CONTEXT English Heritage has been asked to assess East Dulwich station and Nos. 1-3 Railway Rise. Planning permission was granted in 2011 for the demolition of the garden centre adjoining East Dulwich Station and redevelopment of the site as housing and a public library. The two western bays of the station, which were also occupied by the garden centre, are also proposed for demolition as part of the development.

HISTORY/DETAILS Originally named Champion Hill Station, East Dulwich Station was built in 1868 as part of the expansion of the London Brighton & South Coast Railway. The original station, which survived until the 1960s, stood about 56m to the south-west of the present building, accessed from Grove Vale by an approach road, later named Railway Rise.

The present station fronting onto Grove Vale first appears on the 1896 OS map, by which time the platform buildings had been extended or rebuilt, a response no doubt to the area’s rapid development and the attendant increase in commuters. By 1916 two shop units had been built on the station’s east side, and by the 1950s the station had been extended at the rear.

The station is a small single-storey five-bay building with a hipped slate roof and dentilling to the eaves, built in brown brick with red-brick window arches and banding. The openings, of which some may originally have been windows, now with lowered cills, are segmental headed; the window to the western bay has been bricked up. A canopy along the station frontage survived until the 1950s. The two western bays appear to have been rendered (or possibly painted) to create a common frontage with the garden centre. External joinery is modern, as are internal fittings.

Nos 1-3 Railway Rise are present on the 1874 OS map. The station and houses share some similar detailing; the houses' close proximity to the station suggest that they were built by the railway company for station staff. They are two storeys high, built in brown brick with red brick dressings; windows have Tudor arches which are continued as banding, and two-over-two pane sashes, possibly original. The pitched slate roofs have deep bracketed eaves and moulded brick stacks. The largest house, No 1, stated to be the former stationmaster’s house, is accentuated by a projecting gabled bay.

CRITERIA/ASSESSMENT Railway stations are assessed against the criteria in English Heritage’s Listing Selection Guide for Transport Buildings (April 2011) which advises that, after 1860, increasingly rigorous selection is required in assessing railway buildings, reflecting both the increased quantity of survival and standardisation of design. Architecture and design quality, technical or construction interest, date and extent of alteration will be key issues.

Nos 1-3 Railway Rise are assessed against criteria in the Listing Selection Guide for Suburban and Country Houses (October 2011), which states that, for houses built after 1840, 'quality of elevational design, interest of planning, quality and survival of decorative elements, innovativeness rather than imitation' are important considerations. Dwellings associated with railway stations may be eligible where they form a strong composition with a listed station; otherwise their intrinsic architectural merit will be the principal consideration.

East Dulwich Station, probably dating from the 1880s, superseding an earlier building of c1868, is not recommended for listing for the following principal reasons:

* Architectural interest: a small suburban station whose pleasing but modest architectural quality has been significantly eroded by C20 alterations, it falls decisively below the standard for listing post-1860 railway stations;

Nos. 1-3 Railway Rise, built c1868, probably as housing for station staff, are not recommended for listing for the following principal reasons:

* Architectural interest and group value: while forming an attractive ensemble, they are typical for their period in terms of style, composition, materials and detail and do not group with any associated listed buildings.

CONCLUSION While of local interest as key elements of the suburban expansion of East Dulwich, individually and as a group East Dulwich Station and Nos. 1-3 Railway Rise, do not possess the special architectural or historic interest in a national context required for designation.