The Tottenham & Forest Gate Railway was a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

line in north

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, formed by an

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

of 1890 and built as joint venture between the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...

and the

London, Tilbury and Southend Railway The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LT&SR), was a British railway company, whose network connected Fenchurch Street station, in central London, with destinations in east London and Essex, including , , , Tilbury, Southend and . The company ...

. It officially opened on 1 July 1894 with passenger serviced commencing 8 days later and was taken over entirely by the Midland Railway in 1912.

History

The line was authorised at the request of Sir Courtenay Warner, a

property developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. R ...

who owned land in Walthamstow, in order to serve the new developments there. Much of the route crossed many existing roads, and the area had already been extensively built on, so the line was built on top of a long brick viaduct. Many houses were demolished to make way and there was considerable local opposition to the railway. The line opened to passengerson 9 July 1894 between South Tottenham and Woodgrange Park where it joined the existing LTSR line to Barking and beyond. On the same date a curve was opened allowing East Ham to be served as an alternative to Barking. Trains did not terminate at South Tottenham but continued westwards to various destinations via the

Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway The Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway was a railway line in north London, formed by an Act of Parliament of 28 July 1862, which today is mostly part of the Gospel Oak to Barking line. It was effectively part of an attempt by the Great Easte ...

, much as the Gospel Oak to Barking Line does today.

Stations

The line had the following stations (listed from west to east using the original station names): * South Tottenham & Stamford Hill (existing) * Blackhorse Road (new) * Walthamstow (new) *

Leyton Leyton () is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the River L ...

(new) *

Leytonstone Leytonstone () is an area in east London, England, north-east of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, a local authority district of Greater London. It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, ...

(new) *

Wanstead Park Wanstead Park is a municipal park covering an area of about 140 acres (57 hectares), in Wanstead, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It is also a district of the London Borough of Redbridge, which was in Essex until 1965. It is administered as p ...

(new) * Woodgrange Park (new) :* Branch: East Ham (new, line abandoned 1958) *

Barking Barking may refer to: Places * Barking, London, a town in East London, England ** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking ** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...

(existing)

Current status

The line now forms part of the Gospel Oak to Barking line, part of the

London Overground London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, (via archive.org). it now serves a large part of Greater London as w ...

References

External links

History of the Barking to Gospel Oak line

A Brief History of Forest Gate
History of rail transport in London London, Midland and Scottish Railway constituents Railway lines opened in 1894 {{England-rail-transport-stub