Abbey Wood Transport History


180 at Abbey Wood level crossing
Abbey Wood. Station the 180 (Abbey Wood via Abbey Estate - Greenwich - Lewisham - Catford - Lower Sydenham Station) is at the Harrow Monorway level crossing which caused lots of delays to the buses in rush hours when there was lots of trains. 

A flyover now goes over the road just beyond the tram in the picture below, a few of the houses being demolished for the purpose. Afterwards the level crossing was closed. The section of railway between Abbey Wood and Erith had lots of level crossings, at Abbey Wood Station, Belvedere Station, Crabtree Manorway, and Pembroke Road, plus two unmanned crossing from Abbey Road onto Plumstead Marshes. Now they are all closed. There was also a crossing just before Abbey Wood at Church Manorway, but this was closed at an earlier earlier date.

The signal box and station have now been demolished to be replaced with a new station building.
Photograph  John King.

Erith tram at Abbey Wood

The picture above is of a tram car 13d which was run by  Erith Council Tramways Abbey Wood - Erith - Bexleyheath. You would have to de-tram at Abbey Wood for a connection to Woolwich. 

This route became the 98 when London Transport took over. When it went over to trolleybus operation it became the 698, and went all the way to Woolwich. The picture is at the Harrow Inn. 

tram terminus, Abbey Wood

The tram terminus at Abbey Wood. This is where hundreds of Londoners would disembark on summer Sundays for a walk in Abbey and Bostal woods. On the left The Harrow Inn and the road to Erith as seen in the photograph of tram 13D. Behind the road to the railway station and level crossing. The road on the right leads to the tram depot, used for buses after trams were withdrawn in 1952. Abbey Wood closed, along with Plumstead garage, in Kings Highway in the 1980s A new bus garage was opened in Plumstead Road, near Plumstead station. 

This scene is very different today. On the green behind the Harrow Inn, just beyond the trams is a large roundabout. A flyover passes on the other side of the pub to go over Abbey Road and the railway. 

The same corner as the previous picture. The huts have gone to be replaced by a Post Office. The building behind is still there however.

This is a London Transport training bus just tuning into Abbey Wood Road and to the bus garage.  RTWs were normally used for this purpose. However in this photograph RT2325 (KGU354) was being used from BX.
May 1970.
Photograph. John King.


This page was designed and is maintained by Toby and John King, I would accept any comments or questions  See Index Page


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