Historic Victorian Station Master’s House Demolished

Demolition has been completed of the former station master’s house on Junction Road. The Better Archway Forum, The Islington Society and others have fought to save it, but the most recent application to demolish the building and redevelop the site has been approved by Islington Council.

No. 156 Junction Road was not locally listed, or in a Conservation Area and was therefore unprotected and vulnerable. An application to Historic England for national Grade II listing was turned down last year. In the end the council had no choice but to approve the application by the developers, in spite of the architectural merits of the building and its historic importance. The processes for adding the building to the Islington Register of Locally Listed Buildings, or of extending the St. John’s Conservation Area to include it, proved to be too cumbersome in this case.

Historic England recognised the architectural qualities of the building, noting that the “careful grouping of classical features, notably the round-headed arch and sash window, and the cornice with moulded eaves…give the house a pleasing villa-like appearance”. Historically it was the last surviving remnant of the old Junction Road station and a fine example of Victorian railway architecture. It was also a well-known landmark at the western end of Junction Road, and will be sorely missed