Railways in Greenwich

 

The railway lines which serve the Borough of Greenwich began early in railway history with the London to Greenwich Railway and continued into a tangle of lines, comprehensible to few and with a reputation as the most unreliable and overcrowded railway system in Britain (if not Europe!). Since the 1990s both the Docklands Light Railway and the London Underground have ventured into this territory and Crossrail will be joining them soon.  This is an attempt to explain some of it!

Greenwich as a town in South London has many railway stations and until recently was only served by the main railway rather than the underground system.  .The first railway to come to Greenwich was also the first powered railway in London and the first commuter railway.  It still runs on a huge viaduct built in 1836 and said to be the largest brick structure in the world.  Since then much has been added, in Greenwich Borough there are now have twelve railway stations, three Docklands light railway stations and one tube station.   There is also a goods only line. There are scant remains of a railway and its terminus closed during the Great War, and two railway stations which are no longer in use. There was also a vast network of internal and external factory related lines. In 2018 two main line railway stations are under construction along with a possible short light rail.  There is also a model railway run by a local society.

The actual earliest rail system in Greenwich - if it can be called a railway - was Henry Palmer’s monorail system in Deptford Dockyard installed in 1821 and used for conveying goods across the yard.[1]

THE LONDON AND GREENWICH RAILWAY

The London and Greenwich Railway however has the distinction of being the first railway completed in London.  Earlier plans had been made for railways which were never actually built. In 1824 a Kentish Railway had been put forward with a line from London to Dover to go via Greenwich and Woolwich. Another scheme from 1825 was for a railway to run to Rochester via Lewisham and Eltham.  It was not until 1831 that George Landmann arranged a meeting about his plans for a London and Greenwich Railway.  He was a retired lieutenant colonel from the Royal Engineers, born and brought up in Woolwich and later resident in Greenwich. A committee was duly set up to further his plans [2]

Work on the viaduct began near Rotherhithe in 1834 and this enormous structure gradually took shape over the next two years.  Spa Road station opened first in 1836 in order to become the first railway station in London[3] and thus beating Euston.   The line between London Bridge and Deptford was officially opened in 1836 – clearly, since the railway was ‘The London and Greenwich’, it needed to cross the border into what is now the Borough.    The border, then as now, was the River Ravensbourne and this was to present a problem. The railway was required to consult with Ravensbourne river users and it was essential to keep the navigation open. After much deliberation it was decided to build a drawbridge.  It was finished in 1838 and is said to have needed eight men to open it.[4] 

Greenwich Station. Greenwich residents had been able to access the railway since the opening of Deptford Station in 1836.  A booking office was provided alongside the North Pole Tavern in today’s Norman Road.[5]  Passengers would then walk across a field to a foot bridge[6] over the Ravensbourne and then continue to Deptford Station carefully missing a large pond en route.  This, it could be said, was the earliest railway station in Greenwich. Another temporary station was built in Greenwich in 1838 which was then replaced by a permanent building on an adjacent site in 1840. It was next to the Prince of Orange Tavern and trains ran into it at the level of the viaduct terminating in a turntable.  This was an important building ‘architect designed ‘by George Smith and with very lavish facilities including several waiting rooms as well as a booking office and a large hall.[7] 

There were numerous plans for extended the railway beyond Greenwich.  One which did achieve some progress was the Deptford Pier Junction Railway planned to leave the Greenwich line at Deptford to go to the riverside. A pier was in fact built on land given by the Gordon’s, the engineering company, but was abandoned. [8] The arcading on what became Payne’s Wharf is said to have been built for the railway.[9]

The most important proposed extension was that to go to Woolwich, Gravesend and beyond into Kent. This had been suggested when the Railway was first built but scheme had been vehemently opposed by some Greenwich residents and, in particular, the Admiralty since it would have meant a line through Greenwich Park. The scheme was eventually dropped to be revived in the 1870s.

THE NORTH KENT LINE

The line we know today travels from Greenwich to Charlton and then on to Dartford.  This has not always been the case.  The history of railways in south London is complex and confusing.   We can only do our best to untangle it.

When the London and Greenwich railway opened it was with London Bridge Station as its terminus. It was soon joined there by a line to Croydon which met it at a junction further down the line – then called Corbett’s Lane but we would know it as the line which goes off to New Cross.[10]   There were other railway companies – and there were several others - jostling to build lines in Kent and to get to a terminus in London.  One of these was the South Eastern Railway.  Following some confrontations with the Greenwich Railway, they, and the Croydon Company had built themselves a new London terminus at Bricklayers Arms, but it was not in London and it was not good. In 1845 the South Eastern Railway got Parliamentary permission to build a railway from Bricklayers Arms all the way down to the coast, via Lewisham and Charlton because a line via Greenwich was still vetoed by the Admiralty and the Royal Observatory.[11] It opened in 1849.

As far as we are concerned this means Blackheath Station (not now in Greenwich – it’s the wrong side of the road, but near enough), the Blackheath Tunnel, Charlton, Woolwich Dockyard, Woolwich Arsenal, Plumstead and Abbey Wood.

Blackheath Station.[12] This dates from 1849 as an original station on the line, and, being Blackheath, it was ‘architect designed’ by George Smith.[13] It had a goods siding, three carriage sidings and a signal box. In 1879 it was redesigned and a new street entrance provided, more expensively than other stations of this date.[14] It remains a very busy local station refurbished again in the 1980s and 1990s.

Blackheath Tunnel. This is 1,681 yards and was built as an integral part of the line.  Work began on the tunnel in 1847 when ventilation shafts were sunk into the Heath. The engineer is said to have been George Robert Stephenson, who lived locally. It is built on a very steep gradient and this became a problem in 1864 when there was a collision in which a passenger train hit a heavy ballast train which had stalled, unable to climb the slope. Six people were killed and many more injured.  The tunnel today runs from Blackheath Station across the frontage of Morden College and across Blackheath to Angerstein Junction of 1852 and Charlton Station.

Charlton Station. This opened with the line in 1849 in a cutting alongside Charlton Church Lane.   A less elaborate station than Blackheath but very like Woolwich.  Initially there was no footbridge and the line was crossed on foot and initially there was no goods yard. From 1852 it was called Charlton Junction and a goods siding was added.  It was completely destroyed by a V1 in 1944. Most importantly a line was opened from it to Westcombe Park in 1873 – but more of that later. The line was electrified in 1926 and a large substation remains west of the station. In 1956 the name changed back to simply ‘Charlton’. The goods yard closed in 1963 and in 1968, a two-storey CLASP building was installed. Signal box. This was west of the station on the up side. In 1905 it was replaced and survived the bombing of the station but in 1970 it was closed. [15] 

Glenton Railway. Ransome Road runs beneath the line on the line of the Glenton Sand and Gravel Railway.  Unseen by railway passengers is a low bridge built for trucks on the line below.  Now used as a footpath by football fans.[16]

Charlton Lane Crossing.   Level Crossing.  One of what is now very few level crossings left in London and the nearest to central London for the South Eastern Division.[17] Signal Box. This opened around 1900 with a structure designed by contractor Saxby & Farmer and survived to handle the crossing gates. Full automatic barriers, with warning lights, were installed in 1973, and were controlled directly from the signal cabin. In 2002, the cabin's traditional four-quarter wooden window frames were replaced with double-glazing, complete with thick plastic rims. It still has its original mechanical levers. [18]  Footbridge – traditional bridge over the line in latticed metal.[19]

Charlton Tunnel and Mount Street Tunnel. These tunnels run from Charlton Lane under Maryon Park with a small break between them. Mount Street is now part of Maryon Road. Some portals have decorative brickwork and there are massive wing walls. Apart from modern repairs to the west portal the original design has been retained.[20]

Sand Street Crossing. Sand Street itself is long gone under the Morris Walk Estate but there was a level crossing here, with signal box and crossing keeper. It was removed in 1969.[21]

Junction with lines into Woolwich Dockyard. This was at the east end of Pett Street.  Where the line ran under the Woolwich Road and into the Dockyard. It is now a pedestrian underpass.[22] This came off the up line in a north eastern direction, going through a tunnel before reaching the site. There was signal box here to the west of Woolwich Dockyard station. It was two-storey, made of timber and to SER design. It controlled a single-track connection with the dockyard and the box was removed at electrification. This connection was not built for the actual Dockyard but for the War Office Store which replaced it and the line was built from 1873.

Dockyard Tunnel.  This passes under Samuel Street and Francis Street and emerges at the western end of Woolwich Dockyard Station. It is 121 yards long and has a decorative parapet and plain arch at its west end. The eastern portal is completely plain. [23]

Woolwich Dockyard Station. This was an original station opened in 1849 built on Bowater’s Sand Pits. It was in a cutting and the line is descending to pass under Woolwich town centre. It is encased in a brick retaining wall – the wall itself being the main remaining feature of the original station and a limiting factor on future expansion.  There was no space for a goods yard here but two sidings were installed and since removed. [24]

Coleman Street Tunnel and George IV Tunnel. These run from Woolwich Dockyard station under Kingsman Street and Rectory Place.[25] The railway then passes under a series of other roads, including the South Circular Road (John Wilson Street) and under 1970s office developments.

General Gordon Place. There is a tunnel 123 metres long under General Gordon Place But the area was once small streets.  In what was then Cross Street was an opening down to the railway where locomotives leaving Woolwich Arsenal Station would vent smoke. This was a cause of great complaint to shopkeepers and their customers. Following public campaigns it was covered at the Council’s expense and electrification of the line.[26]

Woolwich Arsenal Station. This was originally opened in 1849 on Pattison's (chalk) Pit. The station was opened by the South Eastern Railway running in a cutting following a bridge over the road. It was designed by Peter Barlow and Samuel Beazley. It was first called just Arsenal, then Royal Arsenal, then Woolwich Arsenal Station. Originally it fronted onto what is now Vincent Street but in 1906 a booking station was built on the New Road and all trace of the earlier station has gone. The present station was built in 1993 with a horseshoe shaped roof and above it a drum like a lighthouse. On the platforms canopies with iron columns remain from the previous building. On the up platform is a terracotta relief sculpture by Martin Williamson ‘workers of Woolwich', depicting workers producing armaments at the Arsenal.,  was designed by British Rail's Architecture and Design Group.  There was a goods yard which closed in 1965 and a signal box which closed in 1970.[27]

Plumstead Station.   This opened in 1859 ten years after the opening of the line in 1849 following the huge 19th population increase in Plumstead. The buildings are on an over bridge and go down to the platform, so although they appear to be single storey they are in fact three-storeys high. There is some fancy brickwork and tall chimneys ad this design is unique to Plumstead. A lattice footbridge was installed in 1894 and is about to be removed on 2018. There were originally three platforms one being connected to sidings and included a water tower and crane but was removed in 1926. [28]

Hole in the Wall and sidings. It was here that the railway was linked to the Royal Arsenal complex in 1859. Sidings north east of Plumstead station were laid being in connection with the Arsenal. Goods sidings were beyond the road bridge east of the station. A single-track connection from these goods sidings went into the Arsenal for military trains of guns, ammunition and, indeed, new locomotive parts. This was removed in 1967. Electrified sidings were kept and still in use for storage of rolling stock and more recently by Crossrail.[29]

Church Manorway Crossing. This is the site of Church Manorway Halt. This was opened in 1917 to serve wartime munitions workers. It belonged to the South Eastern and Chatham Railway and closed in 1920. There is now a pedestrian footbridge over the line.[30]

Abbey Wood Station. Abbey Wood Station. This opened in 1849 s the point where the marsh and river cliff meet. It was managed by the South Eastern and Chatham Railway from 1899, and in 1923 it became part of the Southern railway. A new station was built in 1975 and is now being again rebuilt in preparation for Crossrail.[31]

Greenwich to Charlton

So what came next - we need to go back to the Greenwich line and remember that it stopped at Greenwich despite efforts to move it on to Charlton. Today the line extends beyond Greenwich through to Maze Hill, Westcombe Park and Charlton. Charlton Station had originally opened in 1849 as part of the North Kent line with trains arriving from Blackheath.   The London and Greenwich Company had handed over management of the line to the South Eastern Railway in 1844 and it was they who opened proposals for a line through to Charlton – which was again opposed by the Admiralty. It was not until 1872 that an Act was passed which all parties could agree to and the first section was opened between Charlton and Maze Hill in 1873.

Greenwich Station. The Station had to be rebuilt when the line was put through to Maze hill. The original station building was demolished, but much of the original brickwork was reused and the architectural style copied although the building is a different size and shape to its predecessor.  The railings around the station forecourt may have been refused. The viaduct into the station had to be partially demolished to allow a gradual descent of the tracks into the tunnel under Greenwich Park.  There were two signal boxes replaced in 1910 by a single cabin. [32]

Tunnel. This runs under the lawn in front of the Queen’s House where there are gratings giving some sort of vent to the line below.  The line then continues in a deep cutting to Maze Hill.

Maze Hill station.  This originally opened in 1878 and has since had a number of rebuilds, following fires and bombings, and one bad collision in 1958. Sidings once used for carriage storage lay to the north and south are now housing estates, and a pedestrian tunnel closed in the 1990s.  The down side building is now a commercial pottery – and only a 1920s footbridge remains.  At one time it was ‘Maze Hill for East Greenwich’ and then ‘Maze Hill for the National Maritime Museum’. [33]

Westcombe Park This opened in 1879 as Coombe Farm Lane. It has now lost its down side buildings[34]  but otherwise has probably changed very little.[35]  Between the two, high on the bank above the line is Helicon Mountain, a pretend station owned by musician Jules Holland.  The line continues with a bridge over Westcombe Hill and the A102M. There was at one time a footway over this bridge leading into the Angerstein Works.

Charlton Station. A double-track spur between Charlton and Maze Hill came into use in 1873, and a single-track connection to Greenwich in February 1878. This entailed significant layout revisions at Charlton, joining the two routes and allowing right-hand running trains from the Greenwich line to assume left-hand running beyond Charlton.  There was also accommodation for the line to Angerstein Wharf.

The Dartford Loop

The lines between Dartford and London Bridge tend to be a mystery to strangers, and indeed to many regular commuters.  Happily, some of the most confusing sections are in Lewisham and Bromley Boroughs!  Clearly the growing population of suburban commuters needed to be catered for and as the housing spread, so did the railways.

The line began as Railway No.2. in a South Eastern Railway Act of 1862. It opened in 1866 leaving the South Eastern’s line to Chislehurst near the future Hither Green Station[36] and enters what is now the Borough of Greenwich slightly to the west of the South Circular Road.

Mottingham Station. This opened with the line in 1866 as ‘Eltham’ Station, - despite being a long way from Eltham proper. In 1892, it became ‘’Eltham & Mottingham’’ and in 1927, it was finally named ’Mottingham. This appears to have been part of the electrification scheme and a substation was also built there. There were six sidings on the north side of the line handling coal and produce and from 1940 Express Dairies had a milk bottling plant here. This area is now a trading estate.[37]

New Eltham Station. This opened in 1878 as Pope Street changing to New Eltham in 1886. There was also a goods yard.[38]

The Bexleyheath Line

This was built following requests and pressure from local landowners who wanted to develop sites along the line for housing.  Following constant lobbying from the early 1880s the line eventually opened in 1895 from a junction east of Blackheath Station.[39] It thus enters the Borough of Greenwich within a few yards of its starting point.   It was originally promoted by the Bexleyheath Railway Company and operated by the South Eastern Railway. Only when Cameron Corbett started building along the line did the South Eastern Railway take over the original company,

Blackheath Tunnel. The line diverts into a tunnel east of Blackheath station. This was described as ‘unnecessary engineering work’ built purely to allow the line to go through the Cator Estate without being seen. Te line later crossed the Kidbrook stream.[40]

Kidbrooke Station. This opened with the line in 1895 but remained very quiet with the promised development some distance away and farming continuing. In 1917 a depot opened here, mainly used by the Royal air Force and a rail connection was made to its internal system – and the whole site was greatly expanded in the Second World War. More passengers are said to have come from workers at the depot than commuters going to London jobs.  However throughout the 1930s it remained quiet and unimproved. It was 1950 before it got a footbridge. The goods yard closed in 1968 and in the same year the Ferrier Estate was built around the station. In the 1990s, brick buildings were finally added. Since then, ‘regeneration’ of the Ferrier Estate has led to more use and enhancements to the station structure.[41]

Eltham Well Hall.  This station opened with the line in 1895. It was later also called ‘Well Hall and North Eltham’. The line runs alongside what was then a mansion at Well Hall – now a public park, which meant a difficult bend in the line. The goods yard closed in 1968 although in the 1930s it had been very busy, and needed to be expanded, because of the amount of building materials it was handing. It also handled ambulance trains for soldiers heading for the Royal Herbert Hospital.  The station closed in 1985 because of the construction of the A2 Rochester Road Relief Road.[42]

Eltham Station.   This replaced both Eltham Well Hall and Eltham Park in 1985. It includes a bus station built above the A2.  It is essentially just the other side of the road from the site of Well Hall Station.[43]

Eltham Park Station. This opened in 1908 following negotiations with landowners intending to build. It opened as Shooters Hill and Eltham Park, but changed to Eltham Park in 1927. The buildings were by Arthur Bloomfield. The station was opened following an agreement with Cameron Corbett who was building in the surrounding roads. The railway company had intended to close Well Hall station and substitute this, but were unable to do so and were sued by Corbett.[44]  It closed in 1985 but the station buildings remain as shops.

And now for something that isn’t there anymore

Greenwich Park Line. In 1871 the London, Chatham and Dover railway had opened a line and from Nunhead to Blackheath Hill.  They had been keen to get a line into Greenwich where the traffic was ‘astounding’ but financial difficulties had held this up, and when built the line was not successful.  The extension to Greenwich eventually opened in 1888.  The line was however only prosperous in holiday periods.  The line closed in 1917 and although much of it was reopened and continues to be used the extension to Greenwich remained closed and was eventually removed.[45]

Blackheath Hill tunnel.  This is red brick lined tunnel money underneath Blackheath Hill which opened in 1888 as part of the extension to Greenwich. On the west, Lewisham, side of the hill it was directly accessed from Blackheath Hill Station. It is possible that from 1927 it was used by the Express Cable and Engineering Co. of Plumbridge Street on the Greenwich side of the hill. From 1940 it was used as an air raid shelter by Greenwich Council and was fitted out with bunks and various facilities. It was accessed from a passage and steps here and it is understood an entrance still exists. In 1949 the houses and shops over the tunnel on the Greenwich side of the road were rebuilt. The Heliot Machine Tool Company used it as their machine shop from the 1940s, and it was later used by R.Taylor & Co., machine tools. From 1978 it was used by Mr. & Mrs. Storey as Maganal Plastics, who made road signs for local authorities. They left in 1987 and it appears to have been vacant since. [46]

The line continues from Blackheath Hill under Lindsell Street, Blisset Street, Brand Street, Prior Street and Royal Hill.  Much of the line can be traced in gardens and differently built areas and there was until recently a section still in place. At Royal Hill it passes under the site of Greenwich police station, and crosses Burney Street to enter the site of the station. [47]

Greenwich Park Station. This was on the site of the Ibis Hotel and the Burney Street Car Par to the rear.  It opened in 1888 and was originally called Greenwich. In 1900 it was renamed Greenwich Park. It closed in 1917 and was officially abandoned in 1929. It was then demolished. The station was in a cutting and this was later infilled There was a stationmaster's house in Burney Street. The buildings remained until the 1960s and were used as a billiard hall and builder's offices. [48]

Now –up to move to the late 20^th and early 21^st centuries

The Docklands Light Railway. Lewisham Extension

It was realised in the early 1970s that containerisation would lead to a decline in the use of the upriver docks and. Travis Morgan & Partners were commissioned to report on this. One proposal was for a tram system. In the early 1980s the London Docklands Development Corporation looked at a number of options and decided on one which used a series of defunct railway lines in east London. The initial stretch of line was opened from Tower Gateway to Island Gardens in 1987 and immediately consideration was given to a number of extension schemes.  the London Borough of Lewisham commissioned a feasibility study into extending the system under the river to Lewisham station. This eventually opened in 1999 entering south London at what became known as Cutty Sark Gardens and going to Lewisham via Greenwich station on a route parallel to the river Ravensbourne. This was built under the first private finance initiative on a railway in the UK. [49]

Cutty Sark Station. This opened in Cutty 1999 as part of Lewisham extension of the Docklands Light Railway.  It is adjacent to Cutty Sark Gardens and ghee ship. It is also alongside the junction of Creek Road, Greenwich High Road and Trafalgar Road and many bus routes. Trains emerge from the tunnel under the river into the station platforms.

Greenwich Station. The Docklands Light Railway was fitted into Greenwich Station parallel to the upside of the main line. It opened in 1999.

Deptford Bridge Station. this station was opened in 1999 and stands above the river Ravensbourne and the A2 road at the junctions of Greenwich High Road and near Brookmill Road to Lewisham.

 Docklands Light Railway Extension to Woolwich

In 2005, an eastward branch of the DLR was extended to a station called George V in Newham. This was extended under the river to Woolwich Arsenal in 2009. 

Woolwich Arsenal Station.  The addition of a Docklands Light Railway Station to the existing rail station opened in 2009. It is underground, and joins the main part of the light railway via a tunnel under the Thames.

 Jubilee Line. This was originally the Fleet Line, talked about and considered and eventually opened between Stanmore and Green Park in 1979.  It was composed partly of already existing lines. With the growing developments in Docklands it was extended to Stratford in 1999 at the insistence of developers. It was also argued very strongly by Greenwich Council and others that the run off tunnels, which were to be built anyway  at Canary Wharf, could be used to build a station on the Greenwich Peninsula.[50]

 

North Greenwich Station. This was opened in 1999 and stands at Blackwall Point on the Greenwich Peninsula. It was built as an extension of the Jubilee Line from Canary Wharf following intensive lobbying by Greenwich Council and because it was by then clear it would serve the Millennium Exhibition. Previously it had been opposed by London Transport’s development staff ‘no one will ever use it’.  It was further enhanced for the 2012 Olympics. It is a very busy station with a large bus station attached.[51]

 

Crossrail.  This is a 73 mile railway line being built through London to connect home counties east and west of the metropolitan area. It was approved in 2007 and has recently been renamed the Elizabeth Line. line will branch from the main line at Whitechapel to Canary Wharf, crossing under the river to a new station at Woolwich and finally connecting with the North Kent Line at the Abbey Wood. The achievement of this branch and the station at Woolwich is the result of intensive lobbying by Greenwich Council.[52]

 

Woolwich Crossrail Station.  Clearly this hasn’t opened yet. It should be noticed that Greenwich Council has had to find and arrange the finance for this – hence it has been partly funded by Berkeley Homes. It should also be noted that other stations in other boroughs have been financed from central funds.[53]

 

Abbey Wood Station. this also hasn’t opened yet. It will be the terminus of the line.

---

[1] Register of Arts 4

[2] Thomas. London’s First Railway.

[3] Spa Road station remains can be seen in the in the running to London Bridge station.  Opened intermittently over the past 180 years it has never been an important station

[4][4] The bridge across the Ravensbourne has been replaced twice and is currently an electric lift bridge, which is apparently never used

[5] Norman Road was then a footpath and the railway company built it up as a road from Greenwich High Road to the railway arches and it was then called Faulkner’s Road and later North Pole Lane.  Mr. Norman owned the land on which the railway arches were built. (Thomas)

[6] This was the ‘ha penny hatch’ tolled footbridge which stood alongside the railway bridge, although it may have been older. A replica was installed in 2002.  (Greenwich Phantom blog)

[7] Thomas

[8] It has been suggested that the riverside arcading at Payne’s Wharf was built for the railway (Shipwright’s Palace blog)

[9] Shipwrights Palace. Blog.

[10] Thomas

[11] Kidner. The North Kent Line; Nock. The South Eastern and Chatham Railway; Kent Rail, Web site

[12] Kay. Blackheath in London Railway Record 90. Kent Rail Web site. Blackheath

[13] Smith also designed Greenwich Station and many other local buildings. He was architect and surveyor to the South Eastern Railway Company as well as the Mercer’s Company, and, locally more important, Morden College. There is a Wikipedia page.

[14] Kent Rail. Web site. Blackheath

[15] Kay. London Railway Record 93. Kent Rail Web site Charlton

[16] Smith. History of Charlton

[17] Kent Rail. Web site

[18] Kent Rail. Web site. Know Your London. Blog

[19] Kent Rail. Website. Charlton Champion. Blog

[20] www.semgonline. Web site

[21] Mitchell & Smith. Charing Cross to Dartford

[22] Survey of Woolwich.

[23] www.semgonline. Web site

[24] Kent Rail. Web site

[25] www.semgonline. Web site

[25]www.semgonline. Web site

[26] Survey of Woolwich

[27] Survey of Woolwich. Mitchell &Smith. Charing Cross to Dartford

[28] Mitchell &Smith. Charing Cross to Dartford. Kent Rail. Web site

[29] Kent rail Web site. Smithers. Royal Arsenal Railways

[30] Connor and Halford. Forgotten stations of Greater London.  Crossrail site documentation.

[31] Mitchell &Smith. Charing Cross to Dartford. Kent Rail. Web site

[32] Kent Rail. Web site. London Railway Record 77

[33] Mitchell and Smith. Charing Cross to Dartford. Kent Rail. Web site. London Railway Record 77

[34] I was once told that the down side buildings were demolished because a railwayman hung himself there.  A story totally unverified.

[35] Mitchell and Smith. Charing Cross to Dartford

[36] Kidner. The Dartford Loop Line

[37] Kidner Dartford Loop. Kent Rail. Web site. Mitchell and Smith. Lewisham to Dartford

[38] Kidner Dartford Loop. Kent Rail. Web site. Mitchell and Smith. Lewisham to Dartford

[39] Jackson. London’s Local Railways

[40] Jackson. London’s Local Railways. Jackson is quoting Edwin Course here.

[41]  Jackson. London’s Local Railways, Mitchell and Smith. Lewisham to Dartford, Kent Rail Web site

 

[42] Mitchell and Smith. Lewisham to Dartford. Jackson. London’s Local Railways

[43] Kent Rail. Web site

[44] Jackson. London’s Local Railways. Kent Rail. Web site.

[45] Jackson.  London’s Local Railways

[46]  London Railway Record. 56.  Subterranea Britannica. Web site.

[47] London Railway and Record, 7, 8, & 11.

[48] Disused Stations. Web site

[49] Docklands Light Railway. Handbook and Guide.

[50] Wikipedia page. Plus my own recollections as a lobbyist in 1990s.

[51] My own recollections.

[52] Wikipedia page and my own recollections

[53] My own comments – I was a Greenwich Councillor when this went through