Abbey Wood station – going to poo (literally)?

This post is a bit cheeky as Abbey Wood’s new station is still far from finished but I’ve noticed a few things that could give concern about how it’ll shape up over the mid-to-long term.

So there I was, waiting for a train and I noticed that pigeons have setup home and left their mark on the exposed concrete underneath the new main station building.

Will this expanse of concrete with extensive gaps be the finished article?

There’s an sizeable amount of exposed concrete around the station building and exterior. This could weather quite quickly giving the station a pretty drab appearance in years to come.

The new lifts

There’s a concrete frame around the lift shafts (at least one of which is now working) and concrete walls are also appearing on the main forecourt by Harrow Manorway flyover which weren’t there in early station renders.

Image courtesy of Bexley is Bonkers. Concrete walls extend across much of the area.

The flyover beside the station has also had a large amount of concrete installed in recent weeks along its entire length. The older elements of the flyover over the other side of the road could give a hint as to how newer parts will appear when stained with pollution and rain.

Courtesy Bexley is Bonkers. Bright white concrete walls but in a couple of years?

These pics are from Bexley is Bonkers as my camera threw a wobbly outside. You can see his many fantastic photos here.

This wasn’t how it appeared in early renders. Here’s how the forecourt looked. No walls intruded so far across the public space by the upper station entrance

Yet concrete walls have now appeared. If there are security concerns a line of smart bollards would’ve sufficed.

Of course, the wall could be clad in other materials in coming weeks and months.

However in certain areas it seems probable that bare concrete will be the the finished surface material. And then the new surfaces will look like the other side of the flyover, which is pretty bleak.

Network Rail havn’t covered themselves in glory when it comes to aesthetics. This is a footbridge they installed in a residential area at Church Manorway.

Most of the station is fantastic. Hopefully possible pitfalls affecting the design will be rectified over the next few months.

In the new year work begins on improving public realm around the station on Wilton Road and Felixstowe Road. Harrow Manorway’s upgrade work to create a wider street with dedicated bus and cycle lane will also move up a notch.

Lots to look forward to. Finally, a very happy Christmas to all readers and a brilliant new year!

Please help support local news and journalism. Donate to help the site (from £1) at Patreon.com/TheMurkyDepths

 

------------------

Running a site alone takes time and a fair bit of money. Adverts are far from enough to cover it and my living costs as a private renter.

You can support me including via Paypal here

Another option is via Patreon by clicking here

You can also buy me a beer/coffee at Ko-fi here

There's also a Facebook page for the site here

Many thanks

J Smith

I've lived in south east London most of my life growing up in Greenwich borough and working in the area for many years. The site has contributors on occasion and we cover many different topics. Living and working in the area offers an insight into what is happening locally.

    3 thoughts on “Abbey Wood station – going to poo (literally)?

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.