Denmark Hill railway station

Denmark Hill railway station is in the area of Denmark Hill in south London, England, on the South London and Catford loop lines. It is 4 mi down the line from London Victoria. It is managed by Thameslink. The station is located in London fare zone 2. The station runs services by Thameslink, Southeastern and London Overground.

History
The station was built between 1864 and 1866. Its design by Charles Henry Driver is in the Italianate style, with an extremely decorative frontage and French pavilion roofs.

In 1920 the waiting room was used by The Mystical Church of the Comforter, founded by Elizabeth Mary Eagle Skinner, who was known as "The Messenger". The waiting room was transformed by an altar, painted white and surrounded by the seven colours of the rainbow. The Nottingham Evening Post for 17 June 1926 reported that babies were baptised, funeral services were read and even a marriage was solemnised. The porters and clerks of the railway company often worked to the accompaniment of hymns sung by the congregation. The church is believed to have ceased to function after the death of Skinner in November 1929.

By the late 1970s, the structure had fallen into disrepair. Arsonists burst into the booking hall in March 1980, and the ensuing fire damaged the roof. Initial work by British Rail engineers to make the building safe by demolishing parts of the remaining building triggered a protest campaign by the Camberwell Society. Following a joint initiative between them, the Southwark Environment Trust and the British Rail Director of the Environment, Bernard Kaukas, the building was restored in 1985.

The project included the addition of a public house, initially called the Phoenix and Firkin to commemorate the fire, then called O'Neills and now the Phoenix. The building was given a Civic Trust award in 2009.

In the period 2011–2013 the station underwent a redesign with the construction of a new ticket office with access from Champion Park, new walkways and lifts to the platforms.

In September 2021, a second entrance opened on the north-eastern side of the station.

Design
The platforms are below road level, with the short Grove Tunnel at one end and Denmark Hill road bridge at the other.

Services
Services at Denmark Hill are operated by Southeastern, Thameslink and London Overground using, , , , , and  EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:
 * 3 tph to London Victoria
 * 2 tph to London Blackfriars
 * 2 tph to Sevenoaks via Catford
 * 2 tph to Dartford via Bexleyheath
 * 1 tph to Gillingham via Chatham
 * 4 tph to Clapham Junction
 * 4 tph to Dalston Junction via Surrey Quays

During the peak hours, additional services between Orpington, Kentish Town and Luton call at the station. In addition, the service to London Blackfriars is extended to and from Welwyn Garden City via Finsbury Park and the services between London Victoria and Gillingham are increased to 2 tph.

The station is also served by a limited London Overground service of one train per day to and two trains per day from Battersea Park.

On Sundays, the services to Gillingham are extended to run to and from Dover Priory.

Layout
The station is on two lines:

The South London line are the Southern pair of tracks (through Platforms 1 & 2) running to London Victoria and Clapham Junction The Catford Loop Line are the Northern pair (through Platforms 3 & 4) running to London Blackfriars & beyond to the Thameslink core and Victoria.


 * Platform 1: Southeastern to Victoria and London Overground to Clapham Junction
 * Platform 2: Southeastern to Gillingham / Dover Priory and London Overground to Dalston Junction / Highbury & Islington
 * Platform 3: Thameslink to London Blackfriars, Luton, Welwyn Garden City and Kentish Town
 * Platform 4: Thameslink to Orpington, Sevenoaks and Southeastern to Dartford and Ashford International

Southeastern trains to Victoria can use both 1 & 3 and their return services to Dartford, Gillingham and Dover can use 2 & 4, above are the default.

Connections
London Buses routes 40, 176, 185 and 484 serve the station.