IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Redbridge, LONDON, E18 1BZ

George Lane in South Woodford is cut in two by London Underground's Central Line. This view, looking along the western section of George Lane, was taken from a footbridge across the railway. Pedestrians can also cross the line using a subway, the entrance of which is to the right of the image. This image was taken on a June evening, a little while before sunset.

View SE on approach road off Marlborough Road. (See Image] for details).

Opened in 1856 as "George Lane" by the Eastern Counties Railway, later part of the Great Eastern Railway, on the line from London Liverpool Street to Loughton, this station received its current name in 1937 and became part of London Transport in 1947. Forecourt view south. Like 55% of the London Underground network, this part is actually overground.

View northward, towards Woodford/Hainault and Epping: ex-GER Liverpool Street - Stratford - Woodford - Epping line. After World War Two, passenger services were taken over by London Transport between 1946 and 1949 as the eastward extension of the Central Line, reaching Woodford in 12/47, Loughton in 11/48 and Epping 9/49; also Hainault via Newbury Park in 5/48, while Woodford - Hainault services commenced 11/48.

The Eastern Counties Railway Loughton branch line opened on 22nd August 1856. It ran north-east between the small villages of Leyton and Leytonstone, reaching the Roding Valley at Wanstead. It then followed the west side of the valley to reach Loughton. An eleven and a quarter mile extension beyond Loughton was opened as a single line extension from Loughton through Epping to Ongar on 24th April 1865. Woodford, which was a straggling village extending for about three miles along the Stratford to Loughton road, received two stations. The first called George Lane, Woodford served the extreme southern end while Woodford station was just east of Woodford Green and Woodford Wells. At the opening of the Loughton branch most trains terminated at Fenchurch Street, but from 1874 most trains were diverted to Liverpool Street. With the growth in residential traffic, the Great Eastern Railway (which now operated the line) rebuilt stations on the inner section. In addition a double track was completed as far as Epping in January 1893. George Lane received a footbridge in 1881 and was rebuilt two years later. Despite this there was no large-scale suburban building between Snaresbrook and Loughton until the early 1900s when new villas and shopping parades started to appear near the stations. Until the mid 1920s almost every house built near these stations was in the higher price range. By the outbreak of the Second World war much of the land between Epping Forest and the River Roding was covered with houses as far as Loughton but there was much discontent with the LNER steam service. Tube train operation of the branch was first mooted in the early 1930s and a major objective of the 1935-1940 London Railways New Works Programme was to give the eastern suburbs of London a more direct link to the West End. The Central line would be extended beyond Stratford to Leyton where it would take over the working of the Ongar line. Work resumed in 1945 and Tube trains reached Leytonstone on 5th May 1947 and Snaresbrook, South Woodford and Woodford on 14th December 1947. For the extension of the Tube, Snaresbrook, South Woodford and Woodford received new ticket halls. At this time South Woodford was called South Woodford (George Lane) and only changed to its present name in 1950. Electrification was carried through to Epping on 25th September 1949. This photograph from the down platform looks in the direction of Woodford.

Viewed from the station footbridge. George Lane continues on the south side of the railway, behind the camera, but there is no way through for vehicles.