Press release - 12 May 2025 11:10

Victoria station’s historic ceramic rail maps restored for generations to come

Broadcast B-roll of the plaque unveiling is available here with heritage pictures to download below

Historic hand-painted ceramic rail maps that once lay hidden behind an old news stand at the entrance to London’s Grade II listed Victoria station, have been restored, helping mark the national celebration of the birth of the modern railway.

Hidden behind phone booths

Lost behind newsstand

Finally restored

Govia Thameslink Railway has overseen the restoration with funding from Network Rail and a grant from the Railway Heritage Trust.

A blue heritage plaque has been unveiled to celebrate the work (see pictures below).

The hand-painted ceramic line maps were made in 1899 for the London Brighton & South Coast Railway a part of a grand new, faience-lined entrance to the station in the Renaissance revival style. The new station front, and hotel extension above was led by the railway’s chief engineer, Sir Charles Langbridge Morgan, and architect C D Collins.

One of the two maps shows the LB&SCR’s whole network and the other their suburban lines. Both maps show many stations long lost.

These maps, and their elaborate faience surrounds, were first hidden by early phone booths and then, for many years, by a news stand. In recent decades the walls and maps were revealed but had remained in a damaged state.

As part of the restoration, the maps were carefully cleaned by specialists Restore London. Their damaged architectural setting was repaired, with broken tiles and surrounding stonework carefully matched in colour and detail by tilemaker Craven Dunnill Jackfield, which was founded in historic Ironbridge Gorge in 1872.

Benedict O’Looney, Govia Thameslink Railway’s architect and a committee member of Victorian Society, said: “Around 1900, the two companies that developed Victorian Station built impressive new station fronts in the fashionable Beaux Arts style.

“The shimmering, ceramic-clad, entrance of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway matched the ambitious, Baroque revival South Eastern Railway side, with its heroic-scaled figurative sculpture.

“These maps shine a spotlight on rival railway companies, The London, Brighton & South Coast Railway and South Eastern Railway, deploying sophisticated Edwardian architecture, craftsmanship, and materials, to show the public their quality.

“These walls also show the Edwardian railway’s energetic use of architectural ceramics creating elaborate, robust, and soot-resistant walls for railway stations, underground stations, and much else.”

Govia Thameslink Railway Infrastructure Director Keith Jipps said: “Two hundred years ago the modern railway was born with the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825. Railways are vital for communities and the economy so it’s fitting to preserve and celebrate our heritage like this. The restoration of these two maps demonstrates true collaboration between different railway industry partners.”

Tim Hedley-Jones, Executive Director, the Railway Heritage Trust said: “These historic tile maps were discovered behind an old news stand a number of years ago and it has long been an aspiration of the Railway Heritage Trust to restore them. Thankfully match funding money became available within Network Rail and we were able to grant support the works. These maps give us a glimpse of what the entrance to this wonderful Grade II listed station would once have looked like.”

Lucy McAuliffe, Sussex route director for Network Rail, said: “We were pleased to be able to support the restoration of our railway heritage at Victoria station, working with our partners at the Railway Heritage Trust and Govia Thameslink Railway, as well as our expert specialists. The restored maps will be a great reminder for future generations of passengers passing through Victoria station about the incredible history of our railway."