Fenchurch Street was built in 1854 for London and
Blackwall Railway and was the first station to be built in the City.
The present building is the second, replacing the smaller original
terminus which stood in the Minories. It was built to accommodate the
trains of the London Tilbury and Southend Railway, as well as those of
the London and Blackwall Railway.
Fenchurch Street was the first station to be located within the City
of London. The station accommodated the first railway bookstall,
operated by William Marshall.
Chronology
- The station was opened by the London and Blackwall Railway
(later the Great Eastern Railway) on 20th July 1841.
- It was rebuilt and opened in April 1854.
- The layout and the concourse was remodelled and opened on 29
April 1935.
- Offices were built over the shed concourse area between 1983 and
1988.
Station design
- The 1841 station was designed by Sir William Tite.
- The 1854 roof was a segmented trussed arch roof of single span,
105ft wide by 300ft long. It was designed by George Berkley, engineer of
the London and Blackwall Railway.
- The roof was removed but the station frontage retained when the
five storey office building was constructed.
- The segmented arched roof was carried forward to form the large
curved pediment over the station facade and remains to this day.
- The station building comprises a two storey building with tall
serried windows located between grey stock brick pilasters with stone
embellishments. The facade is terminated at each end with rusticated
quoins.
- Beneath the station, in Crutched Friars Street, is a three
storey warehouse, the top of which was used as railway offices.