Blackfriars: A Complicated Station

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  • Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
  • Four stations, three railways and two sides of the river. There’s a lot of history to Blackfriars.
    For more on Forbes and Watkin: • The Circle Line Slapfight
    ko-fi.com/jago...
    / jagohazzard

Комментарии • 564

  • @turbo.panther
    @turbo.panther 4 года назад +462

    'some joker had left a bunch of piers in the river.....' this sort of thing is why I love your vids

  • @RJSRdg
    @RJSRdg 4 года назад +391

    "The City of London had reservations about the bridge, holding things up further"
    Isn't that what bridges are supposed to do?

  • @kekstein
    @kekstein 4 года назад +437

    I don't live in London, don't even have vague plans to go there in the foreseeable future, but your videos have me hooked

    • @GeekyMedia
      @GeekyMedia 4 года назад +17

      Honestly, its sucha incredible City. My favourite in the world

    • @BassBanj0
      @BassBanj0 4 года назад +11

      It's a great city, I've been multiple times and I've still got much too learn, it's got alot of interesting facts and areas you don't usually know about

    • @wadeguidry6675
      @wadeguidry6675 4 года назад +10

      Me too. This guys videos make London very interesting. Maybe I'll go there someday.

    • @WannabeMarsanach
      @WannabeMarsanach 4 года назад +3

      Nice pfp

    • @mugofbrown6234
      @mugofbrown6234 4 года назад +11

      I escaped London many years ago and will never go back (not enough tractors or cows) and yet these little films are still fascinating.

  • @deilide
    @deilide 4 года назад +51

    I live in the Southwest United States, have never been to the UK, and have only been on a subway or "tube" once, about a dozen years ago. And yet, here I am, binge watching all of your fantastic videos! I don't know why, and I try not to question it. Keep up the great work!

    • @SubPablum
      @SubPablum 4 года назад +4

      I can't even make sense of most of it yet I keep right on watching.

    • @sianiswack633
      @sianiswack633 2 года назад +1

      please go on the Tube again

    • @MattMcIrvin
      @MattMcIrvin 2 года назад +1

      For me, riding the Tube is a major reason to visit London. Last time I also went out of my way to take a short ride on the Elizabeth Line (and stumbled across this station in my subsequent explorations on the surface).

    • @295g295
      @295g295 2 года назад

      Anthony - Where did you ride a subway train?

    • @chuckbeggles8858
      @chuckbeggles8858 9 часов назад

      Those that find themselves watching this channel for no explanatory reason are probably sick of sitting in traffic.

  • @AnthonyHandcock
    @AnthonyHandcock 4 года назад +148

    I love the way the "destinations served" bit of the old station has Sheerness next to Vienna. I often get those two places confused.

    • @Pieman6930
      @Pieman6930 4 года назад +23

      You laugh but don't you just hate it when you're trying to get to Frankfort but accidentally end up in Maidstone

    • @lewis72
      @lewis72 4 года назад +24

      I have been to Vienna Hauptbahnhof on numerous occasions and also paid Vienna Westbahnhof a visit out of interest.
      At no point did I see any service to Blackfriars listed.
      Must have been served from Meidling.

    • @frauleinbird
      @frauleinbird 4 года назад +6

      @@lewis72 probably served from Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof. If it's good enough for the Czech Republic, it must be good enough for Blackfriars.

    • @AnthonyHandcock
      @AnthonyHandcock 4 года назад +15

      @@Pieman6930 It happens to me all the time. That junction between Bundesautobahn 3 and Boxley Road is very badly signposted.

    • @lewis72
      @lewis72 4 года назад +7

      Disappointed that Kraftwerk's Trans Europa Express didn't mention Blackfriars either.

  • @WifeMamaArtist
    @WifeMamaArtist 4 года назад +34

    The view from the Thameslink platform is a hidden gem. It’s protected from the weather, you can see Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, and various city landmark buildings. I also remember seeing an amazing fly past one VJ Day!

  • @greenswizzle4025
    @greenswizzle4025 4 года назад +58

    Excellent use of "footled" and "transpontine." One of the many reasons why I love your channel is your tongue-in-cheek narration. Also, as someone who has visited London only once (and liked it immensely), I like experiencing the city through your eyes. Thanks and keep up the great work!

    • @Joiner113
      @Joiner113 4 года назад +5

      If you liked London, you haven't been there enough.

  • @hamjazz
    @hamjazz 4 года назад +8

    When I used to commute from Kent in the early 1950's, one or two electric trains would sometimes take the origional bridge (now demolished) and then go via the Ludgate hill platform (with the round window in the building-end) to Holborn Viaduct.

  • @OptimumPx
    @OptimumPx 4 года назад +61

    I love history and I love humor. Your channel is a fantastic mix of the two!

    • @aligardner10
      @aligardner10 4 года назад

      😂

    • @hoopster68
      @hoopster68 4 года назад

      Take a Dickens of a stroll with Pat London ruclips.net/video/WDByXixazK0/видео.html

  • @PlainlyDifficult
    @PlainlyDifficult 4 года назад +174

    Channels blowing up man!! I always liked walking down past the Palestrina and southwark station when I used to work at London Road at the Elephant!

    • @JagoHazzard
      @JagoHazzard  4 года назад +28

      Thanks! Yeah, things are getting a bit crazy, it’s not so long ago that it was a good day when I got two subscribers. I’m planning a couple more videos in that area - there’s a lot of history.

    • @PlainlyDifficult
      @PlainlyDifficult 4 года назад +7

      @@JagoHazzard A good one around there albeit a little further on the down south of London Bridge is Spar road junction, might be up your alley!

    • @deadmansfire
      @deadmansfire 4 года назад +4

      @@PlainlyDifficult Do you think you could collab on something in the future?

    • @jasonclarke3374
      @jasonclarke3374 4 года назад

      @@JagoHazzard à

    • @christycullen2355
      @christycullen2355 4 года назад

      @@PlainlyDifficult you 2 need to collaborate. Two of my favourite RUclips Channels

  • @middleman3165
    @middleman3165 4 года назад +6

    The pub on the right heading out towards New Bridge Street north of the river is genuinely one of the most architecturally fascinating pubs in the entire country. Worth a visit

  • @geoffreycoan
    @geoffreycoan 4 года назад +11

    I regularly used Blackfriars to commute to my office on southbank, well not any more due to Covid. It’s a great station with really good views over the river and city.
    One bit you missed was the dubious continuity of Tom Cruise chasing a bad guy through Blackfriars in his Mission Impossible film. The bad guy walks along the platform to cross the river to get to Tate Modern, meanwhile Cruise chases him, runs through an office block seemingly next to Blackfriars, throws a chair through a window and jumps down onto the roof of Blackfriars station. We then see him running across the top of the roof before somehow getting down to ground level and running underneath the railway arch on the south side. Nobody got stopped at the ticket barriers !

    • @mossygreen2790
      @mossygreen2790 4 года назад

      @Geoffrey Coan. Another bit of social history into the big pot, all so interesting.

  • @inlondon500
    @inlondon500 3 года назад +4

    *THIS IS London, history and stories on every corner. Good video!*

  • @bca1945
    @bca1945 4 года назад +4

    The narrative skills are mesmerising.

  • @artactreact2387
    @artactreact2387 4 года назад +1

    my beloved Blackfriars station .. a nice stroll from The Cut to get early trains to Gatwick i mostly used it for. But I was always around Southwark, my area, and the River. I'm noyt in London now and miss it deeply. Cool vid !

  • @andyjay729
    @andyjay729 4 года назад +119

    Sounds a bit like the railroads around New York City. A lot of wealthy folks didn't like the idea of a bunch of railroad bridges across the Hudson (I'm not an expert on the history, but I'd imagine boating companies may also have put on some financial pressure; also, the Hudson at NYC is much wider than the Thames in London), so railroads were forced to enter Manhattan only by way of tunnels. Only one "classic" company based west of the Hudson, the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad, was able to build a tunnel under the river from New Jersey (a smaller rapid transit line, the Port Authority Trans-Hudson, also did so); all the other rail companies based west of the Hudson which claimed to serve NYC such as the Erie, Lackawanna, and Jersey Central were forced to terminate across the river in NJ and run ferries into Manhattan. And even then, until the tunnel was opened in 1910, the "Pennsy" itself required passenger ferry connections. One of the old rail/ferry terminals in Jersey City has been preserved with the old train shed and even destination signs. (The New York Central and New Haven, based respectively in NYC itself and east of the river, ran into Manhattan via land and relatively smaller bridges and tunnels.)
    To this day there's still only one mainline rail approach to Manhattan from the west; the old Pennsylvania RR tunnel. And it's now over 100 years old and in need of replacement, and as of now there's no shovel-ready plan for that.

    • @honestguy7764
      @honestguy7764 4 года назад +5

      andyjay729 I made a new england car tour bback in 2005and everything seemed in disrepair, at least from a continental europe perspective. I assume the infrastructures were very old, but thrashed too... It was a mayor dissapointment for a USA lover.

    • @stephensaines7100
      @stephensaines7100 4 года назад +3

      The Hudson is far more formidable than the Thames, but a bridge was initially planned to enter Manhattan from Jerseyside, but proved to be far too ambitious:
      www.6sqft.com/the-never-built-hudson-river-bridge-would-have-been-twice-the-length-of-the-george-washington-bridge/
      In the event, the now famous tunnels were built.
      More here:
      jerseydigs.com/north-river-bridge-hoboken-history/
      And:
      www.nycroads.com/crossings/hudson-river-bridge/

    • @andyjay729
      @andyjay729 4 года назад +6

      @@honestguy7764 Yes, a lot of the highways in the Northeast are pretty old. I think a lot of the newest ones were built in the '50s; some around NYC date back to the '30s. On top of all that there's the harsh climate, exacerbated by road salt in the winter. And of course no one wants to pay to fix things.

    • @kimberlyoldschool
      @kimberlyoldschool 4 года назад +6

      This gets my vote for most interesting and educational YT comment of the year! I am also just now realizing that this must be why, every time I’ve taken Amtrak into NYC, we’re always booking along until we get to that tunnel, and then everything slows down to a c r a w l.

    • @295g295
      @295g295 2 года назад

      The PATH/Hudson Tubes was built by a company controlled by Pennsylvania Railroad?
      .. Exchange Place, Jersey City was the site of a Pennsy terminal.

  • @vincent7603
    @vincent7603 4 года назад +3

    The thought that you put into your scripts throughout all your videos are always exceeds expectations and have been executed excellently 👌🏻

  • @andybaker2456
    @andybaker2456 4 года назад +2

    Fascinating! I used to use Blackfriars daily when I lived in SW London and worked on the edge of the City (thank you Thameslink!), this was back in the 1990s to early 2000s when the station wasn't fully "transpontine". It was only when I had to use the station again a few years ago following a meeting in the area that I discovered the extent of the dramatic changes from when I used the station daily. It was barely recognisable, but I loved the views of the skyline from its glass walls, and snapped away with my phone's camera like a dry twig.

  • @menshevik1012
    @menshevik1012 4 года назад +5

    These little gems are fascinating and beautifully put together.
    Thank-you Jago🙂

  • @Ryan-on5on
    @Ryan-on5on 2 года назад

    I have long found London's hodgepodge of mainline stations to be charming as well as vexing in their quirky spatial relationship to each other. If one hadn't any advanced knowledge of their precise histories it might seem as if they were haphazardly sited by some capricious Monopoly player no doubt reveling in their idiosyncratic city planning habits. Out of the London termini Blackfriars, a station that seemingly can't make up its mind on whether it desires to be known a mainline terminus or regional through-station, perplexed me the most. Jago, in his unwavering commitment to bring light on those London transport topics most of us had before never given a moment's thought to, once again cures me of my ignorance through this most illuminating of presentations. Bravo, good sir!

  • @crispinleung
    @crispinleung 3 года назад +7

    “Why on earth would you have two connected stations with two different names, that would be ridiculous”
    *Zooms in on Bank and Monument*

  • @gsw8734
    @gsw8734 4 года назад +2

    Blackfriars is cheap and easy to get to from Brighton plus it puts you in a good position to get anywhere on either side of the river. Plus it's simple, clean and easy to use also there is a lovely little pub on the north side just outside the station. Plus it has one of the best views whilst entering London.

  • @DylanWebb101
    @DylanWebb101 4 года назад +7

    I’ve watched like 100 of your videos and there’s still more and all interesting! Well done

  • @michaelgamble296
    @michaelgamble296 4 года назад +1

    Been there just once -- last year. I admired the 'Shard' from its platform. I used to regularly use Aldwych Underground Station in the 50's. What a place! But it was close to Kings Chapel in the Savoy - so it was that . . . . or the Tram along the embankment. Hey-ho! And the double-decker Southern Railway trains from Charing Cross added to the fun!

  • @marvintpandroid2213
    @marvintpandroid2213 4 года назад +79

    Jago, 2 in one day? you know how to spoil us

    • @MarkMcCluney
      @MarkMcCluney 4 года назад +2

      It'll be Ferrero Roche next...

  • @roberthuron9160
    @roberthuron9160 4 года назад +17

    Add an interesting tidbit,the Tram lines over both Blackfriars,and that other bridge,running a figure 8 services,serving South London,via Elephant &Castle,Mitcham,and other points! The night services ran on a 15 minute headway,now all bus! See,"The Wheels used to talk to us",a very interesting book,and Nemo Productions,did some paperbacks on the tram lines,by area,and also had a capsulated history of the lines,along with a roster,(including renumbering,which were notable)! More food for the fearless folk watching your great channel! Thank you,history is always interesting 👍!

    • @highpath4776
      @highpath4776 4 года назад +1

      The follow up bus services were for a time externally and internally were the 109B and 109W ( for services from Croydon). and 155B and 155W from Wimbledon and up the old route of Stane Street

    • @roberthuron9160
      @roberthuron9160 4 года назад

      Thank you for making my information more up to date! You are appreciated, and my guesses ate right for a change! All my data is not available where I now live,so I am working from pure memory! By the way,what was the other bridge,Waterloo,or ????

    • @highpath4776
      @highpath4776 4 года назад +2

      @@roberthuron9160 The embankment passes under Waterloo (there was an exit from the tram tunnel there for single deck trams to the lines that went to from the other bridge - Westminster. You will note the 109 and 155 oick up their common sections at Elephant and Castle to where all reads in london lead to

    • @roberthuron9160
      @roberthuron9160 4 года назад

      Ah so,Charlie Brown! I had a brain freeze,and a couple of cells didn't connect! I knew Waterloo was involved,but with no maps available,my visualization was very off! So,it was Westminister Bridge,and since you jogged my memory,I think Clapham,and Purley,as well as,Catford all contributed trams into those services: the 5/22,35,38,and 2/4,were lines operated! I hope I got it right,or close to it,as the lines South of the Thames were EVEN numbered,and those North were ODD numbers!Correct??

    • @highpath4776
      @highpath4776 4 года назад

      @@roberthuron9160 Not quite a fig 8 but it was a loop. Think you may be right on tram service numbering. The depots involved sound about right , I am not an expert on London Trams - I have a Willouby and Oakley Book on the table in front of me waiting to be read. and a misplaced ABC Ian Allan of 1951 reprint. Dont think there was a Depot at Catford - it would have been New Cross. (Walworth Brixton and Thornton Heath were the othermain ones in this context that would have supplied south london routes.

  • @neilmaguinness6528
    @neilmaguinness6528 4 года назад +219

    Not going to pretend I wasn’t majorly distracted at 8:40 by the fact the police are now using unmarked Teslas 👀

    • @hglf9764
      @hglf9764 4 года назад +15

      With private numberplates too!?

    • @hglf9764
      @hglf9764 4 года назад +58

      I couldn't resist googling it and apparently it's a Fire brigade response car.

    • @markwhickman351
      @markwhickman351 4 года назад +3

      Yep that got me too!

    • @ethangrazier4899
      @ethangrazier4899 4 года назад +6

      i had to double take! not like any english council to splash out that much

    • @2Worlds_and_InBetween
      @2Worlds_and_InBetween 4 года назад +4

      I was looking at the old buildings in the top right,
      but it is
      often said that I miss the most obvious of things.

  • @thomasohare8552
    @thomasohare8552 4 года назад +9

    I laugh so much at your videos, your mildly sarcastic presentation just gets me in fits of giggles. Thanks for giving me something to watch while waiting for my model railway glue to dry!

  • @PaulabJohnson
    @PaulabJohnson 4 года назад

    Great video. I had a contract in Lambeth and would cycle on a Boris bike daily over Blackfriars Bridge to Hatton Garden for lunch and so it is fascinating to have some historical context..Thanks!

  • @TheTemporalAnomaly
    @TheTemporalAnomaly 4 года назад +2

    You Sir, have an absolutely fantastic narration voice! Many, many complements. Such a welcome change to watch professionally made video material.

  • @neilthehermit4655
    @neilthehermit4655 4 года назад +3

    You keep knocking them out! Wow,always entertaining and educational.Thanks.

  • @ktb183
    @ktb183 4 года назад +1

    Great video! This is my favourite London train station. I live down in Kent, and coming up to London on a Spring or early Summer morning, with the sun shining over the river, as the train slowly comes to a halt on the station/bridge is magnificient.

  • @theniceorganization
    @theniceorganization 4 года назад +3

    A couple of things (probably mentioned below, but who reads the comments, eh? Well, you, obviously, but...): The building immediately south of the river used to be the Daily Express building, and the first support - the one with the enormous coat of arms - was an adjunct to the tea room, apparently. In any case, you could see old men in suits being served meals on there, which wasn't terribly exciting at the time, even, but must have been a cool place to eat. And they knocked down the Daily Express building, that has to be a plus. The other thing is that you can catch trains from Blackfriars to Gatwick all through the night, and watching the dawn come up in summer from the southbound platform is almost impressive enough to distract you from the fact that you got up at three o'clock in the morning to catch an early plane. My favourite station. It also goes to Brighton. And Croydon. And Bedford, for that matter. Never been to Bedford, probably never will.

  • @IanPhillipsWildlife
    @IanPhillipsWildlife 4 года назад +11

    They say you learn something new everyday.. Solar bridges! Not a regular Blackfriars user but I've used the cafe in the entrance. Another good video and great to see this channel grow, 50K subs coming soon, well deserved!!

  • @toni4729
    @toni4729 4 года назад +1

    I've lived in Oz for 50 years but it's nice to learn about the old home town.

  • @Finchley
    @Finchley 4 года назад +1

    I work at 160 Queen Victoria Street in Pre Covid times, just behind the blackfriar pub. I find the history of the area all very interesting. Im also a big fan of City Thameslink station.

  • @kolrhcp
    @kolrhcp 4 года назад

    The wraps from the guys in the old station there are amazing, I miss working from the office purely because of them.

  • @jtsholtod.79
    @jtsholtod.79 4 года назад +6

    And here I was trying to find a practical use for the word transpontine. Thanks for the suggestion!

  • @rogerlewis3787
    @rogerlewis3787 4 года назад +1

    Excellent video and information. Can never tire of learning some more of London’s history, and particularly so of the railways. I’ve always loved the way a station name such as Blackfriars prolongs the memory of a history several hundred years earlier.

  • @dodgydruid
    @dodgydruid 4 года назад +7

    I seem to remember my father mentioning that the old piers of the bridge were not sound and would need extensive repair if required to carry weight again. BR did kinda not fight too hard in keeping the pillars there as the casements and foundations were solid and could be used again if demand was serious enough, I think they at one point filled the pillars with concrete to stop them shifting as there used to be straps and bands around them when the bridge was still extant.

  • @rofromoz1361
    @rofromoz1361 Год назад

    Just love these videos.. can't help myself from laughing along with your brilliant humour and presentation style. Keep them coming!

  • @adamlee3772
    @adamlee3772 3 года назад

    Wow, I can’t believe how addictive these videos are. Thanks again for such a fascinating video. Well presented, factual, well edited.

  • @pilnes
    @pilnes Год назад

    I share your delight in the views from Blackfriars Station, which I often use, or pass through on my way to Eurostar from my local station, Nunhead. I frequently choose that way into London over the Underground/Overground, just to enjoy the views of the river.

  • @ChubbyChecker182
    @ChubbyChecker182 4 года назад

    By far my favourite station in London. The view from the platforms is one of the best in London.

  • @bester36
    @bester36 4 года назад +1

    I like this Station. Travelling to Brighton from there is a pleasure.

  • @dodgydruid
    @dodgydruid 4 года назад +78

    I remember when me ol' mum was night editor at the Guardian opp Doggett's during the start of the Iraq war and she kept a prized "proof" edition of the first paper off the roll but day editors and new news soon had her name off the page :( She got me a bit of work with Newsflow which were the newspaper delivery vans that swarmed at around 4am between papers and stations for the newspaper trains, abs insane wage but miss your dropoff and you were out (as I found out) and was the few times the police turned a very blind eye to absolute manic driving and speeding, doing sixty down Grays Inn Road and sailing past parked police cars was cool as anything. I remember driving into Waterloo like I was in the Sweeney right up onto the platformy bit, handbrake turn, chaps had the bundles off and away and back again for the second load and it was foot to the floor all the way back.

    • @nightlurker
      @nightlurker 4 года назад +18

      I used to be in the Ambulance Service in London and we would have loved to do 60 down Grays Inn Road, until someone thought it would be a good idea to put 3 litre Holden engines into plastic bodied bread vans. Then we would regularly do 60 and more all over town. Oxford Street was the best, in and out of every traffic island, thems was the days.

    • @mawhinney2.026
      @mawhinney2.026 4 года назад +6

      Nice memories mate. Good days

  • @terezar880
    @terezar880 4 года назад +1

    The bridge (and the view from it) are honestly so cool. I want to see it in person one day!

  • @notboris8217
    @notboris8217 4 года назад

    Definetely the best looking modern station. Clean and crisp and love the airy-ness of the platforms

  • @louiseogden1296
    @louiseogden1296 3 года назад

    I remember travelling back from an A level conference from London to Bedford in the late 90s. Terribly late at night for a group of schoolgirls, but we did feel all grown up travelling to get instructions on what the examiners wanted to see on our scripts. I'm not a trainspotter per se, but Thameslink is an amazing service and close to my heart.

  • @richiegarcia2819
    @richiegarcia2819 4 года назад +1

    Videos like yours about UK Rail have me extremely interested in visiting!

  • @DigitalDiabloUK
    @DigitalDiabloUK 4 года назад

    Our head office used to be south of the river from Blackfriars underground. It was pleasant walking across the bridge when I visited, but I always wondered about the red pillars. Between you and Geoff, I feel I now know much more about this familiar part of London,

  • @philt4346
    @philt4346 4 года назад +10

    'You need to know a little bit about the situation with the London, Chatham & Dover Railway and the South Eastern Railway' yes. Yes, we do.

  • @robbicu
    @robbicu 4 года назад +3

    Oooo, next time in the UK I'll have to have a cheeky Nando's as I look for the bridge on Blackfriars Road!

  • @davidford85
    @davidford85 4 года назад +1

    2:24 I'm lived my whole life in the Medway Town, where to know anything about the local railway history is to know about the rivalry between LC&DR and SER.
    A few highlights:
    Chatham Central Station - Not in Chatham, but right next to Rochester Station (the old one not the new one).
    Rochester Bridge Station - Next to Rochester Bridge but on the Strood side not the Rochester Side.
    Rochester Bridge(s) - The second railway bridge (now the only railway bridge) built by SER right next to the LC&DR Bridge because they had to get to Chatham as well.
    I think at one point we basically ended up with five mainline stations all in use (for a short while) within about a mile: Strood Station, Rochester Bridge Station, Rochester Station (the old one), Rochester Common Station and Chatham Central Station. And throughout history you've had seven stations in total, the other two being: the original Strood Terminus and the New Rochester Station, next to the old Rochester Common site.
    The fighting between the two companies may have been stupid and petty (it really was), but it sure made the railways of the south east a lot more interesting.

  • @stephenleadersf
    @stephenleadersf 4 года назад +3

    My old school at 3:38. Went through Blackfriars every school-day in the '70s

  • @Azulicine.Cinemato
    @Azulicine.Cinemato 4 года назад +2

    I am quite glad that I found this channel.

  • @Einstein52
    @Einstein52 4 года назад

    A really good and informative video about London subway and railway passenger transports, showing history, unknown facts and other interesting details to all of us. Thank you very much for your work in research, filming, cutting and uploading your videos. Stay healthy and keep going on with your reports on London themes. Best greetings from Germany. Günter.

  • @cfcno1fan
    @cfcno1fan 4 года назад

    An area and station very familiar to me, as I used to work in a building very close to the SER Blackfriars station, and now work in a building attached to the current Blackfriars! A very convenient commute indeed.

  • @richardpentelow655
    @richardpentelow655 4 года назад

    Excellent as ever. The pub you briefly showed is The Blackfriar, well worth a visit. There were plans to pull it down back in the ‘60s and John Betjeman was part of the protest that saved it. It is the only protest I have ever attended, I can only hope my part was to some tiny extent critical. I could write down more stuff from Wikipedia, but it is mostly there. An interesting area.

  • @keithwebb658
    @keithwebb658 4 года назад

    We've had Thameslink trains passing through Gravesend for about 2 years. Their destination is Cambridge via Abbeywood and Blackfriars. I'll try it out when the Crossrail services from Abbeywood start.
    Big changes since I used to commute into Cannon St in the 1970's

  • @At_Ant
    @At_Ant 4 года назад

    Last time I used Blackfriars was coming home from work at the start of lockdown, already eerily empty. I did wonder about the closed entrance on the south side, now I know. Thanks for the video.

  • @skaterbakes
    @skaterbakes 4 года назад +1

    The ground was FROZEN cracked me up. Love the channel !!! Xx

  • @siglerproductions
    @siglerproductions 4 года назад +1

    I wish I could own this on dvd and just fall asleep to it every night.
    Those things aren’t really dependent on each other, I just want them both.

  • @stephenpegum9776
    @stephenpegum9776 2 года назад +1

    I'd not visited this part of London for quite some years, so when I was last there I got quite a shock when I saw the "new" Blackfriars station !! 😱

  • @1tychoma
    @1tychoma 4 года назад +12

    As a Northerner, I usually roll my eyes hard whenever anyone talks about London infrastructure, and the billions of stupid station names. But your presentation is good and I'm learning despite my prejudices :D

  • @alzeNL
    @alzeNL 4 года назад +6

    to get to such diverse destinations as ..... HOW COULD YOU MISS EAST CROYDON !!! lol :) have to say when i used to live in Brighton the Thameslink trains provided a very affordable (and quick) way to get to Victoria, cheaper than southern, but not the comfy seats you *used* to have on the gatwick express rolling stock. Have to say I really love your videos and one of the rare few i will stop eveything else, put it full screen and enjoy all the details and narration you have put together. Fingers crossed one day I'm walking thru your filming and I can spot myself :)

  • @emmahudsonsinger6859
    @emmahudsonsinger6859 3 года назад

    My dad was born and raised in Blackfrairs. My grandparents old flat is almost directly opposite southwark tube!

  • @gnhansen29
    @gnhansen29 3 года назад

    The Thameslink was my favourite rail trip I did when I visited London.

  • @rattyfus8218
    @rattyfus8218 2 года назад

    I used the dingy old Blackfriars back in 1999 up to about 2002 when I was working for Sainsbury’s, whose offices, like the original station, were in Southwark!

  • @SussexHistory
    @SussexHistory 4 года назад

    I didn't know any of that! Thanks for taking the trouble to make this video with such a laconic commentary. I haven't been to London for years, so it is interesting to know the old Blackfriars Bridge is now gone!

  • @CAL1MBO
    @CAL1MBO 4 года назад +3

    I love Blackfriars, the view from the platform is great especially at night. The Thameslink line is also far better than any of the other Southeastern commuter routes.

  • @dunebasher1971
    @dunebasher1971 3 года назад

    From 1998 to 2005 I used Blackfriars Tube station every weekday, but I realise now I can't remember what any of the surface buildings used to look like before the redevelopment. My workplace was on the South Bank near the OXO Tower, so when leaving or entering Blackfriars station I always used the tunnel that connected the underground entrance with the west side of Blackfriars Bridge.

  • @philiphobgen8283
    @philiphobgen8283 2 года назад +1

    I regularly use Blackfriars since our offices moved to Queen Victoria Street in 2016. The station feels and is very much like a stop on the line rather than a destination to meet for food or drinks cose by. Perhaps because it's midway between the City and Westminster there's not much going on around it in that sense. Although it's mainly functional, there are great views across the river from the platform. Since I'm always heading south of the river on the way back, my views are out towards the city. I'd never seen the supports for the old platform on the other side!

  • @gv-k4f7g5b9
    @gv-k4f7g5b9 3 года назад +1

    Thanks for posting. This is the fourth video of yours I've just watched in a row 👍
    Liked and subscribed 👍 👍

  • @StupStups
    @StupStups 4 года назад

    Great vid, thanks. I did some work at the electricity substation supplying power to trains passing through Blackfriars. It's allegedly the largest DC traction substation in Europe or the world or something. 10MW capacity. Just north of Blackfriars (before Farringdon) the track is overhead AC electrified, so Blackfriars marks the end (or beginning) of the DC railway all the way to the Kent coast.

    • @StupStups
      @StupStups 4 года назад

      I think the substation is where the old Ludgate Hill station stood, roughly.

  • @olliebrock5070
    @olliebrock5070 4 года назад

    I worked on Blackfriars bridge directing traffic away from the area during Olympic events, I remember the station on its first day and went in to see how nice it all looked, machines still wrapped e.t.c

  • @Taschenschieber
    @Taschenschieber 4 года назад +2

    I visited the National Railway Museum earlier this year, before the plague happened, saw a Swiss (Integra Domino) signal box table somewhere in the depot, wondered how it got to England, took a photo, and only when looking at the photo at home I realized it was actually in use at Blackfriars.

    • @SteveW139
      @SteveW139 4 года назад +2

      Taschi The Integra was licenced to Henry Williams Ltd in the UK and British Rail Western Region used them extensively. Gloucester, Plymouth and Exeter still have them, and Swindon Panel has been preserved at Didcot Railway Centre and linked to a simulator. Great fun to work.

  • @anitawarburton6087
    @anitawarburton6087 4 года назад

    I like Blackfriars. Have taken the train to Gatwick twice from there in early rush hour. The view from the platform is great. It's sorta sad with us leaving to go home each time.
    Great video. When this covidemic is over, we will get back to London. Looking forward to your next video!

  • @AzureOtsu
    @AzureOtsu 4 года назад

    been waiting for this episode! thank you for this video

  • @Lurker1979
    @Lurker1979 4 года назад +2

    The new terminal reminds me of some of the Amtrak stations you will run into in the states.

  • @bomb-de-dyl
    @bomb-de-dyl 4 года назад

    Blackfryers is perhaps my favourite station on the network. Remember being pretty amazed when I first travelled through it not even knowing a station was on a bridge - pretty cool :)

  • @jeffhreid
    @jeffhreid 4 года назад +1

    I miss London, hope to visit again soon

  • @utterlee
    @utterlee 4 года назад +3

    Ahh the hours I’ve spent dancing in the vaulted remains of Blackfriars Station when it was Pulse nightclub...

  • @geoffhunter7704
    @geoffhunter7704 3 года назад

    Excellent narration and history,well done.

  • @christophandrats1231
    @christophandrats1231 4 года назад +1

    Jago I love your videos! Keep them coming! You're fantastic!

  • @richjames2540
    @richjames2540 Месяц назад

    Cool video. I wish they would bring back the Thameslink service to Guildford. We used to live in orpington in the early 60’s and you could see the difference in the SER line to Charing Cross and Cannon Street and the incredibly slow windy route 2 track to Victoria and Holborn Viaduct. In fact the SER route from Tonbridge to Ashford is some of the finest in the South East.

  • @JCstone1000
    @JCstone1000 4 года назад +3

    Huh I always wondered what that huge crest was. And so interesting to learn about that weird closed station, never understood that either

  • @MrGreatplum
    @MrGreatplum 3 года назад

    Superb stuff - it’s a station that I use far more these days as many London bound trains from redhill go to London Bridge / Blackfriars with thameslink rather than to Victoria.

  • @christown2827
    @christown2827 4 года назад +1

    1993 and Maidstone East gets a third platform and a siding line for 'Thameslink 2000' services. In 2020 we are still waiting for a start date for through trains to Cambridge.

    • @highpath4776
      @highpath4776 4 года назад

      didnt someone swap the ends of what was going where ?

  • @lapiswake6583
    @lapiswake6583 3 года назад

    Another awesome video. I've never seen an electrostar at Blackfriars, only 700s, but I've never spent more than half an hour there and have only visited a handful of times.

  • @PlanetoftheDeaf
    @PlanetoftheDeaf 4 года назад +14

    Great video. The historical stations in this area are a right mess, and a hundred years later we are still trying to unpick the incredibly comprehensive but illogical rail network bequeathed to us!

    • @geoffhunter7704
      @geoffhunter7704 3 года назад

      The price of being the railway pioneers i am afraid.

  • @RebMordechaiReviews
    @RebMordechaiReviews 4 года назад +18

    I always thought Blackfriars was named after a Joes Cafe in the area where they kept burning the chips. It turns out though that it was actually named after a priory built in the 13th century of Dominican Friars who used to wear black hoods?

    • @robertmcgovern8850
      @robertmcgovern8850 4 года назад +1

      Also the name of two theeahtuhs in the old priory, borderline respectable enuf to lurk on the north side of the river.

  • @nathanwulf
    @nathanwulf 4 года назад

    Always nice to know the history about my commuting route of 5 years! Need to find that original Charing Cross/Blackfriars entrance!

  • @lornamarie5544
    @lornamarie5544 4 года назад

    Back in the day, you would get off the train at Blackfriars north side pop down the stairs and you were out. Now with the new station that stretches across to south london you have to walk about 1/2 mile from the entrance to get to the trains. When it pulls in everybody is running from north to south london to get on it, it stops so far away!

  • @davidstevensasidewayslook8831
    @davidstevensasidewayslook8831 4 года назад

    only bumped into this channel the other day (its amazing how you wend your way through the labyrinthine gulleys to end up somewhere interesting!) great channel well presented, I'm in for the ride…..

  • @phoebe_trss9632
    @phoebe_trss9632 4 года назад

    I think I just found my new favourite informational channel

  • @cjr6564
    @cjr6564 4 года назад

    LC&DR "London, Chatham and Dover Railway" or as the wags of the day would say "Long, Cold and Damp"
    Working in London for the past 48 years I have seen many changes at Blackfriars. I watched with interest as the bridge on the north side of the newest station which crosses Queen Victoria street was jacked up to change the incline and also watched the bridge that crossed Ludgate hill get demolished and become Ludgate Hill Station all part of the Thameslink project.
    Great Content as ever Jago.

    • @mossygreen2790
      @mossygreen2790 4 года назад

      I think it was such a shame that the little bridge that crossed Ludgate Hill got demolished, it gave such character to the city & it's skyline. It should have been kept, even if it could not be used anymore. I love seeing it in some of the old historical films of London & the City.

  • @tonylancaster8704
    @tonylancaster8704 4 года назад

    I think the view from the platform looking towards tower bridge is one of the best views in London'

  • @zoegraham1367
    @zoegraham1367 4 года назад

    Love your channel content and your voice is very nice. Keep these videos coming x

  • @aligardner10
    @aligardner10 4 года назад

    Awesome stuff. Really enjoy your work. Especially missing the tube at the moment!