Bickley
Southborough Road, as
it was then known, opened before through running between Faversham and London
was physically possible, coming into use on 5th July 1858. Three wholly
independent concerns had been integral in the laying of track from the north
bank of the Thames, through Bromley, to Southborough Road: the Victoria Station
& Pimlico Railway Company, the West End of London & Crystal Palace Railway, and
the Crays Company. Starting with the first, this concern was responsible for the
construction of Victoria station and the extension of the lines over the Thames
by means of Grosvenor Bridge. Here, the lines joined the metals of the second
company in question, these of which stretched as far eastward as Crystal Palace
and formally gave access to Victoria station on 29th May 1858. Meanwhile, the
‘’Crays Company’’ had been making further progression east with the line,
extending it from Crystal Palace to Shortlands on 3rd May 1858, then onwards to
Southborough Road on 5th July of the same year. It was not until 3rd December
1860 that the LC&DR connected with this system after a westward extension from
Strood.
Southborough Road station became ‘’Bickley’’ on 1st October 1860, thus the
station has been known by the latter name throughout its entire LC&DR existence,
and beyond. The LC&DR had no influence over the original layout at Bickley, a
station built by the Crays Company already being in existence. The line was for
many years double track, thus just two platform faces were in use from the
outset, the main building being situated on the ‘’up’’ side and a pitched roof
timber waiting shelter on the ’’down’’ platform. The latter was a far less
common design than the usual upward slanting and flat roofed shelters which can
still be seen at the likes of Sole Street and Adisham. For two and a half years
Bickley was a terminus, thus a turntable was provided to rotate engines for the
run back to Victoria, but even when the station became a through affair in
December 1860, this facility was retained. It is interesting to note that no
engine shed was incorporated within the original plans, especially peculiar as
there was no Stewarts Lane at the time for the locomotives to come down from.
Goods facilities were also absent from this station, presumably because Bromley,
only a mile westward, catered for these adequately. Rolling stock storage
accommodation was, however, provided, with single sidings being present to the
west (‘’down’’ side) and east (‘’up’’ side) of the platforms. Lastly, a track
foot crossing was in use for passengers between the platforms, a footbridge not
arriving until shortly before the station’s total rebuild.
The LC&DR had been leasing the Crays Company since December 1860, but this
concern had been absorbed by the time the former initiated a quadrupling scheme.
The main route to Victoria was also now via Herne Hill, the LB&SCR having
acquired ownership of the Crystal Palace lines. Quadrupling was by no means
extensive at this point in time and indeed, it was just the Bromley to Bickley section which was being so treated. What this did call for was the
complete rebuilding of both Bromley and Bickley stations to accommodate the new
track formation. Work began in 1893, by which time the LC&DR appeared to have
settled on another design of standardised station building. Both Bromley and
Bickley rebuilds were virtually identical, barring the fact that their station
buildings were located at alternative ends of the platforms. The architecture
employed at these locations had also been implemented at Chatham in 1886, when
this station received a new high-level entrance, and also later at Faversham,
despite the buildings there remaining at ground level, alongside the platforms.
Two islands were brought into use at Bickley, in addition to a main station
building consisting of crème brickwork, orange window arches and a pitched roof,
straddling the tracks on a road bridge. Bromley received enlarged goods
facilities, but although nothing in the form of freight provision appeared at
Bickley, the latter acquired both an engine shed and a replacement turntable.
The engine shed, single-track and dead-end, took the place of the ‘’down’’
storage siding to the west of the platforms, and its associated turntable was
positioned directly opposite, on the ‘’up’’ side, located about 250 yards west
of the original 1858 turntable. Luxuries these facilities may have been, but
their existence was short-lived. As part of a scheme to improve commuter
services to and from the capital, a number of new sheds were opened by the SE&CR
to house those tank engines on suburban runs. Orpington was one of these, coming
into use in 1901 and subsequently making the shed and turntable at Bickley
redundant. The approach line to the turntable became a siding and the engine
shed was subsequently demolished, although it is possible that the latter was in
use for at least a few more years to provide covered accommodation for passenger
stock. A water tower had opened with the rebuilt station, to the east of the
shed, and this in fact survived far beyond the closure of the latter, not
succumbing until June 1959. The rebuilding had also provided the station with
copious rolling stock storage space either side of the islands, which was
afforded by the lack of a goods yard. Signal boxes had appeared to the east
(‘’down’’ side) and west (‘’up’’ side) of the station, both built by Saxby &
Farmer and consisting of brick bases and clapboard upper halves.
Third rail reached Bickley in 1925 during the Southern Railway’s scheme of
electrifying former SE&CR suburban lines to modernise and speed up commuter
services. On 12th July of that year, the first scheduled electric services ran,
with an extension of such trains to Swanley and Sevenoaks on 6th January 1935. Rolling stock
sidings at Bickley also received the ‘’juice’’ and as a consequence of the 1925
scheme, the replacement engine shed at Orpington closed in 1926, after a mere
twenty-five years of use – at least there had been a distinct improvement in
services. It was the 1959 Kent Coast Electrification which heralded further
significant changes at the station. The layout’s two mechanical signal boxes
were decommissioned, as was the cabin at Bickley Junction, when Chislehurst
‘’power box’’ came into use on 31st May of that year. This was done in
conjunction with the switch over from semaphore signalling to colour aspect
lights. The quadruple track was also perpetuated at this time through to Swanley,
which required the widening of cuttings and installation of concrete walling in
high-density residential areas. Scheduled steam working finished on the
‘’Chatham’’ main line on 14th June 1959.
The station building had not been without change: during the 1950s, both halves
of the façade had been rebuilt, the traditional windows on each side done away
with (but remaining in the centre), in order to incorporate trading outlets.
These areas of the structure were also finished in all-over white. The
building’s entrance canopy valance was also severely truncated at this time, and
later removed altogether. Over several decades the triangular platform canopies
have always demonstrated a spruce appearance, complemented by their intricate
valances, but in much more recent years there appears to have been some change
for the worse. The valance of the ‘’down’’ island has sustained considerable
damage (looking like an engineering vehicle has ‘’attacked’’ it) and both
canopies have had makeshift renewals at their western ends: the wooden end
elevations have been plated over with corrugated metal. A repaint undertaken in
2005 has, however, improved the station’s appearance considerably and the crème
brickwork is in good cosmetic condition.
19th April 2006
The station building is viewed from the road on 19th April 2006, the later modifications on either
side of the structure being obvious. Note the triangular pattern above the station entrance - this is
a feature shared with the similar examples at Chatham and Faversham, and with the pre-1959
building of Bromley South. David Glasspool
19th April 2006
An eastward view on 19th April 2006 allows close inspection of the station building's rear and
the canopy valances. Starting with the former, the familiar LC&DR arched windows are still
very much in evidence; the rear elevation has changed little since 1894. The ''down'' canopy
valance can be seen with large chunks missing at irregular intervals. David Glasspool
25th July 2007
Another eastward view, but this time beyond the canopies and on 25th July 2007, reveals the
incongruous corrugated metal cladding, but the retention of the intricate valance underneath.
Stabled at platform 2 is Class 465 No. 465245, whilst passing through platform 4 is Class 375
No. 375830. David Glasspool
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