Blake Hall
A rather grainy image of Blake Hall station, looking towards Epping, on the last day of services here but not on the line, Saturday, 31st October 1981, the official closure date being two days later. The line stayed open until 30th September 1994. Opened by the Great Eastern Railway on 24th April 1865 with the extension of the Loughton branch to Ongar. Even though London Underground Central Line trains had reached Epping over ex-GER (later LNER) tracks in 1949, a steam shuttle continued to run between Epping and Ongar until 1957. For 37 years, the tube trains on this very rural stretch of line always looked decidedly out of place as they bounced incongruously through Epping Forest and the fields of the Essex countryside. Much of the line is now the heritage Epping Ongar Railway although Blake Hall station, literally in the middle of nowhere and at one time the most remote and least-used on the London Underground network, has not been reopened. The building is now a private residence.
Location: Blake Hall (former)
Original line: Ongar Extension (Great Eastern Railway)
Photographer: David Bosher
Contact photographer: David Bosher
Photosets: My most popular photos, 1972-2022, 400 views or more Epping Ongar Railway 1981-2021
Date: 31/10/1981
Image number: 72927
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