History
The station was opened by the original London & Croydon Railway (L&CR) on 5 June 1839, as Dartmouth Arms (after the name of the local inn).
The line was also used by the London and Brighton Railway from 1841 and the South Eastern Railway (SER) from 1842. In 1844, the station was chosen by the L&CR as the northern terminus for Phase 1 of an experimental Atmospheric railway to West Croydon operated by the railway. A pumping station was also constructed at the station. The L&CR and the L&BR merged to form the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) in July 1846, the following year 'Atmospheric' working was abandoned, and the station became Forest Hill for Lordship Lane.
The LB&SCR moved the 'Down' platform during the early 1850s when the line was quadrupled, and extended the island platform around 1864.
The LB&SCR station buildings, were destroyed by bombing during World War II and have now been replaced by a more modern system-built structure. The short narrow island platform serving the fast lines was closed and demolished in the early 1960s.
The current whereabouts of the plaque commemorating the historic visit of Frank Bruno is not known. It was last seen before repainting in late 2005.
Read more about this topic: Forest Hill Railway Station
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