Stoke Newington – Rectory Road Railway Station

This railway station doesn’t look particularly exciting, perhaps primarily as it’s a modern building. The station was originally constructed by Great Eastern Railway in 1872 as part of a new branch line which went down to London Liverpool Street. It took its name from, well, the street called Rectory Road, which is now known as the A10.

In 1878, the owners of Manor Tavern, which was on the corner of Church Road and Rectory Road, advertised their property by writing “no neighbourhood in London is developing more rapidly than this. Since the opening of the station, building has been pushed on most extensively, and it is quite certain that within but a short time this house will be doing an immense trade. With these prospects it has also the solid present advantage of a large and lucrative business, everything being sold at the fullest prices”. The rent was £100 per year, which is only around £8,000 per year today, so quite a bargain in modern terms. The pub is still standing, but it’s now flats as it closed as a public house in the early part of this century.

The footbridge over the top of the line, which has the road behind it, isn’t likely to win many awards for architecture. All of this was built in 1975, replacing the previous more basic structure with a more solid brick construction.

Looking down the track, away from London.

This line was operated by Greater Anglia, but it’s now run by TFL.