Bricklayers Arms

Bricklayers' Arms roundabout and flyover

The entrance to the modern distribution centre in Mandela Way stands on the site of the old locomotive shed

A 1914 Railway Clearing House map of lines around the approaches to London Bridge, including the Bricklayer's Arms and Willow Walk goods yards and associated approach lines.

Bricklayers' Arms is a busy road intersection between A2 and the London Inner Ring Road in south London, England.

It is located at grid reference TQ329790 and the junction of:

• Tower Bridge Road
• Old Kent Road
• New Kent Road
• Great Dover Street

Old Kent Road and New Kent Road are connected by a flyover.

Former railway station and steam locomotive depot

From 1844 to 1852 it was the location of a railway station operated by the South Eastern and London and Croydon railways. It closed for passenger traffic in 1852, with the exception of its use on March 3, 1863, for a special train carrying Queen Alexandra. It was used for special passenger excursion trains in 1930s

The station was never commercially viable as a passenger terminus due to its location on the Old Kent Road and distance from the centre of London. However once it had closed the large site proved excellent for the development of a steam locomotive depot and goods sidings. The Bricklayers Arms' complex operated for over a century, supplying locomotives and crews for goods and suburban passenger services, as well as the more prestigious express trains from London to the South Coast.

The other important role was to provide refuelling facilities for visiting trains that had worked services into London. Once uncoupled from their coaches, locomotives from Charing Cross, Cannon Street and London Bridge stations usually ran tender-first down to Bricklayers Arms' shed to be turned round on the large turntable, rewatered and recoaled. Once this was completed they again ran tender-first back to the terminus to rejoin their train for the return journey out of London. Access to and from Bricklayers Arms' complex on the South Eastern side was via a branch line down a long slope which dropped below the viaducts to either side of it.

When British Rail converted from steam to diesel traction in the 1960s the shed became surplus to requirements and closed down, but the goods sidings continued in use up until 1981, when the whole complex was sold to developers.

The wheeldrop from the locomotive depot was rescued and has been installed at Ropley Shed on the Watercress Line, in Hampshire.

The area occupied by the goods sidings is now covered in houses, whilst the site of the old shed has become an industrial estate, crossed by Mandela Way.

Publications

• Jackman, Michael (1976). Thirty years at Bricklayers' Arms. David and Charles. {{cite book}}: External link in |publisher= (help)

External links

• trainweb.org — Maps & pictures of Bricklayers' Arms locomotive depot today
• kentrail.co.uk — Concise history of Bricklayers' Arms depot