IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
The Pavement, Hainault Road, LONDON, E11 1EG

This bridge carries the Barking to Gospel Oak Line over Hainault Road. Since the photograph at http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3402096 was taken the height warning sign has become a little loose. The Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway was planned to run from Tottenham Hale on the Great Eastern Railway to Gospel Oak on the Hampstead Junction section of the London & North Western Railway. It was worked by the North London Railway (NLR) from its opening in 1860, and in 1864 came under NLR control. On 21st July 1868 a new line opened from Tottenham Hale to Highgate Road. It was only in 1887 that an extension to Gospel Oak was achieved but as a passenger exchange not as a junction. On 9th July 1894, the Tottenham & Forest Gate Railway was opened for through goods and passenger trains and had stations at Blackhorse Road, Walthamstow, Leyton, Leytonstone and Wanstead Park. Up to 1912 the line was a joint railway operated by the Midland Railway and the London, Tilbury & Southend Railway but from 1912 it was solely operated by the Midland. With the opening of the new line the Midland extended some of its South Tottenham trains to East Ham. The line which now ran between Kentish Town and Barking was considered for closure to passengers in 1963 as part of the Beeching Axe, but it remained open. Even so, it was allowed to fall into a poor state of repair and reliability, and by 1980 had been cut back to an hourly service between Kentish Town and Barking. The station canopies were gradually demolished, ticket offices closed and staff withdrawn from stations. The situation began to improve from 1981 when a new link to Gospel Oak was built and the hourly service from Kentish Town to Barking was replaced by the present route from Gospel Oak to Barking with two trains per hour. Now with it being taken over by Transport for London as part of the London Overground network the whole line has a new lease of life and new trains run every 15 minutes between Barking and Gospel Oak.

This road leads from Colworth Road towards High Road Leyton. It passes under the railway between Leyton Midland Road and Leytonstone High Road. Along Midland Road (on the right) are a series of business units within the railway arches.

This is an aerial view, seen from the platform of Leyton Midland Road Overground station.

This is the downside platform served by trains from Gospel Oak to Barking. Until not so long ago this was a poorly used station, but as can be seen from this picture patronage has been considerably increased by recent improvements to the service offered.

Opened in 1894 by the Tottenham and Forest Gate Junction Railway on the line from Gospel Oak to Barking. View south east towards Leytonstone High Road and Barking, shortly after the line was electrified. See Image for a pre-electrification view some 6 years earlier.

Well, it may come up in a pub quiz sometime. This blue plaque on a house in Fairlop Road, Leytonstone tells all. Fanny Craddock is not the only world-famous celebrity hailing from these parts; there's Alfred Hitchcock and, er, Jonathan Ross.

A specialist mathematical and computing school.

Opened in 1894 by the Tottenham and Forest Gate Junction Railway on the line from Gospel Oak to Barking. View south east towards Leytonstone High Road and Barking a few years before electrification. See Image for a post-electrificaton view, taken some six years later.

South-side entrance to Leyton Midland Road station, for west-bound passengers.

This station is on the line from Barking to Gospel Oak and opened in 1894. It is currently managed and served by London Overground. Although it is not one of the busier London suburban stations, patronage has much increased as a result of service improvements in the last few years.