Dotted around central London are many housing developments and offices that sit, unwittingly on top of long lost cargo depots operated by the old railways.
The early railways made most of their money from cargo not passengers, and had delivery depots in the centre of London of a scale that would seem bizarre to us today.
The huge sprawling estate that is the British Library was once piled high with meat and potatoes. Vast swathes of Nine Elms were given over to fruit and veg. A very large chunk of Southwark was an entire terminus railway station and cargo.
It was the rise of the road vehicle in post-war Britain that saw so much cargo traffic leave the railways, and is unlikely to ever return. It is just much more efficient to have large lorries going from rural warehouses direct to their delivery point than shuttling goods onto railways, then back off again at the other end.
Nonetheless, there are doubtless many a railway manger who looks back at the vast cargo depots with a misty eye, thinking if only they had been saved, how much easier it would be expand the railways today for passengers.
I’ve attempted to map the railway depots.
Not including railway works, of which there were vast numbers close to the centre, for steam trains needed a lot more maintenance than today’s models, and there’s also square miles of land that were once railway sidings that are now houses and flats squashed up against the tracks.
I’ve also ignored docklands, which was pretty much nothing but docks, warehouses and railways, but most of the railways were local light rail for shuttling around locally, not delivering goods to the bustling metropolis.
And of course, I’m bound to have missed some, because, you know, human fallibility etc.
There was a Yard at West Ham, off Manor Road into Cranberry Lane. Theres a row of railway arches marooned there, and the only evidence is a wrought iron sign on the far side of the estate.
Devon’s Road in Bow had a North London Railway engine shed.
Check against the most recent (4th Edition) of J Brown’s excellent London Railway Atlas.
That shows everything.
And there were a lot!
I did refer to it, but found it easier to fall back onto old maps instead.
Smithfield?
Chelsea Basin.
Midland Goods – http://maps.nls.uk/view/101202252 -just north of Wandsworth Road
With thanks for all you do,
John
Virtually from stratford to walthamstow one huge rail siding osed to on wagons alsocpaet was a Rail/Lorry containerdepot Chobham Farm ?
Also goods sidings at Leyton Leytonstone and most stations which are now central line tibe stations in the east london/essex side
Selbourne Road Sidings walthamstow used to watch them shunting from my Nans window she lived in selbourne road
Chris
The huge rail depot north of Marylebone station, inc goods facilities & engine sheds (some boundary walls / bridges remain) plus the numerous sidings for both Lodge Road power station and Regent’s Canal.
The change to road transport was unfortunately helped by strikes on the railways. Many customers forced to use road haulage temporarily never returned.
Chiswick High Road depot.