Tottenham and Forest Gate Railway

Viaduct and brick arches at Wanstead Park railway station.

The Tottenham & Forest Gate Railway was a railway line in north London, formed by an act of Parliament of 1890 and built as joint venture between the Midland Railway and the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway. It officially opened on 1 July 1894 with passenger serviced commencing 8 days later and was taken over entirely by the Midland Railway in 1912.

History

Tottenham and Forest Gate Railway Act 1890
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to authorise the construction of Railways between Tottenham and Forest Gate and for other purposes.
Citation	53 & 54 Vict. c. clviii
Dates
Royal assent	4 August 1890
Text of statute as originally enacted

The line was authorised at the request of Sir Courtenay Warner, a property developer who owned land in Walthamstow, in order to serve the new developments there. Much of the route crossed many existing roads, and the area had already been extensively built on, so the line was built on top of a long brick viaduct. Many houses were demolished to make way and there was considerable local opposition to the railway.

The line opened to passengerson 9 July 1894 between South Tottenham and Woodgrange Park where it joined the existing LTSR line to Barking and beyond. On the same date a curve was opened allowing East Ham to be served as an alternative to Barking. Trains did not terminate at South Tottenham but continued westwards to various destinations via the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Railway, much as the Gospel Oak to Barking line does today.

Stations

1914 map showing the eastern part of the line including the curve to East Ham

The line had the following stations (listed from west to east using the original station names):

• South Tottenham & Stamford Hill (existing)
• Blackhorse Road (new)
• Walthamstow (new)
• Leyton (new)
• Leytonstone (new)
• Wanstead Park (new)
• Woodgrange Park (new)

• Branch: East Ham (new, line abandoned 1958)

• Barking (existing)

Current status

The line now forms part of the Gospel Oak to Barking line, part of the London Overground.

External links

• History of the Barking to Gospel Oak line
• A Brief History of Forest Gate