Disused Stations: Globe Road & Devonshire Street Station

Aerial view of Globe Road & Devonshire Street station seen from the north-east in 1931, 15 years after the station closed; Globe Road bridge is seen bottom right. The platform canopies consisted of a series of ridges and furrows, with a deep, serrated valance that mirrored the ridges and furrows. This design had been popular with the GER since the 1870s. The canopies stretched for much of the platform length; only the east end of the platforms, as seen here, were not covered. The Devonshire Street West signal box is seen at the top of the picture.
Photo from Britain from Above, reproduced with permission

Not a great deal is known about this photograph taken at Mile End & Devonshire Street Yard, other than it shows a Parsons turbo-alternator on delivery to Millfields power station. Millfields was perhaps better known by its postwar title 'Hackney A' and was located on Millfields Road adjacent to the Lee Navigation, the latter not to be confused with the River Lea which the Lee Navigation incorporates. Millfields power station was isolated from the railway system, thus Mile End Yard would have been the most suitable and convenient yard for delivering the alternator from, presumably, Wallsend, Newcastle upon Tyne, where the Parsons works was and still is located albeit now part of Siemens AG. The alternator is seen on a Weltrol wagon about to be slid onto a special road trailer for the final leg of its journey to Millfields behind a tractor unit of some description. Despite the capacity of the Weltrol, the alternator would have weighed in the region of 60 - 65 tons so well within the wagon's capability. With some certainty we can date the photograph to sometime during 1931 as this plant is known to have been installed and in use at Millfields by, or during, 1932. At the power station the turbine was capable of a maximum output of 40,000 horsepower and alternator output was given as 30mw at 3,000rpm, the publicity of the time implying that these figures related to a single generator set. Although this photograph was obviously taken beside a skew bridge the precise spot is unclear but most likely in the sidings north of the main line. The wagon does not appear to be sitting on the track which passes beneath the bridge and, despite often deceptive camera angles, appears to be out of gauge
to pass beneath it.
Photo from Jim Lake collection

Globe Road & Devonshire Street station during demolition in 1938, 22 years after closure. This view is looking east and Devonshire Street West signal box can be seen left of centre. Beyond it is Devonshire Street goods yard, out of view at ground level on both sides of the viaduct. On the right stands one of the covered stairways which led up from the ground level; these were roofed with panes of rolled ribbed glass. The camera has somewhat exaggerated the track curvature. The fast lines, largely out of view to the right, were somewhat straighter but the curve on the slow lines was necessary to allow room for the up platform. The down platform, left, is well on its way to oblivion and beyond it, adjacent to the two off signals, is Morpeth Street bridge.
Photo from JE Connor collection

Globe Road & Devonshire Street station during demolition in 1938, twenty-two years after closure. This view is looking east towards Stratford. Devonshire Street West signal box is seen; this was one of two signal boxes at the east end of the station, the other being Devonshire Street East box at the east end of the goods yard adjacent to the Regents Canal. In this scene the entrances from street level have already all but disappeared and a short section of up platform remains on the bridge; this section of platform was not covered by the substantial canopy. The entire station at track level would have gone within weeks of these photographs being taken. The photographer is standing on the widened viaduct provided in 1884 to accommodate the new station. Today all that is visible at track level is the widening of the viaduct to accommodate the down platform as seen here. Beyond the station the low level goods yard can just be made out on the left including one of the fixed yard cranes. The Great Eastern Railway was reputedly the first British main line railway company to install electro-pneumatic signalling, from 1899. The installations most often referred to were Bishopsgate and the Spitalfields area but it would appear that in 1938 such modernity was yet to appear at Globe Road. It was, however, during the 1930s that the LNER began to install such equipment on a wider scale but whether the cable conduit in the foreground has any connection with this is not known. The entire area from London into East Anglia was due to be switched to the new Rail Operating Centre (ROC) at Romford in November 2016 but was subject to delays and at the time of writing this remained the case. The wisdom, or otherwise, of controlling the entire national network from just a dozen or so ROCs remains to be seen.
Photo from JE Connor collection

Devonshire Street goods yard seen in 1959. This is the site on the north side of the main line and the camera is facing west. This site formed around half of the goods facilities, the remainder being on the south side of the main line. The north side yard, seen here, was approached by a steep gradient from points trailing in the down direction; this was a most inconvenient arrangement. Access to the north side yard changed over the years but in 1959 would have linked into the siding at extreme left where the van stands beside the small brick building; its floor is raised suggesting a doorway at wagon floor level in its south side. Some 75yd behind the camera is Regents Canal. In 1885 two sidings at the canal side were linked via wagon turntables and a short length of connecting track running parallel to the canal. The bridge, left of centre gave rail access to the coal depot beneath the viaduct. Note the crane, centre distance, which appears to be a standard 5-ton crane. Right of centre stands a British Railways Scammell Scarab. The once ubiquitous Scarab was introduced in 1948 as a replacement for the pre-war 'Mechanical Horse'. The Scarab was a three-wheel vehicle designed to turn in the confined spaces of goods yards etc. and towed various forms of articulated trailer, more commonly either a flatbed or van type. Livery of the Scarab seen here was a crimson and cream, the crimson being almost maroon and rather darker than that used on BR coaching stock. It was a pleasing livery which suited BR's road vehicles well. Out of view to the right is Meath Gardens, the former Victoria Park Cemetery. Some modern blocks of flats can be seen, at extreme right and in the background right of centre. Those at extreme right stand in the area bounded by what are today Walter Street and Warley Street. The flats in the background, known as Wedgwood House, lie between Warley Street and Morpeth Street and still stand today. Today the main line is of course still present but this scene has changed almost beyond recognition, being now occupied by Meath Crescent. However, the bridge is still there albeit somewhat inaccessible and the new blocks of flats of Meath Crescent curve to follow the former boundary between railway land and Meath Gardens.

Copyright photo from Great Eastern Railway Society, Richard Adderson & Graham Kenworthy Collection

In 1964 the cast iron station name was still in place above the entrance gates 48 years after the station closed. It was removed at the end of 1964 but it is not known if it went for scrap or is
in someone's collection.
Copyright photo from Stations UK

This arch, seen here in 1975 in use as an office, was once open and gave access to the Devonshire Street station entrance from the south side of the line. Both it and the Great Eastern Railway name would have dated from the four-tracking of the main line and what was in effect the third station at the location, opening in 1884. The Great Eastern Railway name has not survived and today a plain brick parapet stands in its place. The road in the foreground was once the eastern extremity of what had been Upper Devonshire Street, being today part of Bancroft Road. The south side goods viaducts commenced on the right, out of view here, and the precise location is opposite but slightly west of the Carlton Arms which stands on the corner of what is now Portelet Road, formerly Carlton Road. Making sure it gets in the picture is a rather battered Bedford CA van, RJR 376G. New in October 1968, it was registered in Northumberland so in 1975 it was a very long way from its original home. The CA came with a number of body variations but was perhaps most familiar in ice cream van and caravanette form. Production ceased in 1969, the CA being replaced by the CF.
Photo by JE Connor

The Globe Road entrance gates to Globe Road & Devonshire Street station c1990s.
Photo by JE Connor

The gates pillars for the Morpeth Street entrance in the 1990s. A curved cast iron sign with the station name with a globular gas lamp above it was originally mounted above the two gate pillars. Only the pillar nearest the bridge now survives.

Photo by JE Connor

The Globe Road entrance to Globe Road & Devonshire Street station in June 2017; the booking hall was located in the first arch. A curved cast iron sign with the station name was mounted above the two gate pillars; this was removed in late 1964. A globular gas lamp was originally mounted above the sign. The gates now give access to the various businesses located in the arches; these include the KO Boxing Gym. Globe Road was once Globe Street at its northern end and Globe Lane at its southern end with the division occurring immediately south of the bridge at the junction with Upper Devonshire Street (out of view to the right), now part of Bancroft Road.
Photo by Nick Catford

Looking out through the gates of the Globe Road entrance in June 2017.
Photo by Nick Catford

The Globe Road entrance booking office was beneath the first arch seen here in June 2017.
Photo by Nick Catford

[Source: Nick Catford]

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Station Name: GLOBE ROAD & DEVONSHIRE STREET