London Victoria

The first company to rebuild their station was the LB&SCR, although not before buying out the independent Grosvenor Hotel in 1899, it closing in the same year. Parliamentary approval for station rebuilding had also been received by the LB&SCR in 1899, it proceeding to demolish the existing structures two years later. The Grosvenor Hotel had since been internally refurbished and leased to ''Gordon Hotels'', reopening its doors to customers on 10th September 1900. The new station opened in stages between 10th June 1906 and 1st July 1908, its splendid Edwardian Baroque-styled façade being a far cry from those basic facilities which preceded it. Nine floors were now in evidence, the two bottom floors acting as station offices, and a three-span canopy replaced the original carriage cover, which was subsequently despatched to Hove station for re-use. All floors above the offices were an extension of the Grosvenor Hotel, as agreed with the 1900 lessee in the original station plans. The trainshed was also a great improvement: four pitched spans - 64 foot high - covered the concourse, parallel with the rails, joined by a fifth immediately beyond Grosvenor Hotel (on the site of some now demolished houses, which allowed platforms to be extended westwards). Beyond Ecclestone Bridge, the eastern most of the five pitched spans was discontinued, and instead replaced by a lower roof composing of several smaller pitched sections perpendicular to the remaining four ridge-and-furrow lengths. The rebuilding was followed on 1st December 1909 by the commencement of electric services on the South London Line to London Bridge, but not by the now familiar third rail. The LB&SCR pursued an overhead wire system of 6700 Volts AC, which fed five platforms at Victoria, proving to be a considerable success from the outset. Electric services were further increased from Victoria with the extension of wires to Crystal Palace on 1st June 1911 and West Croydon on 1st June the following year. Sutton was reached from the terminus by overhead wires in 1918 and although further similar schemes were likely to follow, the Grouping occurred before any more could materialise.

Meanwhile, the SE&CR had been planning new structures for its terminus, but this undertaking would be a partial rebuild, rather than razing the whole site to the ground. The twin-arched trainshed was to be kept, certainly worthy of the London terminus, as were the brick offices backing onto the side of the eastern trainshed span, but those clapboard offices surrounding the front area of the perimeter were to go, and so they did in early 1907, when reconstruction work began. By the end of 1908 the ''Chatham'' side had an impressive Portland Stone façade, which incorporated station offices and blended well with the curved trainshed spans and the original brick structure down ''Hudsons Place'' road. The new Portland Stone frontage, designed by the SE&CR's architect, A.W. Blomfield, proclaimed both the aforementioned company and the GWR's presence at the station, the latter until 21st March 1915.

The 999 year leasing agreement was terminated in 1923 when the Southern Railway acquired ownership of both LB&SCR and SE&CR stations, and at last an attempt was made to unify both as one, a hole appearing in the walls separating the platforms and concourses the following year. The next significant change would come to the traction the station served. The SR Board was dominated by those former Board members of the LSWR, thus to standardise the whole SR electric network, the phasing out of the 6700 Volts AC system began in favour of the LSWR-inspired 600 Volts DC third rail. However, it was the ''Chatham'' side which received the station's first third rail electrics, as the SR began electrifying those suburban lines of the former SE&CR in earnest: electric running to Orpington via Petts Wood Junction began on 12th July 1925. The ''Brighton'' side perpetuated with overhead wires until the end of the decade, when the South London Line was converted for third rail operation on 17th June 1928, followed by the line to West Croydon and Sutton on 3rd March 1929. Electric running between Victoria and Epsom also occurred on the same date as the latter, although the most significant third rail project so far would take place just under four years later. On 1st January 1933 an accelerated electric timetable came into operation on the Brighton main line, direct trains from Victoria making the journey to the Sussex coast in some two minutes under the hour. The launch of the luxurious five-car ''Brighton Belle''  electric service coincided with this, replacing the previous steam-hauled ''Southern Belle'' of 1908; the ''Chatham'' side had been serving the steam-hauled Dover Boat train the ''White Pullman'' since 17th November 1924. The latter was renamed ''Golden Arrow'' on 15th May 1926. The also renowned ''Night Ferry'' train to Paris Gare du Nord, via boat between Dover and Calais, did not inaugurate from the ''Chatham'' side until 14th October 1936, running to Dover Marine.

''Chatham'' Side

A very wet day in January 2003 shows the 1961-built platform canopies, erected in connection with

the Kent Coast electrification. Sadly, the ''Brighton'' side is now a concrete jungle, as exemplified by

this view. The 1983 - 1991 redevelopment saw the abolition of the original dividing wall between the

two stations, although the Southern Railway had made linking gaps in it in 1924. David Glasspool

Shortly after the first picture shown on this page was taken, two Class 365 eight-carriage formations

trundled in from the Kent Coast. No. 365509 is seen on the right and No. 365506 on the left. To the

left of the latter is the 4 Cep seen in the previous picture, forming an eight-coach train with another

4 Cep, and wearing the headcode for a Margate service. This view shows the double-span trainshed

to good effect, and also shows the ''Chatham'' platforms did not totally escape the ''raft''. A car park

on stilts now resides immediately adjacent to the western of the spans. Platform 2, where this picture

is taken from, is the longest of all those at the station, capable of accommodating eighteen vehicles.

David Glasspool

The trainshed spans have featured blue tarpaulin covering glazed areas for a number of years now.

It presumably forms a long-term restoration effort. The retail outlet seen behind the platform number

sign was made possible by knocking the wall through between ''Chatham'' and ''Brighton'' concourses

during 1980s redevelopment. This 15th June 2004 view shows 4 Vep No. 3452 stabled in platform 6

after arriving with a stopping service from Faversham. David Glasspool

On 27th January 2007, a trio of suburban services are seen stabled in the platforms. From left to

right: Class 465 unit Nos. 465002, 465157, and 465003. David Glasspool

<<Previous  Next: the History Continues >>

Return to the Kent Rail Homepage or alternatively, check for Updates.

Website & Copyright information - Links - Contact the Webmaster

All content is copyright © David Glasspool