In 1925 the line, now part of the Southern Railway, was electrified and the platform extended to allow for the new electric trains. At this time the signal box also closed. [2]
It was situated a short distance from a rival London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) station named Forest Hill, which survives.[3] The land was owned by the Dulwich Estate. and is near the Horniman Museum.[1] The Dulwich Estate required higher architectural standards than elsewhere on the line. The road bridge was "elaborately ornamented" and the station building had two gabled roofs. In 1930, even though the line was electrified, the lighting on the platform was still lit by gas. [2]
On one day in February 1926 only 366 passengers travelled from Lordship Lane towards Crystal Palace and 401 travelled towards central London. If you look at tickets issued in 1925 there were 30,043 tickets issued, and 870 season tickets issued. In 1934 this had increased to 57,019 tickets and 1,742 season tickets. [2]
It was closed during the First World War between January 1917 and March 1919 and again during the Second World War in May 1944 after it suffered heavy bomb damage during the Blitz. The station was repaired and temporarily reopened in March 1946.
Lordship Lane station was permanently closed, along with the rest of the line, on 20 September 1954.[1] The railway crossed London Road (just beyond the southern end of Lordship Lane itself) on a bridge and the station was just to the southwest of the road. The station was demolished in 1957.[1] The site is now occupied by a residential estate.[4] Photographs from 1954 show the bridge at Cox's Walk visible at the south of the platforms.[1] The bridge, which originally crossed the line, is still extant. [5]
The Railway through Sydenham Hill Wood, From the Nun's Head to the Screaming Alice by Mathew Frith, The Friends of the Great North Wood and London Wildlife Trust leaflet 1995.
The Crystal Palace (High Level) Branch by W Smith, British Railway Journal 28, 1989.
