the South Eastern Railway in 1844 as an alternative to the London and Greenwich Railway's terminus at London Bridge. The station was at the end of a short branch line from the main line to London Bridge and served as a passenger terminus for a few years before being converted to a goods station and engineering facility. The goods station closed in 1981.
Bricklayers Arms branch
The branch line was one mile and 56 chains (2.7 km) in length and was constructed in 1843–44 as a result of concerns by the
The viaduct at the eastern end of the Bricklayers Arms branch was originally constructed on timber trestles instead of brick arches. The junction between the branch and the main line was the first in the world to be controlled by a
Construction of the new terminus had the desired effect, and the L&GR agreed to more reasonable terms; as a result the L&CR ceased using the station in March 1845,
Plans to extend the line from Bricklayers Arms to a new SER terminus at
Under a series of agreements of 1848 and 1849, the LB&SCR sold its inherited share of the facilities to the SER in 1849, whilst retaining the right to use the branch and to construct its own 15-acre (61,000 m2) goods depot on the site for an annual rent of one shilling (12d, 5p).[6][10]
In the early 1890s, the SER again proposed building an extension of the branch, but this time to
Passenger terminus
The terminus building was designed by Lewis Cubitt with an imposing facade of yellow brick and stone that was topped by a bell tower with an illuminated clock and colonnades to the platforms.[12] The design resembled his later design of King's Cross railway station,[13] and cost £89,000.[6] From its opening, the SER transferred all of its services to this new terminus, whilst the L&CR operated services from both termini.
The station was never commercially viable as a passenger
Goods depots
After closure of the passenger facilities the original goods station and the surrounding site proved to be ideal for the development of the main SER goods depot in London. New sidings were laid and the former passenger station was converted into a goods station.
The LB&SCR inherited the L&CR running powers over the branch line and established their own independent goods facilities on the contiguous site at Willow Walk in July 1849.[16][17] These replaced the former L&CR facilities at New Cross.[18]
The LB&SCR facilities were enlarged in 1854 after the Brighton company entered into an agreement with the SER's rival, the
Motive power depot and repair shop
The SER also opened a
The other important role was to provide refuelling facilities for visiting trains that had worked services into London. Once uncoupled from their coaches, locomotives from Charing Cross, Cannon Street and London Bridge stations usually ran
The original two-road (two tracks) engine shed lasted from 1844 until 1869. It was supplemented by a nearby four-road shed in 1847, which in turn was enlarged by an adjoining four-road shed in 1865. After 1869 these two sheds became known as the Old Shed and survived until closure. A fourth shed with six roads was opened in 1869, which was known as the New Shed. This was badly damaged during bombing in the
Following the grouping of Britain's railways in 1923, the Southern Railway modernised the depot and in 1934 built a locomotive repair shop.[25] However the facility was badly damaged by enemy action during the Second World War and was never fully repaired afterwards. When British Rail converted from steam to diesel traction in the 1960s the shed became surplus to requirements and closed down, but the goods sidings continued in use until 1981, when the whole complex was sold to developers.
The
Current use of the site
Following the closure of the depot and the branch line, the land occupied has been redeveloped. The area occupied by the goods sidings is now covered by housing and the site of the depot sheds has become a trading estate served by a new road, Mandela Way. A number of railway related buildings remain on the western perimeter of the site including former stables buildings at Pages Walk. Other remnants are parts of the perimeter walls along Willow Walk, Rolls Road and Lynton Road, the St James' Road bridge over the access route from South Bermondsey and the stables block at Caitlin Street.
Notes and references
Notes
References
- ^ Turner 1977, pp. 192–204.
- ^ Dendy Marshall 1963, p. 32.
- ^ Turner 1977, pp. 196–8.
- ^ Dendy Marshall 1963, p. 42.
- ^ Pasley 1844.
- ^ a b c Gray 1977, p. 31.
- ^ Brown 2015.
- ^ 'The Board of Trade and the Kentish railway schemes', (London, 1845)
- ^ 'Statement of the projects of the South-Eastern Railway Company before Parliament', session 1847, (South Eastern Railway, 1847).
- ^ Sekon 1895, p. 13.
- ^ Sekon 1895, p. 36.
- Illustrated London News. No. 105. 4 May 1844. p. 281. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
- ^ a b Nock 1961, p. 26.
- ^ Illustrated London News. No. 444. 31 August 1850. pp. 191–192. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- ^ Brown 2015, p. 40.
- ^ Turner 1978, p. 22.
- ^ The School-Board Map of London, c. 1872
- ^ Gray 1977, p. 37.
- ^ Turner 1978, pp. 121 & 232.
- ^ Turner 1978, p. 241.
- ^ Turner 1979, p. 154.
- ^ "Bricklayers Arms". Kent Rail. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
- ^ a b Griffiths & Smith 1999, p. 96.
- ^ Hawkins & Reeve 1979, p. 16.
- ^ "Guide". Mid-Hants Railway (The Watercress Line). Archived from the original on 24 February 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
Bibliography
- Bonavia, Michael R. (1987). The history of the Southern Railway. London: Unwin Hyman. ISBN 0-04-385107-X.
- Brown, Joe (2015) [2006]. London Railway Atlas (4th ed.). ISBN 978-0-7110-3819-6.
- Dendy Marshall, C.F. (1963). A history of the Southern Railway vol.1 revised by R. W. Kidner. London: Ian Allan.
- Gray, Adrian (1977). The London and Brighton line 1841-1977. Oakwood Press.
- Griffiths, Roger; Smith, Paul (1999). The directory of British engine sheds: 1 Southern England, the Midlands, East Anglia and Wales. Oxford Publishing Co.
- Hawkins, Chris; Reeve, George (1979). An historical survey of Southern sheds. Oxford Publishing Co.
- Nock, O.S. (1961). The South Eastern and Chatham Railway. London: Ian Allan.
- Pasley, C.W. (11 December 1844). Accident Returns: Extract for the Accident at Bricklayers Arms on 11th December 1844. Board of Trade. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- Sekon, G.A. (1895). History of the South Eastern Railway. London: Economic Printing and Publishing Co.
- Turner, J.T. Howard (1977). London Brighton and South Coast Railway 1. Origins and formation. London: Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-0275-X.
- Turner, J.T. Howard (1978). London Brighton and South Coast Railway 2. Establishment and Growth. London: Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-1198-8.
- Turner, J.T. Howard (1979). London Brighton and South Coast Railway 3. Completion and Maturity. London: Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-1389-1.
Further reading
- Jackman, Michael (1976). Thirty years at Bricklayers Arms. David and Charles. ISBN 978-0715371862.
- Jackman, Michael (1980). The Bricklayers Arms Branch & Loco Shed (Locomotion Paper #125). The Oakwood Press.