Ladywell railway station

Ladywell National Rail
Ladywell is located in Greater London
Ladywell
Ladywell
Location of Ladywell in Greater London
LocationLadywell
Local authorityLewisham
Managed bySoutheastern
Station code(s)LAD
DfT categoryE
Number of platforms2
AccessibleYes[1]
Fare zone3
National Rail annual entry and exit
2018–19Increase 1.309 million[2]
2019–20Increase 1.319 million[2]
2020–21Decrease 0.352 million[2]
2021–22Increase 0.741 million[2]
2022–23Increase 0.918 million[2]
Key dates
1 January 1857Opened
Listed status
Listed featureLadywell Station
Listing gradeII
Entry number1246025[3]
Added to list23 December 1998
Other information
External links
Coordinates51°27′22″N 0°01′09″W / 51.4562°N 0.0192°W / 51.4562; -0.0192
London transport portal

Ladywell railway station is in Ladywell, in the London Borough of Lewisham in south east London, in Travelcard Zone 3. It is 6 miles 62 chains (10.9 km) measured from London Charing Cross.

The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern. The Grade II station opened in 1857 and is in Ladywell Fields, adjacent to University Hospital, Lewisham.

History

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Early years (1857-1922)

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The Mid-Kent line was built by the Mid-Kent and North Kent Junction Railway (MK&NKJR) and was opened on 1 January 1857 as far as Beckenham Junction (although it was not technically a junction as the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway's line did not open until 3 May 1858). From opening the line was worked by the South Eastern Railway (SER). Seven years later the MK&NKJR built an extension from a new junction station at New Beckenham to Croydon (Addiscombe Road) which again was operated by the SER.[4]

The northwest exterior of the Grade II listed station

In September 1866 a spur was opened from the north end of Ladywell station to the recently opened main line (which avoided Lewisham Junction station) which it joins at Parks Bridge Junction.[5]

Almost all services from the station have terminated at Charing Cross or Cannon Street stations but between 1880 and 1884 a service worked between Croydon (Addiscombe Road) calling all stations to New Cross and then via a connection to the East London Line and terminating at Liverpool Street station.[6]

In 1898 the South Eastern Railway and its bitter rivals the London Chatham and Dover Railway agreed to work as one railway company under the name of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway and Ladywell became an SECR station.

Southern Railway (1923-1947)

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Following the Railways Act 1921 (also known as the Grouping Act), Ladywell station became a Southern Railway station on 1 January 1923.

The Mid-Kent line was electrified with the (750 V DC third rail) system and electric services commenced on 28 February 1926. Early electric services were worked by early Southern Railway 3-car Electric Multiple Unit trains often built from old SECR carriages.

On 30 June 1929 colour light signalling was introduced north of Ladywell.[7]

British Railways (1948-1994)

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After World War II and following nationalisation on 1 January 1948, the station fell under the auspices of British Railways Southern Region.

Colour light signalling was introduced south of Ladywell (as far as New Beckenham) on 4 April 1971.[8]

The privatisation era (1994-present day)

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On 13 October 1996 operation of the passenger services passed to Connex South Eastern. Services were subsequently operated by South Eastern Trains, and Southeastern since 1 April 2006.

Service

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All services at Ladywell are operated by Southeastern using Class 376, 465, 466 and 707 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[9]

On Sundays, the station is served by a half-hourly service between Hayes and London Charing Cross via Lewisham.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Southeastern

Layout

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Side platform Platform 1
Southeastern towards Charing Cross, Cannon Street
Southeastern towards Hayes
Side platform Platform 2

Connections

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London Buses routes 122, 284, 484 and P4 serve the station.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "London and South East" (PDF). National Rail. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  3. ^ Historic England. "Ladywell Station (1246025)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  4. ^ Jackson, Alan A (1999). London's Local Railways (2nd ed.). Harrow Weald: Capital Transport Publishing. pp. 37–40.
  5. ^ Jackson, Alan A (1999). London's Local Railways (2nd ed.). Harrow Weald: Capital Transport Publishing. p. 37.
  6. ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1996). East London Line. Midhurst, UK: Middleton Press. p. 5. ISBN 1-873793-80-4.
  7. ^ Jackson, Alan A (1999). London's Local Railways (2nd ed.). Harrow Weald: Capital Transport Publishing. p. 37.
  8. ^ Jackson, Alan A (1999). London's Local Railways (2nd ed.). Harrow Weald: Capital Transport Publishing. p. 47.
  9. ^ Table 203 National Rail timetable, December 2022
  10. ^ "Buses from Ladywell and Lewisham Hospital" (PDF). TfL. July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
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