Notes: In September 1840 the Northern and Eastern Railway opened
a line from Stratford to Broxbourne with an intermediate station
at Edmonton. This station was, in fact over a mile and a half
from Edmonton and was eventually to be called Angel Road from
1.1.1864. In 1849 the Eastern Counties Railway (who has by this
date leased the Northern & Eastern) opened a branch from
Edmonton (Angel Road) to Enfield with one intermediate station
at Edmonton with through trains running from their London terminus
at Shoreditch (later Bishopsgate). With the opening of the new
Edmonton Station, the original Edmonton Station was renamed
Water Lane. The branch was single track throughout with a single
platform at Edmonton.
The new line took a circuitous route in to London via Stratford
and did not prove popular with commuters so in 1874 the Great
Eastern opened a new direct double track line from Liverpool
Street to Enfield, joining the earlier line just north of Lower
Edmonton Station with a new high level station opening at Edmonton
(named Edmonton Green) on 22.7.1872. With the opening of the
new station the Enfield service via Angel Road was cut back
to Edmonton the earlier station on the branch was renamed Edmonton
Low Level. On 1.7.1883 it was renamed to Lower Edmonton Low
Level (and the high level station became Lower Edmonton).
The branch from Angel Road retained regular goods traffic but
little passenger traffic with the exception of workmen's trains
which initially proved popular due to low fares. In fact a second
platform was on the opposite side of the level crossing was
added in about 1900. Through the early 20th century this popularity
declined and by 1929 there was only one morning train, non stop
to Liverpool Street and an evening return service from Stratford
Low Level. The morning train was withdrawn in 1931 and final
closure came on 11.9.1939
Freight traffic continued to use the line which was also retained
as a diversionary route. On 28.4.1957 Lower Edmonton Low Level
was briefly reopened at weekends during engineering works on
the Liverpool Street - Enfield line. The station was cleaned
up and 'totem' signs from the high level station were fixed
to lamp posts.
One of the last passenger train to use this station was a school excursion to and from Windsor Castle in the summer of 1959 hauled by a B1 class locomotive. Freight traffic continued until the end of 1964 and the track
was lifted during 1965.
Sources: Railway Magazine November 1959 & London Railway
Record No. 8 July 1996
Other web sites: N9
Lower Edmonton web site
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