Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway
Encyclopedia
The Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway was a railway line in north London
, formed by an Act of Parliament
of 28 July 1862, and was effectively part of an attempt by the Great Eastern Railway
to obtain a west end
terminus, alongside Bishopsgate railway station
in east London.
The line opened on 21 July 1868 between Tottenham
North Junction (on the Great Eastern Railway
) and Highgate Road
. An extension to Kentish Town opened in 1870. An extension to Gospel Oak
opened on 4 June 1888.
(modern Circle line) and Tottenham Court Road, to Charing Cross
were rejected by Parliament in 1864. Instead it was decided to terminate the line at Gospel Oak. The line opened in 1868 with the Great Eastern Railway operating a service between Highgate Road and Fenchurch Street
via Tottenham.
With a very indirect route into central London at one end and no interchange at all at the other, the service was a commercial failure and the planned link to Gospel Oak was never completed. The service ceased operation entirely in January 1870 and a local act
was passed in August abandoning the railway in its original form.
During 1870, a branch was constructed to Kentish Town and the line reopened as part of the Midland Railway in October, initially running between Moorgate and Crouch Hill via Kentish Town. In 1872 this was extended to South Tottenham & Stamford Hill. This provided an interchange with the Palace Gates Line
. A number of new stations were opened, many of them close to existing stations. Most of these were closed in the 1940s.
In 1888, the line was extended to Gospel Oak (as originally planned) although the Kentish Town branch remained the primary route and the Gospel Oak link was abandoned in 1926.
In 1894 the Tottenham & Forest Gate Railway opened and the service was extended east of South Tottenham & Stamford Hill to Barking and, occasionally, beyond.
In 1901, a bill was passed authorising the widening of the railway and other improvements. This was followed by a bill in 1902 which gave the Great Eastern and Midland railways joint ownership of the line. The line, along with the rest of Britain's railways, was nationalised in 1948 and became part of British Rail
.
In 1981, the Kentish Town branch was closed and the link to Gospel Oak reinstated. For more recent history see the Gospel Oak to Barking line
.
electrification project. The remainder of the line now forms part of the Gospel Oak to Barking line
, part of the London Overground
.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, formed by an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of 28 July 1862, and was effectively part of an attempt by the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
to obtain a west end
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
terminus, alongside Bishopsgate railway station
Bishopsgate railway station
Bishopsgate station was a railway station located on the eastern side of Shoreditch High Street in the modern London Borough of Tower Hamlets; the western edge of the East End. It was in use from 1840 to 1964 when it was destroyed by fire...
in east London.
The line opened on 21 July 1868 between Tottenham
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
North Junction (on the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
) and Highgate Road
Highgate Road railway station
Highgate Road railway stations were two stations of the Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway lying virtually side by side in the north of Kentish Town in North London on separate lines which joined east of the stations.-High level station:...
. An extension to Kentish Town opened in 1870. An extension to Gospel Oak
Gospel Oak railway station
Gospel Oak railway station is in the borough of Camden in north London. It is on the North London Line and is also the western passenger terminus of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line...
opened on 4 June 1888.
History
Even before it opened, the line had problems. Plans to extend the western end of this line via a proposed 'London Main Trunk Railway', underneath Hampstead Road, the Metropolitan RailwayMetropolitan railway
Metropolitan Railway can refer to:* Metropolitan line, part of the London Underground* Metropolitan Railway, the first underground railway to be built in London...
(modern Circle line) and Tottenham Court Road, to Charing Cross
Charing Cross railway station
Charing Cross railway station, also known as London Charing Cross, is a central London railway terminus in the City of Westminster, England. It is one of 18 stations managed by Network Rail, and trains serving it are operated by Southeastern...
were rejected by Parliament in 1864. Instead it was decided to terminate the line at Gospel Oak. The line opened in 1868 with the Great Eastern Railway operating a service between Highgate Road and Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street railway station
Fenchurch Street railway station, also known as London Fenchurch Street, is a central London railway terminus in the south eastern corner of the City of London, England. The station is one of the smallest terminals in London in terms of platforms and one of the most intensively operated...
via Tottenham.
With a very indirect route into central London at one end and no interchange at all at the other, the service was a commercial failure and the planned link to Gospel Oak was never completed. The service ceased operation entirely in January 1870 and a local act
Local and Personal Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom
Local and Personal Acts of Parliament are laws in the United Kingdom which apply to a particular individual or group of individuals, or corporate entity. This contrasts with a Public General Act of Parliament which applies to the entire community...
was passed in August abandoning the railway in its original form.
During 1870, a branch was constructed to Kentish Town and the line reopened as part of the Midland Railway in October, initially running between Moorgate and Crouch Hill via Kentish Town. In 1872 this was extended to South Tottenham & Stamford Hill. This provided an interchange with the Palace Gates Line
Palace Gates Line
The Palace Gates Line was a short railway branch line in north London running from the main line at Seven Sisters station in Tottenham to Palace Gates station in Wood Green....
. A number of new stations were opened, many of them close to existing stations. Most of these were closed in the 1940s.
In 1888, the line was extended to Gospel Oak (as originally planned) although the Kentish Town branch remained the primary route and the Gospel Oak link was abandoned in 1926.
In 1894 the Tottenham & Forest Gate Railway opened and the service was extended east of South Tottenham & Stamford Hill to Barking and, occasionally, beyond.
In 1901, a bill was passed authorising the widening of the railway and other improvements. This was followed by a bill in 1902 which gave the Great Eastern and Midland railways joint ownership of the line. The line, along with the rest of Britain's railways, was nationalised in 1948 and became part of British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
.
In 1981, the Kentish Town branch was closed and the link to Gospel Oak reinstated. For more recent history see the Gospel Oak to Barking line
Gospel Oak to Barking line
The Gospel Oak – Barking Line is a railway line in north and east London which connects Gospel Oak in North London and Barking in East London as part of the London Overground network. It is sometimes known as the Goblin , although this is a nickname rather than an official title...
.
Stations
The line had the following stations (listed from east to west using the original station names):- Tottenham (existing, abandoned 1870)
- Branch:
- South Tottenham & Stamford HillSouth Tottenham railway stationSouth Tottenham is a railway station on the east-west Gospel Oak to Barking Line. It is located on the eastern side of the north-south A10 High Road in Tottenham, North London, between and...
(existing) (added 1872, replacing Tottenham) [now called 'South Tottenham'] - St Ann's RoadSt Ann's Road railway stationSt Ann's Road railway station was opened by the Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway on 2 October 1882. It was at the corner of St Ann's Road and Seven Sisters Road in N15, in south west Tottenham, London....
(new) (opened 1882, closed 1942) - Green LanesHarringay Green Lanes railway stationHarringay Green Lanes railway station is a railway station in Harringay, North London. It is on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line between and .-Service:...
(new) (opened 1880) [now called 'Harringay Green Lanes'] - Crouch HillCrouch Hill railway stationCrouch Hill railway station is a railway station on Crouch Hill between Stroud Green and Crouch End, North London. It is on the Gospel Oak to Barking line between Upper Holloway and Harringay Green Lanes....
(new) - Hornsey RoadHornsey Road railway stationHornsey Road railway station was a station on Hornsey Road, near Finsbury Park, North London, which was opened in 1872 by the Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway It was between Upper Holloway and Crouch Hill stations, on the line now known as the Gospel Oak to Barking Line. It was closed in...
(new) (opened 1872, closed 1943) - Upper HollowayUpper Holloway railway stationUpper Holloway railway station is in Holloway, North London, near Archway . It is on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line, between and . It is operated by London Overground, and the service is usually one train every 20 to 30 minutes in each direction...
(new) - Junction RoadJunction Road railway stationJunction Road railway station was a railway station in London. The station was opened by the Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway on 1 January 1872...
(new) (opened 1872, closed 1943) - Branch:
- Highgate Road Low LevelHighgate Road railway stationHighgate Road railway stations were two stations of the Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway lying virtually side by side in the north of Kentish Town in North London on separate lines which joined east of the stations.-High level station:...
(new) (opened 1900, closed 1918) - Kentish Town (existing, added 1870, abandoned 1981)
- Highgate Road High LevelHighgate Road railway stationHighgate Road railway stations were two stations of the Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway lying virtually side by side in the north of Kentish Town in North London on separate lines which joined east of the stations.-High level station:...
(new) (closed 1915) - Gospel OakGospel Oak railway stationGospel Oak railway station is in the borough of Camden in north London. It is on the North London Line and is also the western passenger terminus of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line...
(existing, added 1888, abandoned 1926, added again 1981)
Current status
The branch to Kentish Town closed in 1981, cut off by the ThameslinkThameslink
Thameslink is a fifty-station main-line route in the British railway system running north to south through London from Bedford to Brighton, serving both London Gatwick Airport and London Luton Airport. It opened as a through service in 1988 and by 1998 was severely overcrowded, carrying more than...
electrification project. The remainder of the line now forms part of the Gospel Oak to Barking line
Gospel Oak to Barking line
The Gospel Oak – Barking Line is a railway line in north and east London which connects Gospel Oak in North London and Barking in East London as part of the London Overground network. It is sometimes known as the Goblin , although this is a nickname rather than an official title...
, part of the London Overground
London Overground
London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
.
External links
- Abandoned Tube Stations: GOSPEL OAK - BARKING