The fast lines passing London Fields station

Image: © Marathon Taken: 28 May 2014

The line from Bethnal Green Junction to Stoke Newington was opened on 27th May 1872. This had intermediate stations very closely spaced: at Cambridge Heath, just south of the bridge over the Regent's Canal, and at London Fields, Hackney Downs, Rectory Road and Stoke Newington. London Fields station was designed to serve south Hackney. The section south of Hackney soon became very congested and the line was quadrupled between Hackney Downs and Bethnal Green with the new fast lines on the east side of the viaduct serving only Hackney Downs and Bethnal Green stations. This was completed in June 1894. Cambridge Heath and London Fields stations were closed because of Government pressure during the First World War to effect economies as there were parallel electric tramways. Both were reopened in 1919. In his book 'London's Local Railways' (1978) from which the above information was obtained, Alan A Jackson described a visit to the line in 1955: "The dreary stations almost untouched, their soot-stained brickwork and cavernous stairways giving shelter to the ghosts of corduroy-trousered workmen and consumptive clerks clutching their cheap tickets." The brickwork has been cleaned up but much of the rest of the description still rings true. This view from the north end of the up platform looks across to the fast lines which bypass the station. The next station in this direction is Hackney Downs.

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