Discover London Spitafields

Amazing how sometimes you just go to a place numerous times but you never knew that there was more into it that you originally though.
So in this new series I rediscover the

places in London where I've been many times to see if I really missed something. Today I discovered that actually I did.

The tour started at Liverpool Street


The station was first opened to traffic on 2 February 1874 by the Great Eastern Railway and was completely operational from 1 November 1875. From this date the original terminal station at Bishopsgate was closed to passengers. It reopened as a goods station in 1881 but was destroyed by fire on 5 December 1964. The site is now being redeveloped as part of the extension of London Underground's East London line.
The new station was designed by the Great Eastern's chief engineer, Edward Wilson and was built on a site which had been occupied by Bethlem Royal Hospital from the 13th century to the 17th century. A Corporation of London plaque commemorating the station's construction hangs on the wall of the adjoining former Great Eastern Hotel, which was designed by Charles Barry (junior) (son of Sir Charles Barry) and his brother Edward Middleton Barry. The station was named after the street on which it stands, which in turn was named in honour of British Prime Minister Lord Liverpool, having been built as part of an extension of the City of London towards the end of his term in office.



The station was the first place in London to be hit by German Gotha bomber aircraft during World War I. The May 1917 bombing, which saw the station take a direct hit from 1,000 pounds of bombs, killed 162 people. During World War II a bomb which landed in Bishopsgate completely shattered the glass roofing.
The station was extensively modified between 1985 and 1992, including bringing all the platforms in the main shed up to the same end point and constructing a new underground booking office, but its facade, steam age iron pillars and the honour roll for Great Eastern Railway employees that died in the Great War were retained. It was officially re-opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1991. It was also at this time that the giant timetable board, which is suspended above the station concourse, was fitted at great expense. However due to technical difficulties there was a long delay after the official opening before it became operational. Today it is one of the last remaining mechanical "flapper board" display boards at a UK railway station, and certainly the biggest.

Liverpool Street Station is also one of the 4 railway stations on the London version of the Monopoly game.