This weekend sees a celebration of one hundred and fifty years since the railway arrived at Chingford and Highams Park in the London Borough of Waltham Forest (LBWF).

This Friday (17 November) is the exact date of the anniversary, and Saturday and Sunday will see events to celebrate the connection of what were then Essex villages to central London in 1873.

Local community groups, LBWF and workers from Arriva Rail London (ARL), which operates London Overground on behalf of Transport for London, are working together to come together to organise the celebration at the two stations.

Saturday 18 November, 2pm, Hale End Library: history talks

During Saturday afternoon, speakers will talk about the history of the railway and the growth of
Highams Park. Booking via Eventbrite is essential.

Visitors can also view an exhibition of historic photographs and paintings by Highams Park-based railway artist, John Wigston. The exhibition will run for two weeks.

Sunday 19 November, 11am-4pm, Chingford station community hub

Love North Chingford Community Interest Company (LNC CIC) and The Chingford Historical Society
have worked together to create a showcase of the history of the line, the evolution from steam to electric locomotives, and the stories of the people who worked at the station.

Visitors will be able to see model trains and a working model steam engine. Tours will show people round the station and tell them more about its history. An RT type bus, which was part of the fleet which served London from 1939 to 1979, will also be available to ride.

The station basement, which has recently been refurbished, will host film screenings, displays of memorabilia and art and model making activities for young children.

Further information is available here.

Sunday 19 November, 11am-4pm, Highams Park station car park

The Highams Park Planning Group (HPPG) and the Highams Park Society have arranged a railway and
transport-themed event, which will include:

• free rides for children on a train-themed roundabout;
• performances from the Stow Caledonian Pipe Band, Harmony E4 Choir and others;
• vintage street organ;
• model steam engines;
• volunteers from local theatre groups in period costume on hand to answer questions;
• free local rides on RT-type buses every half hour;
• food and drink on sale.

Further information is available here.

History of Chingford station

Five years after opening in 1873, Chingford station relocated to its current location, offering better facilities for including a large ticket hall, buffet room, waiting rooms, porter’s room and stationmaster’s office. Queen Victoria made a rest stop at the station in 1882, on a trip in which she declared Epping Forest open to the public.

Over time, Chingford became a busy commuter location for those working in London. London Overground incorporated the station into its network in May 2015.

The station building has remained virtually unchanged since being built in 1878 and still has many features showing its Victorian heritage. Some facilities became redundant with changes to travel, meaning that some areas of the station fell into disuse.

ARL began work on the disused areas began in 2021, spending nearly thirty thousand pounds. totalling just under £30,000. It then gave the rooms to LNC CIC for further renovation in line with the community group’s plans.

The group has converted the spaces into meeting rooms, a co-working area for remote workers and a podcast/Zoom room. The most recent work converted the basement from a damp, unused area into an atmospheric, multi-purpose space set up as an art gallery.

History of Highams Park station

Known as Hale End when it opened in 1873, the wooden station served an area that was not much more than a rural hamlet and which saw little growth until the British Xylonite factory opened in 1897.

William Neville Ashbee, the architect behind Liverpool Street station, redesigned the station at the turn of the century, and it was renamed Highams Park after the nearby manorial estate at the edge of Epping Forest. Today’s station is the same building, and serves commuters heading into central London. Like Chingford, it became part of the London Overground network in 2015.

Over time, the station’s former parcel office deteriorated into a cluttered storage room. ARL provided more than thirty thousand pounds in funding to begin work on the space, then gave it to HPPG to continue refurbishment. HPPG secured another ten thousand pounds from the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) ‘High Streets for All’ fund and ten thousand pounds from Waltham Forest Council, and added ten thousand pounds of its own funds.

The Station Rooms are now available for hire at £6 per hour and areused for activities including ‘knit and natter’, first aid training, art classes, committee meetings, shared workspace and more.

Gordon Turpin, Chair of the Highams Park Planning Group (HPPG), said: “We thought it was important to mark this 150th anniversary, as Highams Park did not exist as a town before the arrival of the railway and the town grew up around the station. The attractive late Victorian station building, along with the iconic signal box and level crossing, make up the heart of Highams Park and provide a distinctive townscape and character much loved by local people. We are looking forward to a weekend of talks and entertainment centred around the station to celebrate and showcase this special place.

“We would like to thank the team at Arriva Rail London and the regeneration and library teams from London Borough of Waltham Forest for their support.”

Cllr Ahsan Khan, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration, said: “Waltham Forest Council is proud to support Chingford Historical Society’s 150-year railway celebrations. This community-led event is a wonderful opportunity for residents to learn more about the arrival of the railway to Chingford in 1873, celebrate its heritage, and visit the renovated Chingford Station Community Hub. Residents can also enjoy a limited-edition heritage trail booklet to discover the rich history of North Chingford.”

Charlotte Whitfield, Customer Experience Director at Arriva Rail London, said: “From the first steam train journeys to the environmentally friendly electric fleet we see today, these historical stations have witnessed the changing face of rail travel over the past 150 years. Whilst we are constantly looking forward to enhance the customer experience, it is important to also look back at the rich history of our stations and the pivotal role they have played in shaping the way people move around our city.

“Thank you to the Chingford and Highams Park communities for organising events which capture the
history of the area and the impact of the rail on its growth.”