London Necropolis Railway Lion -- London, Lambeth, UK
N 51° 29.960 W 000° 06.811
30U E 700342 N 5709305
A stone lion greets first-class mourners at the depot for the now-defunct London Necropolis Railway
Waymark Code: WMRWCP
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/12/2016
Views: 3
This gorgeous building has a gruesome past. From 1900-1941 it served as the first-class depot for the London Necropolis Railway.
The waymarked lion roared down at mourners as they filed into the station to await the train that would transport them and their departed family member to Brookwoood Cemetery.
The LNR was chartered in 1854 to take mourners and deceased to Brookwood Cemetery, a large necropolis established outside the City after the cholera epidemic of 1848 showed the city's existing cemeteries to be havens of disease. The LNR originally operated out of the sub-basement of nearby Waterloo Station, but had to move when that area was needed to expand service for living passengers of the Great Southwestern Railway.
The Westminister Bridge station opened in 1900 as the new home of the LNR, and served until 1941, when the 2nd and 3rd class depot areas were bombed by the Germans during the Blitz.
In 2016 the building has been renovated into pricy apartments in the wealthy Lambeth borough of London.
Physical Address:
121 Westminster Bridge Rd
London, UK
SE1 7HR
Web Site: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Take a photo of the lion.