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London is full of secret spaces: gardens, galleries and museums and even drinking dens. Now, a ‘secret’ row of mid-Victorian brick railway arches on the South Bank will be restored for the public to see – after being cut off for more than 100 years.
The arches were built in 1864 for the railway line running into the original Blackfriars Bridge station, which was shut in 1885 to build the current Blackfriars station. The original station was demolished in 1968, leaving only the arches remaining. They were then used for storage and parking, but this is the first time that they will be open for public use.
The restoration of the arches is part of a new £2.5 billion office, homes, hotel and cultural development called the 5.5 acre Bankside Yards scheme, that promises to transform the forgotten area. In total, the development will see eight buildings with 350,000 square feet of office space, as well as a 150-room hotel, around 30 new bars, restaurants and shops, and 700 new homes.
The first phase of the scheme is expected to be completed by this summer.
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