London's Lost Railways

The west London line completed as Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s last-ever project. A Gothic terminus built by a hotelier to attract wealthy guests to his country retreat. A Victorian docklands goods line reborn as the DLR, and routes that once ferried pleasure-seekers to the Crystal Palace and Greenwich Park. London’s Lost Railways explores all these and more as it uncovers the hidden network that once carried goods, workers and day-trippers across an ever-expanding metropolis.

Paul Talling – our best-loved investigator of London's lost history – traces the rise and fall of these bygone railways. Armed with his camera, he walks their routes and discovers what remains: abandoned halts, ghost platforms, repurposed bridges and curious cuttings. In the process, he reveals fascinating tales of Victorian ambition and bold speculation, fierce commercial rivalries, wartime destruction, and post-war change – all the way up to the present day.

Packed with maps and over 100 colour photographs, London’s Lost Railways brings a forgotten network back to life and reveals how it helped to forge the London that we know today.