Forgotten Bishopsgate Low Level station platforms still visible

Commuters travelling into Liverpool Street station may be unaware they are passing the remnants of Bishopsgate Low Level, a former railway stop. Parts of the station's platforms, which served passengers travelling into the City of London, have survived for over a century.

History of Bishopsgate Low Level

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The station began operations on November 4, 1872, as part of the Great Eastern Railway's expansion to bring services into the new Liverpool Street terminus. An earlier station, also named Bishopsgate, had operated above ground on a viaduct. When this higher station ceased passenger operations in November 1875, the lower-level platforms took on the Bishopsgate name. The former upper station was subsequently converted into a substantial goods depot.

By 1893, Bishopsgate Low Level had expanded to include six platform faces and was among the first Great Eastern Railway stations to use electricity for lighting. However, its role as a passenger stop concluded on May 22, 1916. This closure was part of a wider decision by the Great Eastern Railway to shut several inner-suburban stations on its east London routes. No passenger trains have stopped at the site since that date.

Visible remnants today

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Despite the passage of time and significant changes to the surrounding area, two sections of the former station's platforms remain alongside the active railway lines. These surviving platforms are observable from trains as they approach Liverpool Street. One platform section is noted for its proximity to steps leading towards Quaker Street, while another lies beneath former structures of the Bishopsgate Goods Station. The goods station itself suffered significant damage from a fire in December 1964, leading to the eventual demolition of much of the railway complex.

While passenger trains no longer call at the original site, the nearby Shoreditch High Street station, part of the revived East London line, opened in 2010. The surviving platforms of Bishopsgate Low Level offer a tangible link to London's evolving railway network, allowing travellers to glimpse physical evidence of a station that last served passengers over 110 years ago.