Can you help identify this 1930's railway station?

[richardbajor]

I thought this looked like a good place to go for help so thanking anyone in advance who is able to help.

I have a photo of my local football team (Kingstonian) that dates back to the 1930s at a, presumably, London terminus. I don't have any further details about the season/occasion so I was hoping to narrow it down.

The link is here:

http://www.bubbyworld.com/1930s-TrainStation.jpg

Question one is which station it is. I'm sincerely hoping it isn't Waterloo as that would be where they would go if travelling to or from Kingston

Question two- they were in a local league so did not have many trips out and I was wondering whether any of the following destinations would fit with whatever station this picture was taken at:

Jersey/Channel Islands
Portland
Bishop Auckland
Luton
Darlington
Bristol
Wycombe

Question three (unlikely to be answerable) whether anyone can narrow down the picture to a year although I doubt there is anything in the photo of the background that would have been unique to a particular year or even era.

 

[yorksrob]

The big arched roof in the background, together with the brickwork and windows on the right suggest to me the Chatham side of Victoria. Made difficult because the platform awnings are now BR 1960's era types.

Alas, none of the destinations mentioned by yourself would fit with this unless, perhaps, they went on an international tour ?

 

[NSEFAN]

My first thought is "London Victoria", as it looks to me possibly like the area around platforms 1 and 2. The carriages also look a bit like Southern Railway stock, but I cannot be sure.

 

[fsmr]

Nice picture though wherever it was

 

[richardbajor]

Many thanks for such quick replies. Based on what you both have said are there any obvious destinations those platforms would have been going to?

It's been helpful just knowing the station so thank you but I'm scratching my head as to a destination because I guess most trains from Victoria they would have headed via Clapham Junction if coming from Kingston.

I'm sure it is a big occasion as they have some families and also no sign of their kit bags and I'm not sure you would have time for a group photo if it was a local destination!

 

[yorksrob]

Many thanks for such quick replies. Based on what you both have said are there any obvious destinations those platforms would have been going to?

It's been helpful just knowing the station so thank you but I'm scratching my head as to a destination because I guess most trains from Victoria they would have headed via Clapham Junction if coming from Kingston.

I'm sure it is a big occasion as they have some families and also no sign of their kit bags and I'm not sure you would have time for a group photo if it was a local destination!

Only central division trains towards Brighton would have gone via Clapham Junction. Trains from the platforms shown (if they be Victoria) would have gone to North Kent, i.e. Bromley, Chatham, Faversham, Ramsgate, Margate, Canterbury, Dover, Maidstone and Ashford. Also, boat trains to the continent went from those platforms, hence my comment about an international tour.

 

[richardbajor]

I've really appreciated the replies.

I don't want to waste too much of people's time as it seems unlikely I can narrow it down to a specific game /season given they would have played at some of those Kent destinations (but at least I can identify them as being at Victoria station!) but I have one possible destination based on what Yorksrob said of Tunbridge Wells- is this a possible based on the terminus criteria? I think this was their first ever appearance in the First Round proper of the FA Cup so would count as a special occasion/trip out worthy of a photo.

I also noticed someone edited their definitely not Jersey comment so maybe had second thoughts? The only "international" trips in the period I have narrowed it down to were several Jersey/Guernsey tours and it would definitely have been by boat and rail.

 

[EM2]

My first thought is "London Victoria", as it looks to me possibly like the area around platforms 1 and 2. The carriages also look a bit like Southern Railway stock, but I cannot be sure.

I'd lay money that this is right.
Compare with this current shot, taken from NRE:

Note the top of the arches, especially the 'keystone', and the decorative element either side of, and between, the arches of the two M&S units can be seen on the right-hand side of the 1930s photo.
It's an unlikely route to Tunbridge Wells though, from Kingston they'd be more likely to go into Waterloo and cross to Waterloo East.

 

[yorksrob]

I've really appreciated the replies.

I don't want to waste too much of people's time as it seems unlikely I can narrow it down to a specific game /season given they would have played at some of those Kent destinations (but at least I can identify them as being at Victoria station!) but I have one possible destination based on what Yorksrob said of Tunbridge Wells- is this a possible based on the terminus criteria? I think this was their first ever appearance in the First Round proper of the FA Cup so would count as a special occasion/trip out worthy of a photo.

I also noticed someone edited their definitely not Jersey comment so maybe had second thoughts? The only "international" trips in the period I have narrowed it down to were several Jersey/Guernsey tours and it would definitely have been by boat and rail.

To give you some background, Victoria is actually two stations side by side originally built and run by two companies, the central section to Brighton, run by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. The platforms shown in the photo were (I think) part of the other station, operated at the time by the South Eastern and Chatham Railway, which served Kent.

Tunbridge Wells West would have been a destination from Victoria, but trains would have been from the Brighton side via Clapham Junction and Oxted, not the part shown in the picture.

South Eastern and Chatham services to Tunbridge Wells Central tended to go from Charing Cross and Cannon Street.

Hope this explains things adequately, but it still leaves a bit of a mystery for you unfortunately !

 

[Abpj17]

The low roof makes me think more of terminii outside London or e.g. Hammersmith tube

 

[Peter Mugridge]

That is Victoria platform 3 / 4; it was still almost exactly like that in the 1980s.

 

[steamybrian]

My guess is Victoria platforms 1 and 2

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Sorry, yes - 2 and 3; I was forgetting there's only one short one at the side ( number 1 ).

 

[Bevan Price]

From the style of the ladies' hats other clothing, it looks somewhere between the late 1920s and the mid/late 1930s. Most of the men look a bit old to be "active" footballers, so maybe it is a group of former footballers / supporters & relatives on an outing.

http://www.kingstonian.com/a/about-27996.html

shows them winning in FA Amateur Cup in 1933.

According to Wikipedia, the final took place at Champion Hill, East Dulwich (the ground of Dulwich Hamlet), but was a draw, and they won the replay at Feethams (Darlington).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_FA_Amateur_Cup_finals

 

[theageofthetra]

Firstly-What a wonderful photo!. Secondly as a Fisher FC supporter I share your pain on what has happened to your club with its rich & long history. To add to what others have said this is definitely on the east side of London Victoria and the clothes looks early 30's judging by family photos I have of around that time. As none of them have scarves or other football paraphernalia on them its not inconceivable that this could be a supporters club annual outing as trains from those platforms would have gone to the Kent coast (perhaps the train to their left?)

 

[richardbajor]

Firstly-What a wonderful photo!. Secondly as a Fisher FC supporter I share your pain on what has happened to your club with its rich & long history. To add to what others have said this is definitely on the east side of London Victoria and the clothes looks early 30's judging by family photos I have of around that time. As none of them have scarves or other football paraphernalia on them its not inconceivable that this could be a supporters club annual outing as trains from those platforms would have gone to the Kent coast (perhaps the train to their left?)

It's definitely the team as I can identify one player (a famous one for our team) but of course doesn't mean it wasn't an outing to the seaside. At Amateur level in those days players tended to go on longer often retiring close to 40 and I think there are enough younger ones to make up a team with several officials as well. You are right about the rough dates. The unfortunate thing about this era is that there were very few photos of players at that level- if I knew the players names I could almost certainly narrow it down to one or two games and wouldn't need to be asking on here But searching through pictures to match players names and with the Victoria information (and the line narrowing it down further) I may get closer. So many thanks to everyone who has helped.

PS- loved the Fisher song- one of the all time naff football classics and I think it even got played on John Peel

 

[Busaholic]

If they were going to Tunbridge Wells Central. a quick platform change at Orpington would have got them there. The Orpington service often used to use Platforms 1 and 2 , more so than now.

Perhaps I should mention my personal memories of Victoria only date back to the mid 1950s.