Turkey Street railway station
Encyclopedia
Turkey Street railway station is located in the Bullsmoor area of Enfield in the London Borough of Enfield
, North London
.
The station is in Travelcard Zone 6
and is served by Lea Valley Lines
services. The station is operated by National Express East Anglia as are all trains serving it.
station, to Cheshunt was opened by the Great Eastern Railway
on October 1, 1891. It was known as the Churchbury Loop.
The district served by the line was still predominantly rural, and the coming of the tram
to Waltham Cross
in 1904 saw the railway unable to compete. Passenger services ceased on October 1, 1909, but were reinstated for the benefit of munitions workers between March 1, 1915 and July 1, 1919.
After that the line was only served by freight trains until the line was electrified as part of a wider scheme, and Turkey Street station reopened to passengers on November 21, 1960. The line is now known as the Southbury Loop.
The station was opened as Forty Hill railway station, and did not gain its current name until 1960. The goods depot at the station closed in 1966.
The current station building was built in the late 1980s. The previous and original station building had a prominent tall chimney stack for the station masters coal fire which brought the top of the chimney above platform level. The station itself is constructed on an incline and the ticket office area of the track is raised on an embankment so the chimney was very prominent. The interior of the original station consisted of a large ticket hall with the station master's office and serving hatch on the left hand side (From the entrance). A tunnel in front of you led to the stairs to the Cheshunt bound platform. This tunnel was used in the rebuild. To the right were the stairs to the Liverpool Street platform. The apertures that housed the stairs were also reused in the rebuild but the concrete steps were replaced with steel ones. The roof of the original station was triangular with a large chimney stack on top. When originally built the station was on the other side of the railway bridge and a wide footbridge over the Turkey Brook
led directly to the Cheshunt
bound platform. This entrance was disused from the early 1970s onwards and the former station building was converted to a newsagent
and general store
, the footbridge was used for storage for the shop and the entrance to the actual station area had a large iron gate but was bricked up when the station was rebuilt.
The platforms were of standard length and had large open fronted waiting areas of concrete walls and felt covered wooden roof with a long single bench along the rear wall. These were demolished when the station was rebuilt.
In the 1980s the station was served by British Rail Class 305
EMUs
going to and from London Liverpool Street and Cheshunt. Around the same time as the rebuild the 305s were slowly replaced by British Rail Class 315
. The Cheshunt service was extended to Hertford East in the late 1980s utilising the existing main line from Cheshunt to Broxbourne
and the existing branch to Hertford East.
The trains are often used by St Ignatius' College
and Lea Valley High School
(prev The Bullsmoor School) pupils and is popular with commuters due to the amount of local parking.
, and two trains per hour to London Liverpool Street
.
London Borough of Enfield
The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough and forms part of Outer London. It borders the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest...
, North London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The station is in Travelcard Zone 6
Travelcard Zone 6
Fare zone 6 is an outer zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services. The zone was created in January 1991; from May 1983 it had...
and is served by Lea Valley Lines
Lea Valley Lines
The Lea Valley Lines are three commuter lines and two branches in North East London, so named because they run along the valley of the River Lea...
services. The station is operated by National Express East Anglia as are all trains serving it.
History
The railway line from Bury Street Junction, north of the current Edmonton GreenEdmonton Green railway station
Edmonton Green railway station is a station in the London Borough of Enfield in north east London on the White Hart Lane branch of the Lea Valley Lines. The station and all trains serving it are operated by National Express East Anglia...
station, to Cheshunt was opened by the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
on October 1, 1891. It was known as the Churchbury Loop.
The district served by the line was still predominantly rural, and the coming of the tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
to Waltham Cross
Waltham Cross
Waltham Cross is the most southeasterly town in Hertfordshire, England. It is 12 miles from the City of London and immediately north of the M25 motorway, forming part of the Greater London Urban Area and London commuter belt. Part of Waltham Cross is located within Greater London.-Geography:It is...
in 1904 saw the railway unable to compete. Passenger services ceased on October 1, 1909, but were reinstated for the benefit of munitions workers between March 1, 1915 and July 1, 1919.
After that the line was only served by freight trains until the line was electrified as part of a wider scheme, and Turkey Street station reopened to passengers on November 21, 1960. The line is now known as the Southbury Loop.
The station was opened as Forty Hill railway station, and did not gain its current name until 1960. The goods depot at the station closed in 1966.
The current station building was built in the late 1980s. The previous and original station building had a prominent tall chimney stack for the station masters coal fire which brought the top of the chimney above platform level. The station itself is constructed on an incline and the ticket office area of the track is raised on an embankment so the chimney was very prominent. The interior of the original station consisted of a large ticket hall with the station master's office and serving hatch on the left hand side (From the entrance). A tunnel in front of you led to the stairs to the Cheshunt bound platform. This tunnel was used in the rebuild. To the right were the stairs to the Liverpool Street platform. The apertures that housed the stairs were also reused in the rebuild but the concrete steps were replaced with steel ones. The roof of the original station was triangular with a large chimney stack on top. When originally built the station was on the other side of the railway bridge and a wide footbridge over the Turkey Brook
Turkey Brook
Turkey Brook rises near the Fir and Pond Woods Local Nature Reserve near Potters Bar, Hertfordshire.- Etymology :The brook named from the street which is recorded as Tokestreete 1441, Tuckhey strete 1610, Tuckey street 1615, Turkey street 1805, probably 'street of houses associated with a family...
led directly to the Cheshunt
Cheshunt
Cheshunt is a town in Hertfordshire, England with a population of around 52,000 according to the United Kingdom's 2001 Census. It is a dormitory town and part of the Greater London Urban Area and London commuter belt served by Cheshunt railway station...
bound platform. This entrance was disused from the early 1970s onwards and the former station building was converted to a newsagent
Newsagent
A newsagent's shop , newsagency or newsstand is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local interest. In Britain and Australia, these businesses are termed newsagents...
and general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
, the footbridge was used for storage for the shop and the entrance to the actual station area had a large iron gate but was bricked up when the station was rebuilt.
The platforms were of standard length and had large open fronted waiting areas of concrete walls and felt covered wooden roof with a long single bench along the rear wall. These were demolished when the station was rebuilt.
In the 1980s the station was served by British Rail Class 305
British Rail Class 305
The British Rail Class 305 was an alternating current electric multiple unit . Under the pre-1973 British Rail numbering system, the class was known as AM5...
EMUs
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
going to and from London Liverpool Street and Cheshunt. Around the same time as the rebuild the 305s were slowly replaced by British Rail Class 315
British Rail Class 315
British Rail Class 315 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL at York works from 1980 to 1981. They were the fifth and final variety of British Rail's then-standard 1972 design for suburban EMUs, which eventually encompassed 755 vehicles and five Classes...
. The Cheshunt service was extended to Hertford East in the late 1980s utilising the existing main line from Cheshunt to Broxbourne
Broxbourne
Broxbourne is a commuter town in the Broxbourne borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England with a population of 13,298 in 2001.It is located 17.1 miles north north-east of Charing Cross in London and about a mile north of Wormley and south of Hoddesdon...
and the existing branch to Hertford East.
The trains are often used by St Ignatius' College
St Ignatius' College
St Ignatius' College is a Catholic secondary school for boys, aged 11–18, located in Enfield, Middlesex. Formerly a grammar school, only accepting boys who had passed their Eleven plus exam, its educational philosophy was originally based upon the Jesuit precept of Ignatius of Loyola:Its current...
and Lea Valley High School
Lea Valley High School
Lea Valley High School is a comprehensive mixed state secondary school in the London Borough of Enfield in North London. It became the first specialist sports college in Enfield in September 2002. In its bid for redesignation, it chose football as an additional subject. The current principal is...
(prev The Bullsmoor School) pupils and is popular with commuters due to the amount of local parking.
Service
The typical off-peak service from the station is two trains per hour to CheshuntCheshunt railway station
Cheshunt railway station serves the town of Cheshunt in Hertfordshire, England. It is on the West Anglia Main Line and the Lea Valley Lines, and train services are provided by National Express East Anglia....
, and two trains per hour to London Liverpool Street
Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England...
.