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St Johns is a district around the station of the same name in south-east London. It lies within the Borough of Lewisham and borders the
Royal Borough of Greenwich The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London, England. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolita ...
. It makes up the northwestern part of Lewisham along with Telegraph Hill. St John's is noted for its mid 19th-century housing, constructed as Deptford New Town, and protected as the Brookmill Road and St John's
Conservation Areas Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...
since 1972 and 1976 respectively. It was also the site in 1957 of one of Britain's worst railway disasters.


Etymology

The district is named after the dedication of the
Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ...
of St John, Deptford that was established in 1855. The church lies at the top of the hill, almost adjacent to the railway station which borrowed its name. The area encompasses streets between Brookmill Road and Lewisham Way, bound by Friendly Street in the west and railway embankments in the south-east. Parts of northern Brockley may be included in the designation, which includes Brockley's Farmers' Market.


History

Deptford New Town was conceived by the Lucas family as an affordable and spacious alternative for the working classes of mid to late 19th century
Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...
. Originally from
Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...
, the family made their wealth in
South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
, where they built and managed water-powered rice mills. There are a few older buildings - the most notable being the late 18th-century Italianate mansion known as the Stone House. St John's Church was built in 1855, designed by PC Hardwicke St John's station opened in 1871, at a time when housing construction was still in full swing. David Howell was the vicar of St Johns from 1971 to 1981.


Conservation Areas

The Brookmill Road Conservation Area was designated in 1972, and is bordered by Friendly Street, Brookmill Road, the southern and eastern boundaries of the properties on Albyn Road, and the railway line. The St John's Conservation Area, created four years later, covers the area between this and the Lewisham Way. Brookmill Road Conservation Area is subject to an
Article 4 Direction An Article 4 direction is made by a local planning authority in the United Kingdom and exceptionally may be subject to intervention by the government. It serves to restrict permitted development rights, which means that a lot of the things peopl ...
, preserving the character of the area by prohibiting many kinds of external alterations.


Population

The population of the area is mixed, largely reflecting the huge rise in property prices in recent years. A few houses are council owned, some are let, and most are owner-occupied. In the five years surrounding the arrival of the
Docklands Light Railway The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated medium-capacity rail system, light metro system primarily serving the redeveloped London Docklands, Docklands area of London and providing a direct connection between London's two major financi ...
at Deptford Bridge and Elverson Road, house prices in the area quadrupled. This resulted in an unusual mix of wealthy city folk commuting to
Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is a financial area of London, England, located in the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The Greater London Authority defines it as part of London's central business district, alongside Central London. Alongside ...
and less well-off people who had lived in the area for some time. The recent establishment and expansion of Brockley Farmers' Market, nearest station to which is St. John's, is evidence of on-going gentrification.


1957 railway crash

At 6:20pm on Wednesday 4 December 1957, in dense fog, two trains collided at St Johns station, killing 90 people and injuring 176 more. It remains one of Britain's worst railway disasters. Due to the adverse weather, trains were late and crowded. The 5.18pm electric train from
Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Since the early 19th century, Charing Cross has been the notional "centre of London" and became the point from which distances from London are measured. ...
to Hayes, with 1,500 passengers on board, was stationary beneath the railway bridge carrying the line to
London Victoria Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a London station group, central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Victoria, London, Victoria, in the City of Westminster, managed by Network Rail. Named afte ...
, to the east of St Johns station. The 4.56pm steam express train from
Cannon Street Cannon Street is a road in the City of London, the historic nucleus of London and its modern financial centre. It runs roughly parallel with the River Thames, about north of it, in the north of the City. It is the site of the ancient London S ...
to
Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town and civil parish in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in eastern Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2021 it had a population of 42,027. Ramsgate' ...
, carrying 700 people, ploughed into the rear of the standing train at 30 mph. The last three carriages of the steam train came to rest before they had even passed out of the station. The 10-coach electric train in front suffered catastrophic damage as coach 8 was run through and completely destroyed by the coach immediately behind it. The leading coach of the steam train concertinaed into the steam engine in front, throwing both off the tracks to the left and dislodging a column which supported the bridge overhead. The bridge immediately collapsed, destroying of the leading coach, and crushing the second and half of the third. Further disaster was narrowly averted two minutes later when the driver of the 5.22pm from
Holborn Viaduct Holborn Viaduct is a road bridge in London and the name of the street which crosses it (which forms part of the A40 road, A40 route). It links Holborn, via Holborn Circus, with Newgate Street, in the City of London, England financial distri ...
to
Nunhead Nunhead () is an inner-city suburb in the London Borough of Southwark, England,Southwark Council Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council southeast of Charing Cross. It is the location of the Nunhead Cemetery.BBC London Nunhead Cemetery/ref> ...
, travelling on the elevated section, noticed that the bridge was at an angle and stopped his train. Had he not done so, the front coach or perhaps two coaches would have tumbled onto the wreckage below. The official report into the incident, written by C. A. Langley and published in June 1958, goes into great detail, and includes diagrams of where each carriage came to rest, and images of the collapsed bridge as viewed from the
Hither Green Hither Green is a district in south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Lewisham. It forms the southern part of Lewisham, 6.6 miles (10.6 km) south-east of Charing Cross, and on the Prime Meridian. Growing extensively with ...
side. The report holds Driver W. J. Trew of the steam express solely responsible for the accident. The report also remarks on the misfortune of the bridge supports being knocked out. This was a particular problem because the bridge crossed at an acute angle, necessitating a much longer unsupported span than for a perpendicular crossing. Langley writes "I know of no other case in which a bridge has collapsed in this way, but in view of the serious consequences of this accident the problem will be considered in future bridge design." Overhead photography of the current bridge shows exactly how this was achieved, in a design which has become commonplace for acute-angle crossings.


Future

The area is compact, well-delineated, and protected from excessive development. However it is surrounded by very varied areas.
Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
lies to the north, and is rapidly spreading south to fill the under-utilised space along Greenwich High Road, as expensive housing developments are constructed. Greenwich is a tourist hotspot and a centre for entertainment and dining. To the east, but not immediately accessible due to the
River Ravensbourne The River Ravensbourne is a tributary of the River Thames in south London, England. It flows north from near Bromley into the tidal River Thames at Deptford, where its tidal reach is known as Deptford Creek. Geography The Ravensbourne is ...
, is Blackheath, a genteel, pretty, and even more sought-after suburb. To the south lies
Lewisham Lewisham ( ) is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in ...
, with a shopping centre dissected by major roads, and a hub for public transportation in the form of light rail, heavy rail and bus services. To the north lies
Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...
, an old-fashioned yet vibrant area including, according to ''
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
'', London's best shopping street.


Transport

St Johns station is in London Travel Zone 2 and serves the area with services to London Cannon Street via
London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...
and services in the other direction towards various destinations in South East London and Kent. St Johns is served by many
Transport for London Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom. TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and His ...
bus services connecting it with areas in South and Central London including
Lewisham Lewisham ( ) is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in ...
,
Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
,
New Cross New Cross is an area in south-east London, England, south-east of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham and the London_postal_district#List_of_London_postal_districts, SE14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, London, St Jo ...
,
Peckham Peckham ( ) is a district in south-east London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon place name meaning the vi ...
,
Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...
,
Thamesmead Thamesmead () is an area of south-east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross, north-east of Woolwich and west of Erith. It mainly c ...
,
Catford Catford is a district in south east London, England, and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Lewisham. It is southwest of Lewisham itself, mostly in the Rushey Green (ward), Rushey Green and Catford South Ward (electoral subdivi ...
,
Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three ...
,
Sidcup Sidcup is an area of south-east London, England, primarily in the London Borough of Bexley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, bordering the London Boroughs of London Borough of Bromley, Bromley and Royal Borough of Greenwich, Greenwich. It was ...
,
Canada Water Canada Water is an area of Rotherhithe in the London Docklands, Docklands of south-east London. It is named after a freshwater lake and wildlife refuge. Canada Water tube station, Canada Water tube, Overground and bus station is immediately n ...
,
London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...
and
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
.


References


External links


St John's ChurchLewisham Borough Council
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John's Areas of London Districts of the London Borough of Lewisham