NORTH WOOLWICH LINE

 

 

Opened in 1846 between Stratford and Canning Town, the line was extended to North Woolwich the following year. Services were extended north to Palace Gates in 1887 although that line (northwards from Seven Sisters) was closed to passengers in 1963.

1979 saw the North Woolwich branch incorporated into the North London Line, pre-empting the closure of the Broad Street line (Broad Street station had hitherto provided the eastern terminus for the North London Line).

 

 

NORTH WOOLWICH

(1847 - 2006)

The Crossrail project will use the marooned stub of track between Custom House and North Woolwich, surfacing from its London side tunnel just west of Custom House station and continuing in the North Woolwich direction before diving into tunnel again under the Thames.

There will be no replacement station at North Woolwich. The original station building is Grade II listed but is being allowed to fall into disrepair.

 

 

 


The locomotive turning space in between the old station building and the platforms.

(photo: 2007)

 

 

 


Slightly different view from the photo above.

(photo: 2007)

 

 

 


The locomotive turning space and the old station building.

(photo: 2007)

 

 

 

The museum stripped of its artefacts after closure.

(photo: 2009)

 

 

 

The museum stripped of its artefacts after closure.

(photo: 2009)

 

 

 


Photo taken from the platform that was retained by the Old Station Museum. This was the solitary platform in use in the late 1970s but the joining of the branch to the North London line saw the service transferred to the other remaining platform on the right and, as mentioned, a new ticket office built. The new office was to the right of the old building, out of sight of the camera.

The platform here also once served an additional track on the left...

(photo: 2005)

 

 

 


...now cars stand on the track bed. This view is facing toward the station building.

(photo: 2006)

 

 

 

As above but closer to the station building and facing away from it.

(photo: 2009)

 

 

 

A section just shy of the station building; the area used for industrial purposes when this photo was taken (it's since been replaced by flats).

(photo: 2007)

 

 

 


View in the same direction as the above two photos but from the opposite platform.

(photo: 2006)

 

 

 


A North London Line train to Richmond waits at the platform. From this angle, it appears that the old station building serves this platform, yet the access to the new station building and the road was to the right of the brick wall seen at the end of the platform.

The different shades of brickwork seen on the upper floor of the old station building indicate repair work following severe World War II bomb damage.

(photo: 2005)

 

 

 


Westward view showing a train belonging to the North London Line on the left and a Thomas The Tank Engine train belonging to the North Woolwich Old Station Museum on the right.

(photo: 2005)

 

 

 


This sign was curiously to be found in the old station museum and not in the in-use part of the station, where one might have thought it would be more useful.

(photo: 2006)

 

 

 


Twilight time in the twilight years of the station; a Richmond bound train photographed in November 2006, less than two weeks before the station's complete closure.

 

 

 


Only two other passengers on the platform making the journey westward. The Docklands Light Railway station at King George V is only a few minutes walk from North Woolwich.

(photo: 2006)

 

 

 


A final sunset.

(photo: 2006)

 

 

 

The station in 2009, three years after closure. The industrial estate to the north-east of the station (actually built on part of the original expanse of it) has been demolished and an intruding and not particularly aesthetically pleasing housing block built in its place. At least the industrial estate had some small kinship with the heavy goods workings that this station used to have.

 

A movie of a cab ride filmed just before closure, can be found here on YouTube.

 

 

 

Reference: London Railways by Edwin Course. B T Batsford Ltd, London, 1962.

 

Further links:

http://www.londonrail.org/railway/index.htm

http://www.urban75.org/railway/north-woolwich-line.html

 

 

North Woolwich Pier