A historian has shared his insight into why Clapham Junction is actually in Battersea - and claimed it's "a bit rubbish". Anyone who's travelled into London from Surrey, Sussex or Hampshire has no doubt experienced the sprawl of Clapham Junction station.
Encompassing 17 platforms, it's one of the busiest railway stations in Europe as its six junctions provide connections across Southern England. But take a stroll through the station today and you'll find Clapham Junction is not exactly well-laid out.
Compared to the delightful scenes of Paddington, the station bridge isn't exactly a glamorous way to change platform. But first-time viewers struggling with this fact will be shocked when navigating the dingy tunnel below the tracks.
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It become an urban hell on rush hour, bank holidays or match days at Stamford Bridge and Twickenham as fans cram onto packed trains. Unfortunately this becomes unavoidable if you're using the Grant Road exit.
In a video released on TikTok, @ali.unoriginal revealed why the station is loud out in this confusing manner, along with why it's named after a place 1.4 miles away. Summing it up, Ali puts it down to "bad planning, history and capitalism."
He explains: "There has been a railway there since 1838. By 1963 five different railway companies were using the interchange. That year, five companies got together to build Clapham Junction. It’s been a complete mess since then.
"They knew the area was definitely Battersea. Clapham used to be lovely, while Battersea wasn’t. It was a rural farming stead which the Victorians turned into a more working class area.
"Clapham was affluent, rich, hip and trendy. The station was named after Clapham to bluntly to attract people"
Addressing why it's a "bad station", Ali adds: "It’s one of the busiest in Europe - one of the main entries into London from the south. Six different junctions and 17 platforms are crammed into one space. That’s the issue - there’s tonnes of legacy systems and history here.
"It’s a major point of dependency on the southern England railway network. While there is a rebuild plan, TfL are terrified of the disruption it would cause."
Check out the full video here.
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