Denmark Hill railway station

History

The station was built between 1864 and 1866. Its design by Charles Henry Driver is in the Italianate style, with an extremely decorative frontage and French pavilion roofs.

In 1920 the waiting room was used by The Mystical Church of the Comforter, founded by Elizabeth Mary Eagle Skinner, who was known as "The Messenger". The waiting room was transformed by an altar, painted white and surrounded by the seven colours of the rainbow. The Nottingham Evening Post for 17 June 1926 reported that babies were baptised, funeral services were read and even a marriage was solemnised. The porters and clerks of the railway company often worked to the accompaniment of hymns sung by the congregation. The church is believed to have ceased to function after the death of Skinner in November 1929.

By the late 1970s, the structure had fallen into disrepair. Arsonists burst into the booking hall in March 1980, and the ensuing fire damaged the roof. Initial work by British Rail engineers to make the building safe by demolishing parts of the remaining building triggered a protest campaign by the Camberwell Society. Following a joint initiative between them, the Southwark Environment Trust and the British Rail Director of the Environment, Bernard Kaukas, the building was restored in 1985.

The project included the addition of a public house, initially called the Phoenix and Firkin to commemorate the fire, then called O'Neills and now the Phoenix. The building was given a Civic Trust award in 2009.

In the period 2011–2013 the station underwent a redesign with the construction of a new ticket office with access from Champion Park, new walkways and lifts to the platforms.

In September 2021, a second entrance opened on the north-eastern side of the station.

Design

The platforms are below road level, with the short Grove Tunnel at one end and Denmark Hill road bridge at the other.

Services

Services at Denmark Hill are operated by London Overground (on the Windrush line), Southeastern and Thameslink using , , , , and EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:

• 3 tph to
• 2 tph to London Blackfriars
• 2 tph to via
• 2 tph to via
• 1 tph to via
• 4 tph to (Windrush line)
• 4 tph to via (Windrush line)

During the peak hours, additional services between , and call at the station. In addition, the service to London Blackfriars is extended to and from via and the services between London Victoria and Gillingham are increased to 2 tph.

The station is also served by a limited London Overground service of one train per day to and two trains per day from .

On Sundays, the services to Gillingham are extended to run to and from .

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Layout

The station is on two lines. The South London line passes through the southern pair of tracks (through platforms 1 and 2) running to London Victoria and , used by Windrush line services; while the Catford loop line passes through the northern pair of tracks (through platforms 3 and 4) running to London Blackfriars and beyond to the Thameslink core and Victoria.

• Platform 1: Windrush line (London Overground) services to Clapham Junction; Southeastern services to London Victoria.
• Platform 2: Windrush line (London Overground) services to or ; Southeastern services to Dover Priory or .
• Platform 3: Thameslink services to , London Blackfriars, and .
• Platform 4: Thameslink services to or ; Southeastern services to Ashford International or .

Connections

London Buses routes 40, 176, 185 and 484 serve the station.

References

References

1. {{citation step free tube map
2. {{National Heritage List for England
3. [[Pevsner Architectural Guides. The Buildings of England]] London 2: South, Second Edition 1983, page 625
4. . (18 August 1928). ["A Station Church"](http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001321/19280818/070/0003). *Framlingham Weekly News*.
5. . (17 June 1926). ["Church in Railway Station. Rainbow Altar, Mystic Signs, and Woman Priest"](http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000321/19260617/037/0006). *[[Nottingham Post*.
6. . (1 November 1985). ["The Phoenix arises at Denmark Hill"](http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001578/19851101/138/0042). *Illustrated London News*.
7. . (26 May 2011). ["Work starts to improve access at Denmark Hill station"](http://www.globalrailnews.com/2011/05/26/work-starts-to-improve-access-at-denmark-hill-station/). *RailStaff Publications Limited*.
8. All-change at carbon positive Denkark Hill station ''[[Rail (magazine). Rail]]'' issue 940 22 September 2021 page 26
9. New Entrance at Denmark Hill ''[[Modern Railways]]'' issue 877 October 2021 page 21
10. {{NRtimes. December 2022. 52, 178, 195, 196, 197, 200
11. "London Overground Timetable: Highbury & Islington to New Cross, Clapham Junction, Crystal Palace and West Croydon". [[Transport for London]].
12. (June 2022). "Buses from Denmark Hill and Champion Hill Estate".