Bow railway station

Bow was a railway station in Bow, east London, that was opened in 1850 by the East & West India Docks and Birmingham Junction Railway, which was later renamed the North London Railway (NLR). The station was situated between Old Ford and South Bromley, and was located on the north side of Bow Road, close to the second Bow Road station which was open from 1892 to 1949. A covered footway connected the two stations between 1892 and 1917.

Bow
Remains of the entrance in 1961
Location	Bow
Grid reference	TQ372830
Owner	East & West India Docks and Birmingham Junction Railway
Number of platforms	4
Key dates
1850	Opened
1944	Closed
Other information
London transport portal

The original Bow station was replaced by a much grander station in 1870, designed by Edwin Henry Horne, which incorporated a concert hall that was 100 feet (30 m) long and 40 feet (12 m) wide. Bow was served not only by the NLR but also by Great Eastern Railway (GER) trains to Fenchurch Street and a shuttle service to Plaistow.

The NLR line was severely damaged in the Blitz of World War II and the line east of Dalston Junction was closed in 1944 and never re-opened to passengers. The station buildings remained in use as a parcel office until it was closed in 1965. After being left derelict, Bow station was ultimately demolished during the construction of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) which reused the old NLR line. Today, the station site is occupied by a car hire firm, and directly opposite lies Bow Church DLR station.

References

• Disused Stations site record
• Bow Junction and Bow Station layout

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Burdett Road towards Fenchurch Street		London, Tilbury and Southend Railway		Old Ford towards Dalston
South Bromley towards Poplar		North London Railway (Poplar branch)
Bromley towards Plaistow		London, Tilbury and Southend Railway