London Bridge is the oldest station in London and was first opened in 1836.
It was originally two stations and this is still apparent in the
combination of through and terminal platforms. The through platforms lie
on the Kent and South East London routes into Charing Cross and Cannon
Street. The remaining platforms are the final stop for routes from
Sussex and South London.
Today it serves over 42 million people every year.
Chronology
- The London and Greenwich Railway (later South East Railway) station opened on 14 December 1836.
- The London and Croydon Railway (later London Brighton and South Coast Railway) station opened on 5 June 1839.
- The stations were joined in July 1844 and demolished six years later.
- The new South East Railway (SER) and London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) stations opened on 3 January 1851.
- The LBSCR station was demolished and rebuilt in 1853 then extended in 1866.
- The terminus hotel was opened in 1861, turned into offices for the LBSCR in 1892 and demolished in 1941.
- The original London and Greenwich platforms were demolished and new high level through platforms opened in January 1864.
- The station was unified by the Southern region in 1928.
- British Rail undertook large scale rebuilding and a new station opened on 15 September 1978.
Station design
- The 1839 London and Croydon Railway station had a wooden trussed pitched roof, spanning 56ft by 212ft.
- The 1866 LBSCR station had a one-span, trussed arch roof,
measuring 88ft by 655ft, and was designed by J. Hawkshaw and F. D.
Banister.
- The 1978 redevelopment was undertaken by N. G. T. Wikeley, regional architect for British Rail Southern.