DEPTFORD CREEK LIFTING BRIDGE

One of my many interests and hobbies is disused railways and I have spent many hours in London hunting out and photographing old stations and other related buildings and structures.

I recently followed part of the route of the London and Greenwich Railway which was London's first passenger steam railway and opened in stages between 1836 and 1838. My walk took me alongside the Southwark Viaduct which runs for almost four miles and carried the railway from London Bridge to Greenwich. It was constructed with 878 arches and originally, in 1836, only went as far as Deptford but was extended to Greenwich in 1838.

One of the places I missed on my walk was the Deptford Creek Lifting Bridge and during my latest London trip I took time to visit and in this article I give some history of the area, the bridge and include many of the photos I took. 

Deptford is an area on the south bank of the Thames that lies within the boroughs of Greenwich and Lewisham. The name Deptford originates from a ford where the River Ravensbourne was crossed by the A2 (Watling Street... the old Roman Road) and first appeared in records as Depeford, meaning deep ford, back in the 1200's.

In the mid-16th century it was home to the Deptford Dockyard, one of the Royal Dockyards, and was a major shipbuilding location until it closed in 1869. The whole area is currently undergoing regeneration focussed on improving the town centre with amenities and housing projects.

Deptford Creek is where the Ravensbourne meets the tidal Thames and at high tide is very deep. This meant that it could be used by sailing barges with their tall masts who had right of way over any other form of transport. This meant that when plans were made to extend the London and Greenwich Railway to Greenwich a decision had to me made as to how the railway could cross the Creek, a challenging task for the railway. The idea to extend the viaduct was a non-starter due to both the high tides and the right of way granted to shipping.

Two options were put forward, a swing bridge or lifting bridge. There would have been many problems with constructing a swing bridge at the same height as the viaduct, so the decision was made to construct a lifting bridge. This would allow the rail tracks to be raised letting high-masted shipping through. The complications in constructing such a structure delayed the extension of the line to Greenwich which didn't open until December 1838.

There have been three lifting bridges built over the years with the first opening in November 1838. Constructed of iron it had a central section where the two railway lines crossed the creek. Opening and lifting the bridge was a time-consuming task which would take between 30 minutes and an hour to complete and required eight strong men to complete the task. Bolts had to be removed that secured the tracks to the fish-plates and a complicated series of chains, pulleys and counterweights were then tackled by the men to raise the section of the bridge and allow ships to pass. Delays in the operation often meant that train timetables were seriously disrupted with passengers facing long waits, either on the train waiting to continue their journey or those people waiting in Greenwich to meet friends and family.

An Act of Parliament required the bridge to be raised promptly and in a timely manner. Failure to raise the bridge was a criminal offence and the railway company could be fined. It wasn't until the 1980s that the act was abolished.

In 1884 the original lifting bridge was replaced after being in service for more than forty years. However, technology had not improved the procedure to raise the tracks, which was now even more complicated than before. The actual rails had to be removed to allow the bridge to be raised and rather than eight men it now required twelve!

This second bridge was in service for almost eighty years before being replaced in December 1963. The new bridge was designed by British Rails Southern Regions Chief Civil Engineer, A H Cantrell and built by the Glasgow firm Sir William Arrol & Co.

Any barges wanting to pass through during high tide would have to book a time in advance to allow the bridge to be opened.

In the 2000s the central span, which weighed around 40 tonnes, was welded shut and new rails were laid in a permanent position.

The bridge, which is now a listed structure, is managed by Network Rail who are considering removing the lifting mechanism which, after being inoperative for almost thirty years, has become run-down and fallen into disrepair.

Often described as 'ugly' it is part of Deptford's industrial heritage and many locals would hate to see it demolished. Maybe a new lick of paint would make it more attractive and could also serve to protect the ironwork which has either rusted over the years or was, at some time, painted black.

My own personal opinion is that it should remain, freshly painted, as it has so much historical value and from experience I have seen so many old railway structures demolished or left to slowly disintegrate and it is such a shame.

Visiting the bridge is easy and it can be reached from either Deptford or Greenwich Stations, both on the line out of London Bridge and with a journey time of less than ten minutes, and then a short ten minute walk from either station.

I approached the bridge from Greenwich Station, continued across Ha'Penny Bridge and along the Creekside Street Art Footpath, where all the railway viaduct arches are covered in street art, before turning back.

Ha'Penny Bridge, which is painted blue and visible in one of the photos above, also has an interesting history. It's actual name is Ha'Penny Hatch Bridge and the original wooden bridge was built in 1836 allowing passengers who had travelled by train to Deptford, the end of the line at the time, access to the other side of Deptford Creek and onto Greenwich.

As we have already seen the line was extended in 1838. For those two years it allowed passengers to finish their journey, on foot, at the cost of a halfpenny. The original wooden bridge closed in the 1920's.

The modern replacement, built in 2002, still gives access across the creek and has a steel lifting mechanism which continues to allow access for boats that occasionally make their way up and down the creek.

Most of the photos included in this article were taken from the Ha'Penny Bridge and the Creekside Street Art Footpath although I also walked around the local area to capture different views.

I enjoyed the walk and pleased to have viewed this impressive structure and would recommend a visit to anyone interested in the history of the railways. This will not be my last visit to London and I look forward to discovering more of London's hidden gems.

I will be covering some of my other photographic trips to old railways and will be posting more articles in the future.

HEATHROW - FINAL APPROACH

Over the years I have photographed many subjects and enjoy all aspects of photography including architecture, disused railways, astrophotography although my favourite is my work with the wonderful models I have been fortunate to know over the past ten years. This has included fashion, portrait, cosplay, swimwear and boudoir/lingerie photoshoots. I have been fortunate to have been published in several magazines and even had one of my images used as the cover on a local magazine. More of my work can be seen on my Instagram page @peterlewry and on my Purple Port profile... https://purpleport.com/portfolio/peterlewry/

Recently I discovered another subject to photograph...planes, and in particular capturing them taking off and landing at London Heathrow Airport. In this latest article I look at the history of the airport,  the history of plane spotting and photography along with my own experiences and examples of my work.

Heathrow Airport was called London Airport until 1966 and is now known as London Heathrow. Located 14 miles from Central London it is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system, the others being Gatwick, Luton, City, Stanstead and Southend.

It was founded in 1930 as a small airfield but in the years that followed the end of World War Two it developed into a much larger airport. Over the past seventy-five years it has expanded and today has two parallel east-west runways, four operational passenger terminals and is the main hub for both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

There have been many significant events at Heathrow over the years... The first non-stop flight to California sets a record for distance and time (1957), The Beatles are mobbed when they leave and arrive back from America (1964), Terminal 1 opens (1969), Concorde makes its first passenger flight (1976), London Underground link is established (1977), Heathrow Express rail service launched (1998), Airbus A380 makes its first landing (2006), Terminal 5 officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen (2008), Brand new Terminal 2: The Queen's Terminal opens (2014), Terminal 1 is closed permanently (2015) and Heathrow records its busiest year to date with more than 80 million passengers served (2018). 

There are many airlines operating at Heathrow including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, United, Qatar, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, American Airlines and several more. Among the types of planes used by these companies are Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner's, Boeing 737's and 777's, Airbus A319's, 320's, 321's, 330's and the impressive A380.

Plane spotting is a hobby similar to that of train spotting with enthusiasts watching, photographing or detailing their movements... or even all three. People have been watching planes since aviation began although it wasn't until the Second World War that the term 'plane spotters' became a common term. It was during the war that civilians were encouraged to observe aircraft for public safety in the United Kingdom, something which was organised and encouraged by the Royal Observer Corps.

The activity led to the publication of a magazine, The Aeroplane Spotter, first published in January 1941 and, after 217 issued, ceased publication in July 1948. 

With an increased interest several groups and publications have formed over the years and the following years saw a steady increase in the hobby.

Although I had attended many military air shows throughout the 1980s, at bases including Biggin Hill, Mildenhall, Fairford, Middle Wallop, and watched the planes taking off and landing at the end of the runway at Gatwick Airport I'd never considered taking photographs seriously.

It was after seeing images on social media of planes flying low over the houses on their approach to London Heathrow that made me want to try my hand at similar photography. I spent some time researching suitable locations and the dates and times planes took off and landed in both directions, using the Heathrow Alternation Schedule which was available on the Heathrow site. There are two runways, 27L and 27R, and the direction of flights change every other week, although sometimes this is different, as I would find out during my first trip.

Research showed that Myrtle Avenue, a short walk from Hatton Cross Underground, was a popular stop for plane enthusiasts and photographers. It is located at the eastern end of the south runway 27L. At the end of the road is a large green field where those with similar interests congregate. At times there can be just 2 or 3 people while more often there will be well over 20 people, with their cameras, chairs and a good supply of food and drink.

In March 2024 I made my first trip and on arriving at Heathrow discovered the planes were only taking off in the direction of London rather than coming into land. This was due to the weather conditions and wind direction.

Although I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to capture the planes approaching over the houses I did learn a lot about plane photography on this first visit. I was still able to capture some images which, for my first efforts, I was very pleased with. As they were taking off it was harder to get good images of the whole plane and most of the images I took that day showed more of the underside of the planes, but it was still a fun and interesting few hours.

It was amazing to see the variety of planes, airlines and the frequency which meant there was a plane flying over every 90 seconds. 

I had the chance to chat to a few other plane enthusiasts/photographers and learnt a lot from them, including a few tips on the times and dates that were best for photography and also suggesting that I use the Flightradar24 app. 

Once home I downloaded the Flightradar24 app and found it was invaluable for anyone interested in spotting planes. It is the best flight tracker for both IOS and Android on which you can track live air traffic around the world from a mobile device.

The app allows you to see flights around the world in real time, follow flights in 3D, search flights (by flight number, call sign, airline or route), find out which flights are nearby with AR View by pointing your device at the sky and see data from past flights. Most importantly for those wishing to photograph planes is the option to view airport departures and arrivals with flight status, delay stats, weather conditions and aircraft on the ground. This is also available by choosing a particular airport in the menu or tapping on the airport pin on the map. Although I only refer to it for flights at Heathrow it does cover every other airport in the world and has been an invaluable tool during my photography trips.

My next trip was a couple of weeks later and having checked my app before leaving home I knew that I would be able to capture images of the planes coming into land.

I captured the best photos I had taken so far as I had the opportunity to watch and photograph the planes as they came into land on Runway 27L.

It was quite a sight watching the planes flying low over the houses and trees and flying so low to where I was standing as they crossed overhead and approached the runway.

I stayed for almost three hours and among the airlines that I photographed were Qatar, Logan Air, Air France, Emirates, Singapore Airlines and even one operated by DHL. 

My favourite images from this trip were those of the Emirates and Singapore Airlines Airbus A380, an impressive plane, and worth the long wait. It was the final plane I captured before I headed back into Central London. 

My third visit was another opportunity to capture planes landing on Runway 27L and again I was really pleased with the images. It was during this visit that I captured the best, and my favourite, images of planes and the houses/trees which really showed how low they are when coming into land.

I also took this opportunity to get some close-ups of the undercarriage and engines. 

My last trip found me viewing the planes taking off again and with everything I had learnt during my previous visits meant that there was a marked improvement on the images I took during my first efforts.

The images I have included in this article are only a fraction of those I have taken during my four visits.

Until now I have only used Myrtle Avenue, and the immediate area, as my location but there are several other places which I plan on visiting in the future and will be making more photography trips to Heathrow. Keep an eye on my Instagram profile... @peterlewry for more images.

THRONE OF GLASS PHOTOSHOOT

Throne of Glass is a series of fantasy novels written by Sarah J. Maas and published by Bloomsbury between 2012 and 2018.

Photographer: Unknown

Maas started writing her debut novel, which would eventually become Throne of Glass, when she was just sixteen years old. At the time she posted several chapters online at FictionPress.com with the original title Queen of Glass. It was subsequently removed from the site when she took the decision to publish the novel.

In 2008 Maas started sending the story to various literary agents and, in 2009,  went on to sign with The Laura Dial Literary Agency. The following year Bloomsbury purchased Throne of Glass and published the novel two years later.

They would publish a further six volumes, Crown of Midnight (2013), Heir of Fire (2014), Queen of Shadows (2015), Empire of Storms (2016), Tower of Dawn (2017) and Kingdom of Ash (2018). 

Four prequel novellas, along with an original novella, all set two years before Throne of Glass were published in 2012 as The Assassin's Blade. 

'When magic has gone from the world, and a vicious king rules from his throne of glass, an assassin comes to the castle. She does not come to kill, but to win her freedom. If she can defeat twenty-three killers, thieves and warriors in a competition to find the greatest assassin in the land, she will become the king's champion and earn her freedom. Her name is Celaena Sardothien - beautiful, deadly and destined for greatness.'

Throne of Glass follows the journey of 18-year old Celaena Sardothien, a teenage assassin living in a corrupt kingdom that is ruled by the tyrannical King of Adarlan. Following a year in a slave camp called Endovier, suffering for her crimes, she accepts Crown Prince Dorian Havilliard's offer to compete with other assassins for the opportunity to serve as the King's Champion and finally gain her freedom. This leads to unexpected bonds with Chaol, the Captain of the Guard, and Dorian, the Crown Prince of Ardalan. As time passes she is drawn into a conspiracy and series of battles which lead to discoveries about the Kingdom and herself.

The main characters of the story are Aelin Ashryver Whitehorn Galathynius (Celaena Sardothien), the main protagonist in the series, Rowan Whitehorn Galathynius, a full-blooded Fae who is over three centuries old, Dorian Havilliard II, Crown Prince of Adarlan, Manon Blackbeak Crochan, a witch and heir to the Blackbeak clan and Chaol Westfall, Captain of the Guard. 

The books received positive reviews with Publishers Weekly in their review of Throne of Glass, writing, "This is not a cuddly romance, but neither is it grim. Celaena is trained to murder, yet she hasn't lost her taste for pretty dresses or good books, and a gleam of optimism tinges her outlook. Maas tends toward over-description, but the verve and freshness of the narration make for a thrilling read."

The Guardian awarded the book 5-stars and mentioned that the main character, Celaena, was more 'relatable' than most other female protagonists while USA Today called Celaena a 'next level Cinderella.'

The connection with Cinderella was something Maas spoke about in an interview, "In the 10 years that I've been working on the series, Throne of Glass has become more of an original epic fantasy than a Cinderella retelling, but you can still find a few nods to the legend here and there."

Artist: Unknown

I recently had the pleasure of working with two local cosplayers, FaelightandFolklore and Lemondreams_cosplay as Aelin and Rowan on a photoshoot based on the book.

I had worked with them many times before, as a couple and individually, on shoots including Snow White & Prince Florian, Ariel & Eric (The Little Mermaid), Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty) and Feyre Archeron & Rhysand (A Court of Thorns and Roses). They have also become good friends and I am sure there will be many more shoots in the future.

They had been looking for a location that would work and I suggested Lewes Priory, a local ruin, that I had used many times before.

Communications before the shoot were excellent with a plan for the shoot, what we all wanted to achieve and details about time and place to meet all agreed well in advance.

Photographer: Peter Lewry

They turned up on time and were soon kitted out in their costumes ready to begin the shoot. I have to say that they are both excellent cosplayers, two of the best I have worked with, with an obvious love of what they do. Their costumes were excellent and the attention to detail was amazing.

The location had so many areas that we could use and we made the most of every part of the ruins to create a variety of images.

The theme of the book gave us many opportunities to capture individual shots as well as those of both characters together, recreating various aspects of the story. 

I was especially pleased with the series of photos recreating swordplay with both of them effortlessly battling it out and looking every bit like they really wanted to injure each other.

However, in the story their relationship grows and Rowan proves his complete loyalty to Aelin. This is something we captured during a series of images where they embrace.

We took many photos during the shoot and those featured in this article are only a small selection.

Photographer: Peter Lewry

At every shoot I work on I have always suggested ideas for poses but also always happy for those I work with to have their own input. I feel every shoot is a joint effort and both parties need to be creative and end up with the results they set out to achieve.

Photographer: Peter Lewry

We all seemed to be on the same wavelength when it came to ideas and poses during the shoot. One such idea was to have them run towards the camera, swords raised and looking menacing. We took several shots and captured some great images with them together and individually.

It would be impossible to pick any favourites, there are just too many, but I do love this one of them both relaxing by a tree.

Photographer: Peter Lewry

Following the shoot we stopped for a well-deserved hot drink and the chance to look through the photos back-of-camera. I was happy to hear their positive comments. 

Having received their selection of images I started work on the editing. I provided the images in both colour and black and white along with a few 'special edits' that I had worked on. We were all very pleased with the results which we have posted on our various social media sites.

It is nice to have behind the scenes shots and I am grateful for these two images that capture a different view of an enjoyable few hours.

I really enjoyed the shoot, working with two great cosplayers at a wonderful location and I am looking forward to working with them both again in the future. 

________________________________________________

You can read more about the Throne of Glass book series here... https://sarahjmaas.com/books/throne-of-glass-series/

You can also check out both @FaelightandFolklore and @Lemondreams_cosplay on Instagram

More images from the shoot, and my other work, can be found on my Instagram page @peterlewry and on Purple Port

HOW HIGH THE MOON

Welcome to my latest blog entry which takes a brief look at one of my other interests... astronomy and astrophotography.

I have been a freelance photographer for more than seven years and during that time photographed many subjects including landscapes, architecture and wildlife. However, my main interest is working with models, both hobbyist and semi-professional. Over the years I have covered many styles... fashion, portrait, cosplay, swimwear, horror, pin-up, vintage, retro, lingerie and boudoir. I have worked with some wonderful models, most multiple times, and have been fortunate to have been published in a number of magazines. Other articles on my blog cover this in more detail.

A couple of years ago I purchased a new 150-600mm f5-6.3 Sigma lens which gave me the opportunity to pursue a new hobby, astronomy and astrophotography. Although only a beginner and with a lot to learn I have been pleased with my efforts so far.

My early attempts were images of full-moons, with mixed success and the three images below, all taken using my Canon EOS 77D and Sigma lens, are examples of my early efforts.

Flower Moon - May 2020

Full Moon - 30 November 2020

Snow Moon - 27 February 2021

I soon realised I needed to expand my knowledge of astronomy and astrophotography. One of the earliest pieces of information I discovered was that taking images of full-moons wasn't the best option, due to the fact that there is not much detail in the images and they looked very flat.

I wanted to achieve a well-exposed image where you could make out craters etc and soon learnt that to achieve this I should photograph the moon during other phases, such as crescent and half-moons, when it is less illuminated by the sun and when shadows help exaggerate the surface.

I bought a couple of books and magazines on astronomy/astrophotography from which I learnt a lot more about the night sky and capturing great images. 

Last year I purchased a telescope, a Celestron Nexstar 4SE, which would give me the opportunity to expand my interest, learn more about the night sky and capture better images by fitting my DSLR camera to the telescope.

My main interest is the moon and I knew when I purchased the telescope that it was more suitable for planetary rather than deep space imaging.

It took a while to understand how to use the telescope and I found alignment an uphill struggle, although it was made easier by the fact that I was only viewing the moon. It wasn't long before I had all the necessary pieces of hardware to connect my camera.

Having learnt about the different phases I avoided full-moons and started photographing at different times of the moons cycle... Waxing Gibbous, First Quarter, Waxing Crescent etc.

I made several attempts and most ended up being deleted but I soon took the image below which, although not perfect, I was very pleased with. It received many positive comments when I posted it on social media including some from members of a local astronomy club which I recently joined.

27 August 2021

At the present time I have only used the telescope to view and capture images of the moon. It is a steep learning curve and in the future I hope to improve my skills and attempt to capture images of other planets.

Recently I connected the telescope to my laptop making alingment much easier and I'm sure in the future I will be adding to my astrophotography kit.

My latest image, and personal favourite, was taken at twilight on 14 April 2022 and once again I was pleased with the results and the comments it received.

14 April 2022

I will never be an expert at astrophotography but will continue to watch the night sky and take photographs and hope one day to take that amazing shot that will make people go wow!

SEEING RED

The history of the London Underground has always interested me and in this latest article I am going to look back at the life of Leslie Green, the English architect who was responsible for the design of iconic stations with the distinctive ox blood tiling. I'll also look at the stations I have visited so far and give a brief history.

Leslie Green (Photographer Unknown)

Leslie William Green was born in Maida Vale, London on 6 February 1875 and educated at Dover College and South Kensington School of Art.

In 1897 he established his own architect practice working from his father's offices before moving to Haymarket in 1900 and finally Adam Street, close to The Strand. He had been made an associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 1898 and a year later a member of RIBA.

His early work included many shops and homes across London but it was his work for the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) for which he will be best remembered.

It was in 1903 that he was appointed as architect for the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) to design the stations for the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (GNP&BR), the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway (BS&WR) and the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway (CCE&HR) all of which were under construction. Today the lines are known as the Piccadilly Line, Bakerloo Line and Northern Line.

Green was tasked with designing fifty new stations. Not only the exteriors but also the fixtures and fittings internally. He had developed a modern style for the ground-level stations with each adapted to suit their locality. Constructed as two-storey structures with steel frames, an idea that had originated in America, they provided large internal areas for ticket halls and lift shafts

The exteriors were clad in ox-blood (sang-de-boeuf) red glazed tiles. They were manufactured by the Burmantofts Pottery based in Leeds which, in 1889, merged with other companies to become the Leeds Fireclay Company.

Covent Garden Station

Built with separate entrances and exits the stations were noticeable by not only the red tiling but the arched windows at first floor level.They had flat roofs which would allow office building above.

The idea of tiling continued in the booking halls and platform levels with green and white tiles while, on the platforms, the station names and direction signs were also made using tiles. It created a unified theme and was easy to maintain.

The three lines were due to open in 1906 and 1907 and in June of 1907 Green was told his contract would end at the end of the year. Green died in August 1908 and many of his original buildings have survived even though the interiors have been modernised. Many are Grade II listed buildings. 

The following is a list of the relevant stations on each of the three lines...

Bakerloo Line: Edgware Road, Great Central, Baker Street, Regent's Park, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Embankment, Waterloo, Kennington Road and Elephant & Castle.

Piccadilly Line: Gillespie Road, Holloway Road, Caledonian Road, York Road, King's Cross, Russell Square, Holborn, Strand, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Picadilly Circus, Dover Street, Down Street, Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, Brompton Road, South Kensington and Gloucester Road.

Northern Line: Highgate, Tufnell Park, Kentish Town, South Kentish Town, Golders Green, Hampstead, Belsize Park, Chalk Farm, Camden Town, Mornington Crescent, Euston, Euston Road, Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Street, Leicester Square and Charing Cross.

Note: Many of these have been demolished or are due for demolition, closed, never had a station building or have been renamed.

What follows is a brief history of four of the Leslie Green designed station buildings that I have visited and photographed. I am planning more London trips and will be seeking out more of the stations and photographing them and hope to add to this article in the future.

Covent Garden

Situated on the Piccadilly Line between Leicester Square and Holborn it serves the Covent Garden area and is located on the corner of Long Acre and Janes Street. In 1929, with the extension of the Piccadilly Line, the station was earmarked for closure based on the fact that the closing of less-busy stations in the central London area would improve the reliability of the service and journey times. Fortunately the closure never took place and the station building remains and is now a Grade II listed building.

York Road

Located on the corner of York Road (now York Way) and Bingfield Street the station was on the Piccadilly Line between King's Cross and Caledonian Road. The station opened in 1906 but due to low volume of passengers it closed in 1932.

York Road Underground

It was unusual due to the fact that, unlike most underground stations on the line where the lifts stopped at a level above the platforms and so passengers had to descend a final flight of stairs to catch their train, the lifts at York Road went right down to the platform level. This meant that the platforms had to be further apart than normal and so the interconnecting passageways were much longer than normal. The station building still exists although for how much longer, who knows.

Euston

There were three underground stations built to serve Euston mainline station and two of these were built by two different companies, City & South London Railway (C&SLR) and the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway (CCE&HR). The London & North Western Railway (L&NWR) owned the land and had given their permission to both companies as long as there were separate stations and entrances to both from within the main station. They opened in 1907 and closed in 1914 leaving just the entrance in the mainline station in use.

Euston (on Melton Street)

The CCE&HR underground station was located on Melton Street just west of the mainline station. After its closure it housed the ventilation equipment for the Victoria Line. Another Leslie Green designed station that should have Grade II listed building status but is unfortunately being demolished (or has already been) to make way for the construction of the HS2 rail line. I was fortunate to visit the site recently and capture this image. The other station was located east of the mainline station at the junction of Eversholt Street and Drummond Street but has long since been demolished.

Aldwych/Strand

Aldwych station was opened in 1907 with the name Strand after the street on which it was located. It was the terminus of the short branch line from Holborn on the Piccadilly Line. Several reasons have been given for the existence of the short bit of line. One is a Parlimentary condition that the line be built. Another is the idea to extend the line south of the river, an idea that is more likely as plans were apparently made.

Strand (Aldwych) Station

It changed its name to Aldwych in 1915 as the nearby Charing Cross Underground Station was also called Strand at the time. It changed it's name back to Charing Cross in 1979. Confusing or what! Never a busy station it was considered for closure many times and in 1962 only weekday peak hour trains ran and by 1994 the station was closed The station building is on the corner of Strand and Surrey Street and if you go around the corner into Surrey Street you will find another entrance to the station.

Strand (Aldwych) Station entrance on Surrey Street

During the Second World War the station was used as an air raid shelter and the unused tunnels as storage for rare and priceless treasures from the British Museum. Today it is maintained by the London Underground as a museum piece and often used as a location for TV and films.

For further reading on the London Underground, it's history and visiting some of the sites I recommend the following books.

London's Disused Underground Stations (J. E. Connor)

Do Not Alight Here (Ben Pedroche)