Wood Street

 

In 1870, the Great Eastern Railway opened a line from Lea Bridge Road to Shern Hall Street station (a temporary station located west of the present day Wood street station) and a shuttle service operated commencing traffic on 24 April 1870. The train service was not operated as a through service and passengers had to change for trains to Bishopsgate station (this was the destination before Liverpool Street opened). The line between Hackney Downs and Church Hall Junction opened on 1 August 1872 and direct services to Bishopsgate commenced as a result. In 1873 the line was extended to a temporary terminus at Chingford (where the engines refilled from a farm pond). This extension saw the closure of Shern Hall station and the opening of Wood Street and Hale End (since renamed Highams Park). On 13 February 1919 there was an accident at Wood Street when a passenger train ran into an empty stock train. Five people were injured – none seriously. The cause was a signal failure. In 1923 the Great Eastern Railway became part of the London and North Eastern Railway. In 1948 British Railways Eastern Region took over operation of the line following nationalisation.

 

There was an engine shed located just north of Wood Street which was a sub-shed of Stratford TMD and was built in 1878. The engine shed was a two road affair with space for 6 tank locomotives – there was also a short siding for coal wagons. An additional siding was added c1934. By the 1950s the staff complement was 36 drivers, 36 Firemen and 6 Passed Cleaners although recruitment for what was a hard dirty job became more difficult during that decade. The main allocation of the shed was tank engines for working suburban services to and from London Liverpool Street. From the 1920s the allocation was exclusively the LNE N7 0-6-2T locomotives. The shed was closed in 1960 when the line was electrified. Until a last minute decision was made in 1961, it had been intended to build the Victoria line past Walthamstow Central station to Wood Street, where the line would surface to terminate next to the British Railways station, on land previously used as a coal depot. The goods depot closed on 6 May 1968. Typical journey times are 7 minutes to Chingford and 19 minutes to London Liverpool Street. There were previously bike racks but they were removed at some point. David Beckham is known to have used the station in his youth, he is reported to have visited the nearby Hollow Ponds often to play football. Wood Street station is in Travel Card zone 4. The station has wi-fi, payphones and help points but no toilets.

 

Connections: London Buses routes 230 and W16 serve the station.

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