Two hefty symbols of Blackfriars’ past have been removed for careful restoration as part of the station’s redevelopment for the Thameslink Programme.
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway Grade II-listed crests were, until recently, still standing as lonely gatekeepers to the very first Blackfriars railway bridge across the River Thames, even though it had long since been demolished.
Now, each of the two 16-tonne cartouches, last restored in around 1990, has been carefully removed by crane, in 10 sections apiece for professional cleaning, repairs and repainting.
They will be installed back-to-back above the western side of the new south entrance to Blackfriars station where they can be clearly seen.
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway bridge was opened in 1864 and designed by Joseph Cubitt.
Use of the bridge declined when the Southern Railway was formed, in 1924, with inter-city and continental services concentrated on Waterloo and St Paul’s Station, which it serviced, became a suburban stop.
The bridge deck was removed in 1985 because it was too weak to support modern trains.
The Thameslink Programme is making use of one row of the remaining columns to support the widened new bridge and station platforms above.
