Southwark Park railway station explained

Southwark Park
Pregroup:South Eastern and Chatham Railway
Locale:Bermondsey
Borough:Southwark
Years3:1 October 1902
Events3:Opened as Southwark Park
Years4:15 March 1915
Events4:Closed to passenger traffic
Years5:21 September 1925
Events5:Closed completely
Coordinates:51.4893°N -0.0531°W
Railstation:yes
Original:London and Greenwich Railway
Postgroup:Southern Railway

Southwark Park was a railway station in Bermondsey, south-east London, on the Greenwich Line between and . It was opened by the South Eastern and Chatham Railway on 1 October 1902, on approximately the same site as the then long-closed Commercial Dock railway station. It was close to the southern end of Southwark Park, from which it took its name. South Bermondsey railway station, on the South London Line, is nearby.

The station was constructed on a section of extra wide arches running from west of Rotherhithe New Road to east of the road. Two loop lines ran through the station, which was controlled by the Corbetts Lane Signal Cabin (later renamed Southwark Park Station Signal Cabin). Passengers boarded trains from two island platforms, reached from ground level via ramped approaches. Each platform was long, with waiting rooms and a roof long. A booking hall and station offices stood at ground level.[1]

The station did not attract much traffic, as an electric tramway ran nearby and was more popular with travellers. Along with Spa Road and Deptford stations, Southwark Park station closed on 15 March 1915 due to wartime economies. It did not reopen due to competition from other public transport making it uneconomic to operate. The station continued to be used by railway staff until 21 September 1925. The bricked-up remains of the ticket hall are visible from the outside in Corbetts Lane. The abandoned interior of the ticket hall and foundations for the platforms were uncovered by Network Rail in March 2015 as part of Thameslink Programme upgrade.[2]

British Rail did consider reopening the station as part of Thameslink in the 1980s but this never materialised.[3]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Thomas, Ronald Henry George. London's First Railway: The London and Greenwich. 1986. B.T. Batsford Limited. 978-0-7134-5414-7. 242.
  2. News: Southwark Park 'ghost' station uncovered by Thameslink workers . . 20 April 2015 . 20 April 2015.
  3. . Rita . Carter . . 1 July 1985 .