If you’re an avid Secret London reader, you’ll probably be aware of how much we love trains. In all forms, really. Fast trains, tiny trains, old rickety trains, new shiny trains; we just can’t get enough of those loveable locomotives. But where there are trains, there must also be stations so that they can fulfil their purpose of getting the people from A to B.
The origins of the humble train station journey all the way back to the early 19th century, and whilst many of the very first stations have not lived to tell the tale; some are still going strong. And a lot of them are right here in our capital city. So, without further ado, let’s jump on board, journey back, and see which London train stations have truly stood the test of time.
Paddington Station
First up we have one of the country’s busiest train stations, London Paddington. Built on June 4, 1838 by civil engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Paddington is the fifth oldest station in London and the tenth oldest train station in the world. Not bad, hey?
It was originally built as a temporary station to reduce costs, but later become a permanent fixture and – well – the rest is, quite literally, history. London Paddington underwent an extensive renovation in the nineties to bring it up to date, but parts of the station are a whopping 186 years old. Blimey.
Harrow & Wealdstone Station
Next up on the list of the oldest train stations in London is Harrow & Wealdstone; a station that dates all the way back to July 20, 1837 – making it the forth oldest in the city and the eighth oldest in the world. The station was built and opened by the London and Birmingham railway back when the area was so rural that Harrow was its closest settlement.
Wealdstone wasn’t added to the name until the end of the 19th centuryonce the area has expanded and developed. The station was given a little bit of TLC in the 1960s when parts of it were rebuilt, but nonetheless, this station is no spring chicken, to say the least.
Euston Station
Ahh, everybody’s favourite station, right? *shudders in memory of being knocked over multiple times during a classic Euston station stampede*. London Euston is next up on the list of the oldest train stations, having also been built on July 20, 1837. What a big day in the train station world that was.
Now, what I will say is that the station was completely rebuilt in the 1960s, so I don’t there is actually part of the station that’s still kicking around from 1837. But I could be wrong. The original building featured some rather grand architecture and so the modern refurb caused some controversy (understandably).
London Bridge Station
Next up we have the oldest operating train station in central LondonLondon Bridge. Of course, it’s been updated and modernised over the years (with its most recent refurb costing a rather hefty £1 billion), but having been originally built on December 14, 1836it’s officially the second oldest station in London and the sixth oldest in the world. If stations could talk, hey?
Deptford Railway Station
Coming in strong as the oldest train station in London (and the fourth oldest in the whole world) is Deptford. Although fairly unassuming to look at, this south east London station has a rather extensive history. It was originally opened as part of the London and Greenwich Railway (which many consider to be the first ever suburban passenger railway system). There is a bit of a caveat, though. It was closed between the years of 1915 and 1926 and the original building was demolished. And so was the second. Third time lucky, I suppose…
The oldest train stations in the world
- Liverpool Road Station, Manchester (1830)
- Broad Green Railway Station, Liverpool (1830)
- Hexham Railway Station, Northumberland (1835)
- Deptford Railway Station, London (1836)
- Liverpool Lime Street, Liverpool (1836)
- London Bridge Station, London (1836)
- Euston Railway Station, London (1837)
- Harrow & Wealdstone Station, London (1837)
- Vitebsky Railway Station, St Petersburg (1837)
- Paddington Station, London (1838)
