‘Sydenham Station one of best preserved on line’

A TfL heritage survey of the East London line prior to improvement works has picked out Sydenham and Crystal Palace stations as having buildings and features which are worthy of preservation.

The survey indicates that “Sydenham station building is one of the best preserved historic structures on the New Cross to Croydon line and makes a positive contribution to the Sydenham Thorpes Conservation Area. It should therefore be retained. The small ancillary building now housing the estate agents is also a distinctive local landmark which is an important reminder of historic trades associated with the railways – it also merits retention. However platform 1 provides spartan and mean facilities for passengers awaiting London-bound services and ideally should be rebuilt on a more generous scale to provide more shelter”.

The survey also notes that “a notable feature of this line are the small freestanding pitched roof buildings which once accommodated services ancillary to the railway station such as coal merchants offices. Some have been demolished over the years but others have survived and have successfully found a myriad of new uses such as the estate agency premises at the top of the station approach at Sydenham. This charming structure retains its slate roof, highly decorative finials and ridge tiles and other detailing such as the dentil cornice and the capitals either side of the window and door openings.

Forest Hill is dismissed in the heritage survey – ” This station is now of little historic or architectural interest and merits redevelopment when work begins on updating and improving”.

Sydenham survey:

Full survey  HERITAGE_REPORT_Overground_IV