Clapham Junction is a railway station located in Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth. South West Trains (SWT) is a Train Operating Company operating in the United Kingdom, providing train services to the south-west of London, chiefly in Greater London and the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon and Wiltshire (the area largely covered before 1923 by the London and South Western Railway... Battersea is a place in the London Borough of Wandsworth. ... The London Borough of Wandsworth is a London borough in southwest London. ... Travelcard Zone 2 is the second most inward zone of Transport for Londons zonal system used for calculating co-ordinated inter-modal Travelcard fares within London. ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... Transport for London (TfL) is a government body responsible for the transport system in the City of London, the capital city of the United Kingdom. ... Passengers bustle around the typical grand edifice of Londons Broad Street Station in 1865. ... Battersea is a place in the London Borough of Wandsworth. ... The London Borough of Wandsworth is a London borough in southwest London. ...

It is situated on St. John's Hill in the south west of Battersea and in an area now commonly known as Clapham Junction; a reflection of the influence the station has upon its locality.

The station

Services

All services to Waterloo (except Eurostar services to the continent) and many services to Victoria stations pass through the junction; these include South West Trains, Gatwick Express and Southern services. Services from Clapham Junction also head north along the West London Line, through West Brompton and Kensington (Olympia), on to Willesden Junction and Watford Junction - services (to Willesden Junction) are operated by Silverlink. A 1948 poster showing the main concourse. ... Eurostar, see Eurostar Italia. ... Victoria Station concourse Victoria station is a London Underground and railway station in London, in the City of Westminster. ... South West Trains (SWT) is a Train Operating Company operating in the United Kingdom, providing train services to the south-west of London, chiefly in Greater London and the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon and Wiltshire (the area largely covered before 1923 by the London and South Western Railway... Gatwick Express is the brand name of a National Express Group-operated railway service offering a frequent shuttle service between London Victoria Station and Gatwick Airport, in England. ... Southern is the latest name of the train operating company that took over from Connex South Central on the routes to South London, Surrey, and Sussex from Victoria and London Bridge. ... The West London Line is a short overground railway linking Clapham Junction in the south to Willesden Junction in the north. ... West Brompton is both a mainline railway on the West London Line (WLL) which connects Willesden Junction and Clapham Junction stns. ... Kensington (Olympia) station is a railway and tube station in West London. ... Willesden Junction station is both a London Underground station and a railway station. ... Watford Junction station is a railway station in Watford, United Kingdom. ... Silverlink is a regional franchise in the British railway system, with routes in north London and from London to Northampton. ...

Facilities

The railway junction at Clapham Junction, facing east

The footbridge over the fan of tracks leading to sheds and sidings

Details of roof support columns at Clapham Junction railway station

Electronic Information board on a Clapham Junction platform

Clapham Junction railway station's platforms 2 to 10 at night

The foot tunnel at night under Clapham Junction railway station

Arding & Hobbs Department Store, now rebranded as Allders, with its landmark cupola

The station has 16 active platforms, numbered 2 to 17, and arranged in two groups. Platform 1, the northernmost platform, is no longer used, having no rails; Portakabins have been sited at the north-east end, and a portacabin and power or signalling equipment housings sited at its south-west end. If the planned East London Line extension gets to Clapham Junction, it is possible that platform 1 would be used for the purpose. Platforms 2 to 6 form a northern group oriented in an east-south-easterly direction, whilst platforms 7 to 17 form a southern group oriented in a south-easterly direction and are separated from the northern group by a fan of a dozen or more sidings running into railway sheds to the west of the station. Clapham Junction Railway Station - The Footbridge - London - 240404 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Clapham Junction Railway Station - The Footbridge - London - 240404 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Clapham Junction Railway Station - The footbridge between platform 9 and 8 - London - 240404 Photo taken by Tagishsimon on the 24th April 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Clapham Junction Railway Station - The footbridge between platform 9 and 8 - London - 240404 Photo taken by Tagishsimon on the 24th April 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Clapham Junction Railway Station - Detail of Roof Columns - London - 240404 Photo taken by Tagishsimon on the 24th April 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Clapham Junction Railway Station - Detail of Roof Columns - London - 240404 Photo taken by Tagishsimon on the 24th April 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Clapham Junction Railway Station - Electronic Information Board on platform - London - 240404 Photo taken by Tagishsimon on the 24th April 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Clapham Junction Railway Station - Electronic Information Board on platform - London - 240404 Photo taken by Tagishsimon on the 24th April 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Clapham Junction Railway Station - Platforms at Night - London - 240404 Photo taken by Tagishsimon on the 24th April 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Clapham Junction Railway Station - Platforms at Night - London - 240404 Photo taken by Tagishsimon on the 24th April 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Clapham Junction Railway Station - Foot Tunnel at Night - London - 240404 Photo taken by Tagishsimon on the 24th April 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Clapham Junction Railway Station - Foot Tunnel at Night - London - 240404 Photo taken by Tagishsimon on the 24th April 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (640x629, 43 KB)Clapham Junction - The Arding & Hobbs Department Store, now rebranded as Allders, and showing the landmark cupola - London - 240404 Photo taken by Tagishsimon on the 24th April 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert... Download high resolution version (640x629, 43 KB)Clapham Junction - The Arding & Hobbs Department Store, now rebranded as Allders, and showing the landmark cupola - London - 240404 Photo taken by Tagishsimon on the 24th April 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert... A Portakabin is a relocatable, stackable temporary building, most often used as site offices on a building site, or anywhere else where constructing an office is not practicle or is pointless. ... The East London Line is a line of the London Underground, coloured orange on the Tube map. ...

The station's main entrance is from St. John's Hill, into a foot tunnel some 15 ft (4.6 m) wide running transversely beneath the eastern end of the 17 platforms, and on to a northern exit, which has restricted opening hours. The foot tunnel becomes very crowded during the morning and evening rush hours, and ticket barriers at the end of the tunnel are a particular pinch point. Rush hour at Tokyo Station, Yamanote Line A rush hour is a part of the day with busy traffic and hence traffic congestion on the roads and crowded public transport; normally the two periods in a day when people are travelling to or from work or school. ...

A covered footbridge connects the platforms at their western end. In contrast with the width of the tunnel, parts of the footbridge are vast, but unfortunately the footbridge does not provide entry to or exit from the station. Demands to reinstate the former footbridge entrance have, to date, fallen on deaf ears, despite the fact that it would alleviate the crowding and provide a potential taxi rank or bus station in what is currently an under-used car park.

Technology

In the recent past, in part because of the large number of platforms and trains, the station was somewhat confusing for those unfamiliar with it, who often found it difficult to establish from which platform a particular train would run. In 2003 a reasonably extensive system of electronic train information displays was installed at the station entrance, in the foot tunnel and on platforms. In May 2004, the ticket machines at the station were moved and reduced in number from six to four, only two of which take credit cards, and all of which are prone to frequent breakdown - this prompted a significant number of complaints from customers, leading to reinstallation of the two removed machines in winter 2004. There are seven staffed ticket kiosk windows, but purchasing tickets in the morning rush hour, and from time to time through the day, tends to involve a lengthy delay. In March 2005, work began to alter the layout of the travel centre and to install a set of eight new ticket machines.

Busiest station claims

Clapham Junction has long laid claim to being the busiest railway station in the United Kingdom, and on 17 June 2005 changed its signage and claim to be the busiest in Europe. Some 2,000 trains pass though it each day, the majority of which stop. It is possible that measured in numbers of trains, it may be the busiest railway station in the world. Passengers bustle around the typical grand edifice of Londons Broad Street Station in 1865. ... World map showing Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ...

The junction

The station name, Clapham Junction, is not shared by any junction in the locality of the station. The names of the nearby junctions are:

• Falcon Jn (at the south end of the station, where the West London Line (WLL) joins the Brighton Slow Lines)
• Ludgate GW Jn (at the eastern end of the Windsor Line platforms with the WLL and the London, Chatham and Dover Railway)
• Latchmere Jns (where the three curves join the WLL)
• West London Jn (the junction where Eurostar empty stock leaves the Windsor Lines at to get onto the WLL)
• Pouparts Jn (where the low level and high level approaches to Victoria split)

History

Prior to the railway age, the area was rural and specialised in the growing of lavender used in the production of perfume; the hill to the east of the station is called Lavender Hill. The coach road from London to Guildford passed slightly to the south of the location of the station, passing a public house called The Foulcan at a crossroads in the valley between St. John's and Lavender Hill. Species About 25-30, including: Lavandula angustifolia Lavandula canariensis Lavandula dentata Lavandula lanata Lavandula latifolia Lavandula multifida Lavandula pinnata Lavandula stoechas Lavandula viridis The lavenders Lavandula are a genus of about 25-30 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, native from the Mediterranean region south to tropical... Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, objects, and living spaces a lasting and pleasant smell. ... // Original meaning and etymology The original meaning of the term coach was: a horse-drawn vehicle designed for the conveyance of more than one passenger — and of mail — and covered for protection from the elements. ... Guildford is the county town of Surrey, England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region. ... An amusingly named pub: the Old New Inn at Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds (southwest Midlands of England) A pub in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh, Scotland A public house, usually known as a pub, is a drinking establishment found mainly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia... A crossroads (the word rarely appears in singular) is another word for road junction, where two or more roads meet (there are three or more arms). ... Fljótsdalur in East-Iceland A valley is a landform, which can range from a few square miles (square kilometers) to hundreds or even thousands of square miles (square kilometers) in area. ...

The 19th century saw the rapid development of the railway system in the UK. The first railway to be driven through the area was the London and Southampton Railway, opened in 1838. That railway terminated at Nine Elms, near Vauxhall, about 2 km (1 mile) to the north west of the Clapham Junction site, and made no provision for a station at the site of the (by now renamed) Falcon pub. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nine Elms is a district of London, situated in the far north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Wandsworth between Battersea and Vauxhall. ... Vauxhall is an inner city area of south London in the London Borough of Lambeth. ...

A second railway line, running from Nine Elms to Richmond, opened in 1846, a third serving Vauxhall in 1848, and a fourth in 1860. Railways running through the area now served the centre of London, at Victoria and Waterloo; the affluent west of London - places like West Brompton and Earls Court; Watford Junction and connections north; Croydon, Crystal Palace and other parts of South London; Guildford, Richmond and places west; Southampton and places south-west; and Brighton and places south. This being the case, the London and South Western Railway determined to build an interchange station, choosing the Falcon crossroads and the point at which the Richmond & west line separated from the main Brighton and south line. Victoria Station concourse Victoria station is a London Underground and railway station in London, in the City of Westminster. ... A 1948 poster showing the main concourse. ... West Brompton is both a mainline railway on the West London Line (WLL) which connects Willesden Junction and Clapham Junction stns. ... Earls Court is a place in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. ... Watford Junction station is a train station in Watford, United Kingdom. ... Croydon is a major suburban town and commercial centre situated 9. ... Crystal Palace or Upper Norwood is an area in south London, England within the postcode London SE19, named after the Crystal Palace, relocated to Upper Norwood in 1854. ... Guildford is the county town of Surrey, England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region. ... Richmond is a suburb in southwest London, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. ... The London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) was a railway company in England from 1840 to 1923. ... Brighton on the southern Sussex coast is one of the largest and most famous seaside resorts in England. ...

The station was opened in 1863 as a joint venture of the London & South Western Railway, whose trains served the northern platforms, and the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway whose trains served the southern platforms. Additional station buildings were erected in 1874 and 1876. The LB&SCRs coat of arms, displayed above the entrance to Gipsy Hill railway station. ...

At the time of the construction of the station, Battersea was mostly associated with industry and poor working people. Clapham, a mile to the east of the site, was a longer-established and entirely more fashionable village and so the railway companies - which sought to attract a middle and upper class clientele - decided to adopt the grander of the two names. For the village in Bedfordshire, see Clapham, Bedfordshire. ...

The station precipitated the development of the area around it, with the population rising from 6,000 people in 1840 to 168,000 by 1910. In 1885 Arding and Hobbs Department Store was built, and after a 1909 fire rebuilt to include the landmark cupola. A recent refurbishment has rebranded the store with the parent company Allders name, but some of the original Arding and Hobbs signs have been retained. The cupola is now illuminated at night in a rather fetching shade of blue. The management company of Allders went into liquidation at the start of 2005 and Arding and Hobbs is now part of the Debenhams chain. Cupola of St Peters Basilica, Rome In architecture, a cupola consists of a dome-shaped ornamental structure located on top of a larger roof or dome, often used as a lookout or to admit light and remove stale air. ... Allders flagship store in Croydon, the third largest department store in Britain Allders was a chain of department stores in the United Kingdom with its head office in Croydon. ... Allders flagship store in Croydon, the third largest department store in Britain Allders was a chain of department stores in the United Kingdom with its head office in Croydon. ... Debenhams Ltd is a chain of department stores based in the United Kingdom. ...

Clapham rail disaster

Main article: Clapham Junction rail crash

In more recent times, Clapham Junction - or a point just slightly south-west of the station - was the scene of an horrific railway accident involving two collisions between three commuter trains on the morning of the 12 December 1988. Thirty-five people died and more than 100 were injured. Cover of the Hidden Inquiry report into the Clapham Junction rail accident Clapham Junction in southwest London – or a point a half-mile (800 m) to the southwest of the station – was the scene of a serious railway accident involving two collisions between three commuter trains at 08:10 on... A Connex commuter train stands by the platform in Melbourne, Australia Regional rail systems, or commuter rail systems, usually provide a rail service through a central business district area into suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. ... December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Grid reference TQ272755
• Train times from National Rail
• Map and aerial photo of Clapham Junction from Multimap.com
• Other map and aerial photo sources
• Unofficial Clapham Junction Platform Guide
• Short History of Clapham Junction prepared by Wandsworth Council, and from which much of the information in the history section of this entry is sourced. Caution: PDF
• BBC News report on the 1988 train collisions

  The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... National Rail uses the BR double-arrow logo National Rail is a brand name of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC). ... Multimap. ... The London Borough of Wandsworth is a London borough in southwest London. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... National Rail uses the BR double-arrow logo National Rail is a brand name of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC). ...     Categories: Victoria Line stations | London Underground stubs | London railway stations | British railway stations ... South West Trains (SWT) is a Train Operating Company operating in the United Kingdom, providing train services to the south-west of London, chiefly in Greater London and the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon and Wiltshire (the area largely covered before 1923 by the London and South Western Railway... Earlsfield railway station is in the London Borough of Wandsworth in south London. ... Queenstown Road is a railway station in Battersea, South London, between Vauxhall and Clapham Junction. ... Wandsworth Town railway station is in the London Borough of Wandsworth, in south London, in Travelcard Zone 2. ...     Categories: UK geography stubs | London railway stations | British railway stations ... Southern is the latest name of the train operating company that took over from Connex South Central on the routes to South London, Surrey, and Sussex from Victoria and London Bridge. ... Wandsworth Common railway station is in the London Borough of Wandsworth in south London. ... West Brompton is both a mainline railway on the West London Line (WLL) which connects Willesden Junction and Clapham Junction stns. ... Southern is the latest name of the train operating company that took over from Connex South Central on the routes to South London, Surrey, and Sussex from Victoria and London Bridge. ... Imperial Wharf is a railway station, as of 2005 under construction in Chelsea, London, on the Silverlink operated West London Line from Clapham Junction to Willesden Junction. ... Silverlink is a regional franchise in the British railway system, with routes in north London and from London to Northampton. ...