Waterloo Station

ALTHOUGH Waterloo was, thanks to the pandemic, recently knocked off the top spot as the UK’s busiest station, this book’s subtitle ‘A history of London’s busiest terminus’ remains an accurate description of its contents.

Between the covers is a comprehensive review of the genesis of what is currently the terminus for countless third rail DC electric

(as well as the remaining DMU) services operated by South Western Railway. By necessity, given the wide timespan, this is a broadbrush affair, rather than a meticulously detailed volume, but that might actually be part of its appeal.

Adopting a largely chronological approach, the text is further broken down into interesting panels, making

the whole feel supremely accessible. Indeed, the book will have a readership far beyond those interested in railways. For the latter, there are plenty of illustrations, although again there is a wide variety, covering much more than rolling stock. Oddities, such as the Necropolis Railway, are covered, as are the station’s interlude as original UK terminus for Eurostar. For anyone who has passed through Waterloo’s wide concourse or looked back at its plain-but-broad glass platform canopy, this will be an absorbing and enjoyable read.

Hardcore LSWR enthusiasts will probably already be aware of much of the content, but for everyone else there will surely be a new discovery or two.