The London, Chatham and Dover Railway: Victoria Station

Arthur H. Beavan when he wrote the following in Imperial London, published in 1901, was not overly impressed with Victoria Station:

Antiques from London on eBay

Works of Shakespeare Pub 1807 London Book Antique Rare
5 Sep 2010 at 8:54pm
US $149.00
End Date: Friday Sep-10-2010 18:54:28 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $149.00
Buy it now | Add to watch list
1927 London Stg Silver Napkin Serviette Ring Lattice
4 Sep 2010 at 1:52am
US $9.25 (0 Bid)
End Date: Friday Sep-10-2010 23:52:29 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

Foreigners arriving in London by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway can hardly be impressed by the beauty of its West End terminus, Victoria Station, Pimlico, however much the station-yard crowded with omnibuses, hansoms, four-wheelers, private carriages, vans and carts, may convince them of the energy and confusion of London life. (There is also a terminus at Blackfriars, and another at Holborn Viaduct.)

Not even an apology for a facade looks upon the yard, the entrance proper - seldom used - being round the corner, off the Wilton Road.

There is a general air of shabbiness about the station; the planking needs renewing, the booking-office, etc, look as if they had been temporarily run-up, and the rolling stock is not of the improved type.

The line is an important feeder of the continental traffic; it is a permanent adjunct of the Crystal Palace, and its suburban system is extensive, and as it goes to Broadstairs, Ramsgate, Margate, and other favourite resorts of "trippers," it does a large business, particularly during holiday-time.

In conjunction with the South Coast Railway it is not unusual for 8000 Saturday-to-Monday excursionists to be conveyed per week to these watering-places, and to Folkestone, Dover, Deal, and Sandgate.

But what these united lines have to deal with in the matter of popular traffic is best seen on a fine August Bank Holiday, when as many as 119,000 persons have been booked at their London stations in three days, a total beating that of every other railway company except the Great Eastern.

Next: Locomotive London in 1900: The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway.