Lordship Lane Station

[Spam Can Man 60]

I have recently started building a model of Lordship Lane station on the Crystal Palace branch (as a compliment to our club's Crystal Palace High Level station). but I'm still having trouble finding information about the station. Any information. especially on the shelter on the up line would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

[phil_sutters 8,230]

Can I assume that you have seen the photos in the Disused Stations website? There are several photos there, although none with enough detail to be useful for modelling purposes. If the Southwark Local History Library was open I would have suggested that you look in their photo archive. I worked there briefly in 2007 and seem to remember there were some railway related photos. None of my Southwark books seems to have any photos of the station.

Best wishes for your project.

[4901 39]

https://www.artmegamart.com/lordship-lane-station-dulwich-camille-pissarro-oil-paintings-TR17546/

 

Lordship Lane was the subject of an impressionist painting.   No modelling detail though!

[Nick Holliday 1,657]

I take it you've got the book on the line, by John Gale, from Lightmoor Press.  The shelter was a bit camera shy, and it seems to have been an early victim of the downturn in traffic. I am no expert, but it also appears to have been altered at some stage.  The Pissarro painting and early photos seem to suggest a ridged roof, whereas later views show a building similar to others along the line, such as Lower Sydenham, with a different roof profile, although it may be that the rebuilt canopy, much deeper than originally, might be hiding the roof.

[Spam Can Man 60]

Thanks Phil, 4901 and Nick for your replies. I was a regular visitor at the John Harvard library in the Borough until lockdown and also the Lewisham local studies as the area is borderline. I have a lot of photos of the station, many from Lens of Sutton and Dick Riley, but as Nick says, the shelter was rather camera shy. I have been on the Disused Stations website and personally  emailed Nick Catford on a number of occasions, but sadly, to date, no reply. I do have a number of books on the High Level branch and was privileged to proof read John Gale's book (along with our club secretary, Ray Blanchard, our names are in the credits) as well as supplying a couple of photos. The station was bombed in 1944 and the upline shelter was replaced with a corrugated iron one, also, the station had one of the gables destroyed and the remaining roof was replaced by corrugated iron too. I want to get it right because you know what happens, you take the layout to an exhibition and some smart Alec comes along and says "Oi that's not right!".

[Spam Can Man 60]

These photos were taken a couple of years ago at the Medway Model Railway exhibition (when we could go to shows!) Sad to say, progress is slow. I was only able to pick the baseboards up from the club at the end of the last lockdown. The bridge is a model of Cox's Walk footbridge, where Pissarro  did his famous painting of Lordship Lane Station. The bridge hit the local news recently, with two large oak trees threatening to damage the foundations of the bridge. A campaign was raised to save the trees which Southwark Council were going to cut down to save the bridge. At the moment it's a stalemate between the two! The wall with the arches in is our Crystal Palace High Level layout!

[Tartaruga 7]

On 16/01/2021 at 11:54, Spam Can Man said:

Thanks Phil, 4901 and Nick for your replies. I was a regular visitor at the John Harvard library in the Borough until lockdown and also the Lewisham local studies as the area is borderline. I have a lot of photos of the station, many from Lens of Sutton and Dick Riley, but as Nick says, the shelter was rather camera shy. I have been on the Disused Stations website and personally  emailed Nick Catford on a number of occasions, but sadly, to date, no reply.

 

Have you tried contacting the Dulwich Society?

I've only seen them on social media but they seem quite knowledgeable

[phil_sutters 8,230]

Local historian and leading light in the Dulwich Society, Brian Green owns the toy shop and art stationers in Dulwich Village. You may be able to contact him through the shop email [email protected] . My guess is that he will only have the same info and photos as the local history library.

[Spam Can Man 60]

Hi Phil, I'll give Brian a try! I have recently got involved with various facebook groups, including "Memories of Crystal Palace" who have given me a lot of useful information. It's proving useful for our club layout "Crystal Palace High Level" as well!