| Blackwall | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Newspaper image from an article on the opening of the railway | |
| Location | East India Docks |
| Owner | |
| Key dates | |
| 6 July 1840 (1840-07-06) | Opened |
| 4 May 1926 (1926-05-04) | Closed |
| Other information | |
 London transport portal | |
Blackwall was a railway station inBlackwall, London, that served as the eastern terminus of theCommercial Railway (later the London and Blackwall Railway). It was located on the south side of theEast India Docks, near the shore of theRiver Thames, 3 miles 43 chains (5.7 km) down-line from the western terminus atFenchurch Street.
The station was designed by architectWilliam Tite in an ornateItalianate style.[1] It opened on 6 July 1840 with services connecting with a ferry service toGravesend, Kent.
Between 1870 and 1890 the station was also served by someNorth London Railway trains from Broad Street via Hackney and Bow services to connect to the ferry services. The station was renovated at this time.[2]
In March 1926 theLondon and North Eastern Railway andPort of London Authority announced passenger services would be withdrawn on 30 June 1926. However, with the start of thenational general strike services were suspended early on 3 May 1926, and never resumed.[3]
John Betjeman (1906-1984) in his book First and Last Loves, wrote of a journey on the L&BR "Those frequent and quite empty trains of the Blackwall Railway ran from a special platform at Fenchurch Street. I remember them. Like stagecoaches they rumbled past East End chimney pots, wharves and shipping stopping at empty black stations till they came to a final halt at Blackwall station...When one emerged there, there was nothing to see beyond it but a cobbled quay and a vast stretch of wind whipped water..."[4]
The station was demolished in 1946 to make way for Blackwall power station, although the branch continued to carry goods traffic until the demise of the docks in the late 1960s.[5]
Today no trace of the two-storey station remains, and the docks have been filled in (although a small basin remains). Its approximate location is now occupied by houses on Jamestown Way. The station site is some distance from the present-dayBlackwall DLR station; the closest existing station is actuallyEast India DLR station, which is slightly to the north-west of the original Blackwall station site.[citation needed]
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poplar Line and station closed | Great Eastern Railway London and Blackwall Railway | Terminus | ||
| Stations |
|  Minories station | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relationships | ||||||||
Absorbed by theGreat Eastern Railway in 1866► | ||||||||
51°30′29″N0°00′00″E / 51.50817°N 0.00007°E /51.50817; 0.00007
