Site of Upper Sydenham station

Image: © Marathon Taken: 21 Sep 2011

The London, Chatham & Dover Railway opened the line from Nunhead to Crystal Palace High Level in 1865 to serve the Crystal Palace, which had been rebuilt on Sydenham Hill some ten years previously. Unfortunately the Crystal Palace was in decline as a visitor attraction by the end of the 19th century and this, coupled with the fact that the line passed through an area which was largely undeveloped well into the 20th century, meant that the line had very low passenger usage. It finally closed in 1954. There were two tunnels on the line. This is the south portal of Crescent Wood Tunnel which is the northern one of the two. Upper Sydenham station stood here immediately next to the tunnel entrance, but not a trace of it now remains. It did not open until 1884 but its passenger numbers were always minimal so that even in the 1920s, only some 400 people per day were using the station, and probably most of these were being double-counted as they were making return journeys. More information about Upper Sydenham station can be found at http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/u/upper_sydenham/index.shtml The northern portal of Crescent Wood Tunnel can be seen at http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2635008

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