Mr Bookshelf's Essex House, Croydon Website: Updated 31 October 2000

This site is dedicated to an era when daily routine in a British Rail local office could be fun as well as providing a service which kept the wheels of the railway turning.

The photographs you will find here are used entirely without the permission of those featured in them. They are published without malice, but with a sense of affection and nostalgia for a bygone era.

Gerald Jones Essex House, a typical Croydon office block situated almost opposite East Croydon station, housed the Divisional Office of the Southern Region of British Rail for many years. Photographs in this site were taken in the period September 1979 - April 84 and feature the train timing and train crew and rolling stock diagramming sections on the eighth and ninth floors of the building. Contrary to the impression which will be gained from the pictures, a lot of work was going on at the time, including planning for the rebuilding and resignalling of the routes from London to Brighton.

Gerry Jones demonstrates the sturdiness
of BR office furniture.

Essex House was demolished some years ago, but many of the former inmates are still to be found working in the fragmented railway industry which exists today. Many others are enjoying retirement, others have not been so fortunate. I salute the survivors!

There is now an informal annual Essex House reunion. This year's enjoyable event was held on the evening of Thursday 1 June in George Street, Croydon, with the second full day's service of all three Tramlink routes passing the front door of the pub!.

All photographs are mine; I accept full responsibility for the awfulness of them. Many (probably most) were the result of home processing, but it's the content that counts, not the quality. As this site develops I want to add more pictures, perhaps with some from the Room 84 Show albums.

As forecast, prices have tumbled and a slide scanner is now in operation. Lots of slides still to scan, and only a selection are posted here.

Thanks for the various kind comments and offers of additional slides for future pages. There will definitely have to be a few related Waterloo pages.

Any comments should be sent by e-mail to Mr Bookshelf at this address.

Click here for the first page of photographs.....

Click here for the second (new) page of pictures....
 

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