Hundreds of people attended an anniversary event at Chingford Station on Sunday 19th November
Hundreds of people turned up to Chingford Station to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Liverpool Street – Chingford railway line on 19th November.
According to the Chingford Historical Society over 850 people attended the event which was formally opened by Waltham Forest mayor Roy Berg.
Attendees viewed an exhibition that depicted the history of the line and featured model stream trains supplied by Lea Valley Heritage Alliance and Chingford & District Model Engineering Club.
The anniversary event also included historical tours of the station and guests were treated to free rides to Epping Forest on an old red bus. Meanwhile, children were entertained with painting and train model making at the Chingford Community Art Hub, which is located in the station’s basement.
Gary Stone, chairman of Chingford Historical Society commented: “The arrival of the train line was a massive boost for Chingford in the 1870’s. Visitors from the east end would flock to the town and adjoining Epping Forest to enjoy the country air and refreshments from the many establishments that sprang up at the time.
Speaking on the history of the train line, he said: “There were plans to extend the line to High Beach at one point but this was scuppered when Queen Victoria visited Chingford on 6 May 1882 to declare Epping Forest open to the public. Opponents of the extension used the possible desecration of the forest as an effective way of stopping the extension in its tracks.”
Gary added that he “did not anticipate the numbers of people attending, it went far beyond our expectations and it demonstrates that the community has a vested interest in local history and the transport of yesteryear.” Due to the higher than expected turnout, Gary said he was now considering another transport-related event next year.
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