Postcards of the Past
 
London Railway Stations
Waterloo
Waterloo Station was constructed for the London and South Western Railway, extending
its service from Nine Elms. The original intention was to extend the railway service to the
City, but this was not  achieved until 1898 when the Waterloo to City Underground Line (the
Drain) opened. Waterloo Station opened on 11 July 1848. It is the largest railway station in
the UK, covering some 24.5 acres. The station was originally "Waterloo Bridge" Station
because of its proximity to Waterloo Bridge, but the "Bridge" part of the name was soon
dropped.

Waterloo East, or Waterloo Junction, station opened in 1869, and has ever since caused
confusion amongst passengers who do not realise that there are two Waterloos ! At one time
there was a line connecting the two stations which ran along part of the concourse, but this
was removed in 1911.

Between 1900 and 1922 the station was reconstructed to provide 21 platforms and a huge
concourse. The main entrance was also rebuilt in the form of a "Victory Arch" - made from
Portland Stone - to commemorate the men of the LSWR and later those from the Southern
Railway who perished in the two World Wars.

I used Waterloo extensively in the late 1950s and early 1960s when I travelled daily from
Richmond to Dalston, using the "Drain" to get to the Bank and then a 22 bus to Kingsland
Road. The Bank underground was a mess in those days, due to the construction of the world's
first "travolator" which removed the necessity of walking a long distance up (or down) a long,
miserable, dusty tunnel, and I well remember the smiles when the moving walkway opened
in 1959. The bar on Waterloo Station was excellent at that time - I used to have a cheese
sandwich and a bottle of Guinness whilst waiting for my train - the sandwich put paid to the
rumours about British Rail Sandwiches - as far as I was concerned anyway !

The Necropolis Station.  Near to Waterloo, at  121 Westminster Bridge Road, the London
Necropolis Railway ran trains from an especially constructed station to Brookwood Cemetery
in Surrey. The original station, at a spot near Leake Street, opened in 1854, and the
Westminster Bridge Road station followed in 1902. The line was used to carry only the dead
and their mourners to a London "overflow" cemetery, and operated from 1854 until 1941
when the station was bombed and never rebuilt.

Much of the information above was gleaned from a variety of books, articles and websites. We
are always interested in adding stories, memories and of course postcards, so if you would like
to add something, or correct what we have written, please get in touch !
Links:

Necropolis Railway  Lots of interesting information about this fascinating subject.
Search the internet for more about
Waterloo Station - and the battle !
Waterloo Station about 1920.