"Which was London's first railway?"

There are two possible answers to this question as there are two companies competing for the title.

Also, by answering this question we can also answer some others along the way. If we can work out which railway came first we can work out which is London's oldest station, too.

The Surrey Iron Railway

The first Act of Parliament for the authorisation of a railway in the London area was granted in 1801, to the Surrey Iron Railway. This railway was built in stages, between 1802 and 1803, from Frying Pan Creek, on the River Thames at Wandsworth, to Pitlake Meadows at Croydon, mostly following the Wandle Valley.

The Surrey Iron Railway used trains of ten wagons, which were horse-drawn along a narrow-gauge, double-tracked line. This line remained in use until 1846, but was only briefly profitable. 

However, all of this railway was within Surrey, parts of which wouldn't become part of London until 1889.

The London and Greenwich Railway

In 1831, following the success of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which had opened in 1830 as the world's first passenger railway to connect two cities, retired Royal Engineer Colonel George Thomas Landmann and George Walter, an entrepreneur, had the idea for a passenger railway service in London. 

The Surrey Chapel and The Ring

On the northern corner of Blackfriars Road and Union Street stood the Surrey Chapel, built in 1783. It then took on a completely different persona.

The Surrey Chapel was one of the first octagonal churches, in England, and was constructed in 1783, by Reverend Rowland Hill. The chapel had innovative features that included gas lighting, underfloor heating and an organ that used thunder and lightning effects, He chose the octagonal design so that the Devil would not be able to lurk in the corners.

Able to hold 1,200 people, the eccentric Reverend Hill preached here for nearly fifty years, usually to a full congregation, from his pulpit that was situated in the centre of the chapel.

In 1881 the chapel closed and, by 1910, was converted into a boxing arena, by Dick Burge, who was a former British lightweight champion between 1891-1897, and his wife Bella. They replaced the pulpit with a raised, roped-in enclosure, with a circular stage surrounded by seats for spectators.

Dick Burge renamed the building 'The Ring', which stems from early literal ground-drawn fight circles used in the early bare-knuckle boxing days under London Prize Ring Rules.

It would become the first indoor boxing ring for the working classes and would go on to become one of the most popular boxing venues, in London, famous as a proving ground for boxing talent, where well-known prize-fighters took on apprentice fighters. 

London's Crossroads Burials

This 1746 map shows the probable site of the burial of John Duke.

Walking along the streets of London, with its over 2,000 years of history, you can never know exactly what, or who, you are walking on.

Historically, in Britain, individuals who died by suicide, which was considered a crime, executed criminals or other 'outcasts' were often denied burial in consecrated church ground and interred at crossroads, with a stake through their heart. It was believed that the junction of roads would confuse the spirit of the deceased and prevent them from returning to haunt the living. 

The crossroads at which they were  interred were usually the closest to their home or the murder site.

Three high profile crossroads burials.

Although there were many burials at crossroads, records have been lost or destroyed, making a true count of how many impossible. Below are the three that I can find information about.

National Police Memorial

On a small patch of grassland, at the corner of The Mall and Horse Guards Road, stands the National Police Memorial. It was the first memorial to be placed in St James's Park in over a century.

On April 17, 1984, WPC Yvonne Fletcher was fatally wounded by a gunshot, fired by an unknown gunman in the Libyan Embassy, on St James's Square. Her murder sparked an eleven-day siege of the Embassy which, when it ended, resulted in the expulsion of those inside the building and the severing of diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and Libya. 

Following her murder the film director Michael Winner founded the Police Memorial Trust. At first the Trust erected small monuments at the locations where Police Officers had lost their lives, but they wanted something more.

From the mid 1990s they lobbied and raised funds for a permanent memorial to all officers who had died in the course of their duties. Michael Winner gifted £500,000 to the fund, stating, 

"Memorials to soldiers, sailors and airmen are commonplace, but the police fight a war with no beginning and no end."

'Dr Salter's Daydream' by Diane Gorvin

If you walk along Bermondsey Wall East you will find four statues of a family, enjoying the peaceful serenity of this part of the River Thames. The pieces are collectively known as 'Dr Salter's Daydream'.

First unveiled, in 1991, the original location of the statue was a little further west, at Cherry Garden Pier. However, in 2003, the statues were relocated to their current position besides the Thames Wall, near the Angel pub and opposite the remains of King Edward III's moated manor house. In 2011, the original statue of Dr Salter was stolen, possibly to be sold for scrap, resulting in the statues of Joyce and the cat being removed for safe keeping. 

It wasn't until 2014, following a fund raising campaign by local people, that the statues were reinstated, which included a new statue, that of his wife Ada. The original statue of Dr Salter had him sitting on a bench, legs crossed with his left arm raised as if in greeting. The new sculpture has him sitting on a granite bench, his hands resting on an umbrella, looking towards his daughter, Joyce, who is leaning against the embankment wall.

His wife, Ada, is seen to be walking towards Joyce, while their pet cat sits atop the river wall as if ready to pounce on an unsuspecting avian friend.

It is a rather poignant set of statues showing Dr Alfred Salter in old age, his wife Ada holding a spade and their daughter Joyce, who sadly died aged eight years old.

The Statues

The statues were designed by Diane Gorvin and cast in bronze by Castle Fine Arts Foundry. Although only three statues were designed as part of the original design, Diane created the statue of Ada for the new unveiling. The statue of Ada is the first statue, in London, of a female politician.

So, who were the Salters and what is their connection to the area?