Former railway route in Brenchley Gardens

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. Once dismantling of the track had been completed, the entire railway land between Nunhead and Crystal Palace was bought by the London County Council who passed it on to local councils for housing and open space development. This was the origin of the attractive open space known as Brenchley Gardens. This view looks along the line of the old track towards Nunhead. Honor Oak station was back on the other side of Forest Hill Road - see http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/honor_oak/index.shtml. The Green Chain Walk now passes through Brenchley Gardens on its way to Nunhead Cemetery - see http://content.tfl.gov.uk/green-chain-walk-section-11.pdf

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