Bermondsey Tube Station: Brace Yourself 

3:57 anyone else so classically conditioned by Jago's videos that they got whiplash when the words "American gentlemen" are not immediately accompanied by that one picture of our dear beloved Charles Tyson Yerkes?

The station was also designed to support a medium sized office tower on top of the entrance, but it was never built. Helps explain why the structure looks so substantial.

“Why, they’d laugh at you, that’s what they’d do.” - Me to myself asking whether I should tell friends I like nerding about the Underground.

Shocking, an American man who isn’t me.

It seems to have been forgotten that the initial pressure to build Bermondsey (and Southwark) Jubilee line stations came from the then local MP Simon Hughes, whose aims came to fruition, meaning that the line didn’t run direct from London Bridge to Canada Water without stopping.

Hang on..."Bermondsey has no interchange..." you say? Expect it to appear soon on Geoff Marshall's "Only Unconnect" series of videos,,lol.

The build out of Canary Wharf is quite astonishing. I remember taking a tour of the site in 1989. It was just a massive wasteland and construction zone but a few structures were either completed and waiting for occupation or were in the midst of assembly. I won’t forget the visit for a very silly reason; I made the mistake of changing the lens on my Canon SLR out in the open air. With all of the sand around, you can guess what happened when an inopportune stray breeze came up. From then on, every time I advanced the film, there was gritty grinding noise. Needless to say, I learned my lesson!

I live in Bermondsey - love our station it’s very unique and we are lucky to have it & the frequency of tubes

In an era before the Fleet Line was a glint in a tunnelling engineer's eye, indeed the Victoria Line was still a mewling babe in arms, I worked in a now defunct department store adjacent to High Street Kensington station. For those who know, it was the one with the famous roof garden. My boss asked if I fancied a trip to the seaside to collect some urgently needed items. "But of course", I replied - being young and keen and willing to do as my lords and masters desired (I soon learnt). Imagine my disappointment when it was revealed I would be travelling to the sunny delights of Bermondsey. 😢🤣

If Maurice Micklewhite had stayed in his own manor, this would have been his station. Not many people know that.

An explanation! At first glance the station seems like a variant of the brutalist school. But when you combine the waterproof concrete box with a desire to let in some daylight, the design makes sense.

My local station, 5 minutes walk from home. I find it very convenient to use, it's much quicker and easier to get between platform and street than most other Underground stations, especially London Bridge.

Bermondsey born and raised and I just love anything to do with Bermondsey. I enjoyed this video.

Bermondsey is I guess the JLE equivalent of Pimlico on the Victoria Line, the relatively quiet station with no interchange that serves an area, but wasn't essential. I don't know how important it was, but it can't have harmed the development of The Bermondsey Beer Mile nearby, making it easier for customers to get there AND putting the name "Bermondsey" on the tube map, which is great in raising awareness of a district.

For years going back to the late 60's we would visit my Aunt Rose who lived in Wilson Grove, Bermondsey. It always annoyed me that there was no station near, the closest was Rotherhithe about 30 minutes walk away. So it was always the 188 bus to Jamaica Road. Aunt Rose moved out of Wilson Grove in the late 90's and what happens? They build a tube station at the end of her road!!!

I use the station quite often. To be honest, Jago you are right about the unstable ground. The station is beginning to suffer from water ingress problems like so many other tube stations south of the river. It's a very dingy station and the raw concrete walls are not really helping much with the dingy look. They have got dirty from the fine black tube dust which is very sooty looking, giving the station an unkempt industrial, unloved look, which is a real shame.

The most surprising thing to me about Bermondsey is that it's actually pronounced "Bermondsey". It's the kind of English place name that looks like the locals would take great pleasure in shaking their heads and declaring that any fool should be able to see it's pronounced "Bezzy" or something. (Looking at you, Featherstonehaugh. :)

"Instead, the money set aside was put into road in the area" Oh what a painfully familiar story with HS2...

Sometimes your vids represent major parts of my life lol Being a man and boy Millwall lad and also working at an uncle's scrappy in Bermondsey brings that home as well as wandering the defunct Bricklayer's Arms line as it wandered under South Bermondsey station also good memories. My family were the Greenwich Watsons, my youngest born in the now long gone Greenwich hospital one of the last to be born there before closure and the last Watson in our family to be born in Greenwich, my great grandfather was a very well liked policeman from Greenwich West nick who fought crime in every cafe and pub along his "beat" which started at the station and he ensured every pub along his huge beat hadn't been stolen before wobbling in to his house in Point Hill for a solid lunch before wandering up to Blackheath, Royal Standard down to Shooter's Hill, along to Woolwich then back up the banks of the Thames through Charlton to sign off and by this time wobbling like a sailor in a storm to be told off by me great grandma for being by this time 9 sheets to the wind. He must have been pretty good as he had a zero arrest record and zero crime on his "patch" and NO pubs were ever stolen on his watch...

My Great Grandparents made their way to Bermondsey from Derbyshire in the late 1800's, when it was at it's most stinky, with the tanneries and rendering plants. There was a court case at the Old Bailey at one point investigating the unhealthy conditions there. My relatives high tailed it to Croydon soon enough.

I'm so pleased you called it Surrey Docks. I grew up in Rotherhithe (Brunel Road) during the 1960's and have never adjusted to calling it Surrey Quays. At least the Wetherspoons still carries the old name 🍻

I went to St James primary school in Bermondsey - and then moved across London with 1 year left. So for a year in the mid 80s I travelled across London from Earl’s Court to Bermondsey every day alone as a 10 year old. I had to catch a tube to Tower Hill then a bus and it took over an hour. This station would have made it so much easier back then as I could have done the journey in about half the time 🤷‍♀️

I bought a flat in Bermondsey in 1998. The seller was an absentee landlord who, for various reasons, wanted shot of it quickly. What he didn't know was that there was a very big hole being dug down the road. Less than a year after I completed that hole had opened as Bermondsey tube station, and my flat had jumped in value from £60k to £180k. The station has been followed by a lot of new housing development - over the back, behind Jamaica Road. Mind you, knowing Southwark that would probably have happened anyway. "If in doubt, build a house" seems to be the Council's motto.

Can't think of what could possibly go wrong with a glass seat. Yes, indeed, classic Jago! Great video.

Thanks Jago, I now have to go find my copy of "The Long Good Friday" ! - Shakes fist at the sky in comical manner !

Very interesting, thanks 🙏. As a side note it's amazing how a picture of a damp grey London streetscape with a tube station can elicit a deep sense of love in a now Aussie who grew up near London in the 70s and 80s 😍

I love a good thumbnail cover picture that's pertinent and to the point. Well done, Mr Hazzard, for always doing this and not putting up a picture of yourself pulling a stupid face, shrugging your shoulders or pointing at absolutely nothing (which other RU-vidrs seem to do).

This my local tube. Slight odd ball to be fair. I would say South East needs more tube lines. Bermondsey to Old Kent Road/Camberwell is a long journey because of less access and limiting roads. Old Kent Road gets heavily congested regularly with traffic trying to stay out of CC which bounds South East. Roads linking the Bridges Tower Bridge and London Bridge have caused this. A few years back they banned cars and other vehicles besides buses from crossing the bridges on weekends. They have spent at least 10 years building a cycle lane from Tower Bridge down to Deptford, which causes congestion regularly.

Jubilee line is the best.😍 Best sounding trains too🥰

a video dedicated to Bermondsey! very nice

You can tell that at Bermondsey the blue frieze doesn’t get in the way of the Underground signs. They avoided “you can’t see the torus for the frieze”!

The changes in The Underground since my student days are amazing. Thanks for another interesting insight.

A station I pass through often but to which I'd never given much thought. Some useful background material here about the docklands railway development.

Ahhh the smell of biscuit town ❤

I lived in Bermondsey while the line was being built. There was a worksite right across the street and according to the plans I saw, one of the running tunnels was built directly under my bedroom! And yes, it was a pain to have to walk (or take the 47 bus) a mile to London Bridge to get to our nearest station… but sadly I’d left by the time Bermondsey station opened!

How I first heard of Bermondsey: 'You can't get a light and bitter in Miami though You can get one in Bermondsey though! That's a nice sound as well, Bermondsey You can get a light and bitter, and it sounds nice Light and bitter, that sounds nice, I'd like a light and bitter Oh cheers thanks a lot Oh nice one yeah Alright, what you having? What you having eh? Pina Colada? Lovely, here you must be sophisticated'

The ships moved so their was nothing left to 'anchor' the factories. Underappreciated pun!

Used to be my local station. Always thought it was humdrum up top but unsung down below. So thanks for the nostalgia and the education. N

I can’t resit my fix of Jago even when on holiday sitting around a pool in Gran Canaria. Well call me a geek. Great video and reaserch

In the end, because of clawbacks due to the JLE late opening, Canary Wharf only paid 3% of the cost. You'd never know it from the Tory hype at the time.

When I came to London in 2000 I first went on the Jubilee line extension from London Bridge to Stratford

I was waiting for Jago to tell us if the station usage matched the original expectations, but he kept that bit secret. I could try and research it myself, or just hate him instead. Hmm, a tricky decision!

Bring on the *JAGO HAZZARD* LINE, o Mayor of London. _dedicated to the memory of SIR. JAGO HAZZARD._

It's bloody raining again !!! It does not have to be sunny all the time to make a damn good video - thanks Jago.

Sir Michael Caine is a Bermondsey boy!

Thanks again for your time and research

Accuracy point: there's hasn't been any tram service south east of the river since the late 1940s. Outer London for example Wimbledon and Croydon have had some trams for a few years now.

The short-sightedness of politicians is frustrating me more and more the older I get. How often have we seen the "lets not do it, it's too expensive" argument, only for that exact same thing being done 10 years later for double the costs? Infrastructure isn't getting cheaper.

Brilliant video, Jago, as usual! Thanks!

Beautifully researched and told.

How apt - just yesterday I went past Bermondsey station (above ground) for the first time.

'Gooch Ware Travelstead' always cracks me up! 🤣

Very good - Thanks for sharing Jago 🙂🚂🚂🚂

Brilliant video sir!

This channel is a great source for my London history 😊

Nice one Jago - this was a really great story

my home away from home for the last two decades. hilarious coincidence you and auditing Britain ended up on my doorstep almost at the same time.

Jago I love your videos. On this one however there is a missing part to the story. When the final proposals for the line went to parliament, neither Southwark or Bermondsey were part of the plan. The then MP, Simon Hughes, filibustered in parliament to ensure the debate fell and that Bermondsey and Southwark tube stations would be added to the plan. If he hadn't, there would be no Bermondsey tube. Separately it's interesting that the Salter house was considered the location. That would have been a bit more central to Bermondsey. In the end this site wasn't the site of that house (which is on the corner of Reverdy Road and Southwark Park Road)

What an interesting noise that train made as it started moving at 5:22! I wish I knew why Jubilee Line trains made that noise. If only there was a well-written, humorous, yet concise video that covered it. Nothing too long, maybe a little over six minutes in length? Preferably written by a very handsome Harry Beck impersonator? :D

Looks a lovely modern station . I’ll be visiting soon on my travels.

Our home station when were were in London. Loved the introduction 😊

Bermondsey also has a bit of a macabre past to it. My late father was a mine of useless but nevertheless interesting information. He worked for the Whitechapel bell foundry as a bell hanger which means he installed bells. One day in the late mid to late 60s he went to a company in old Kent Road Bermondsey to buy ropes for the transit flatbed truck. These were to tie loads down loads etc. Well he told us about the place and how they produced hangmans ropes and described what they looked like and no typical wildwest hangmans knot. They used to supply to the home office but still made them to export to Commonwealth countries that still had capital punishment. A few years ago I reflected on this story and decided to search Mister Google. Yes a company called John Edgington of Old Kent Road was a rope manufacturer who produced these 13 foot ropes with a noose and brass ferrule on one end a simple brass ferrule at the other end. I notice that LT who useds different tiles and Motti at each station did not choose to have a noose for Bermondsey. Perhaps they don't know about this macabre infamy surrounding Bermondsey.

2:35 poor old Thamesmead lost out again!

I used to work around bermondsey and it is a fairly nice area compared to other parts I worked before. I also found out from an old work colleague that bermondsey beer mile gets it's name not because it goes into bermondsey but because it's the end of the beer mile the working community use to start at the bermondsey end!

i visted London in 2022 and the closest station was Bermondsey (about 20 minute walk from where i was) i remember going into the shop and I bought an Oasis

Great video Jago

Very nice, thank-you. The Angerstein Wharf railway complex nearby would make for another worthwhile project. Ps the poverty of Bermondsey, as described by Fenner Brockway in his book, 'The Bermondsy Story' (with neither, then, cab rank or bookshop) haa been replaced, now, by a much-more affluent air.

I remember being involved in testing of escalators and escape routes before it opened. It was better than sitting in the office anyway!

I love the jubilee line. It is just amazing.

Gooch Ware Travelstead any relation to our friend / fiend Charles Tyson Yerkes 🤣 ? Love the glass freeze, nice idea those glass seats too, I bet LT saw through those quite early on, no wonder they were replaced.

My fave station

Those beams and slabs remind me a lot of the Montreal Metro stations. Very brutalist.

Thanks Jagiebaby for another smashing video.

Captured the weather but missed the station's lift.

Great content as ever JH

Great video. Very informative and interesting. 👍🏾

I worked at Canary Wharf when it was practically empty. It was a joy to take the DLR into Central London.

I've now found myself now saying "Bermondsey Tube Station Station Station"

I love the sound the Jubilee Line train makes. Reminds me of my youff.

Always love an appearance for Mr Gooch Ware Travelstead, the mystery man with the weirdest name ever!

Hmmm! An American gentleman not named Charles Tyson Yerkes.

Interesting video. I worked on this project and found it fascinating, also challenging. The main problem we encountered was an anomaly that affected our levelling instruments, this happened on the spot near the cross adit on the east bound platform, when in this area all instruments would go haywire. The first occurrence was actually during the initial tunnelling. The boring machine had a gyroscopic system that would direct the machine to within 2 millimetres discrepancy. On this occasion midway down the east platform the machine changed course and veered almost a meter to the left with no apparent reason. It was discovered, but the machine had to be brought back to a point or correction. If you stand on a point on the east bound platform and look towards the end of the tunnel on the left you will see a shape resembling a crescent moon, this is the direction the machine was going prior to be put on track. Those famous glass seats? they consisted of a run of about twenty in the form of a long bench, pretty neat; I still have the photographs.

Brilliant, as ever

Another brilliant, socially conscious video!

It had always struck me that on the Jubilee line some of the new stations (Westminster & Bermondsey) had avoided having pedestrian walkways and escalators in claustrophobic tunnels and had instead opted for a scene from an Escher drawing, with large open concrete caverns criss-crossed with escalators and aerial pathways. Was Bermondsey the first to adopt this new architectural style?

Great London weather !

Bermondsey being described as suburban is a first 😂

Go through it nearly everyday. Be lucky to see anyone get on or off. Nice video

I was there today, went through the station on a crowded train without even noticing it, as one does when going from A to B standing all the way (North Greenwich to Waterloo)

that station should absolutely get a mixed residential building but on top

When an American gentleman named *what*?!

Good one Jago 👍

Don’t ever change or sell out. This kind of journalism is rare these days

Thank you for the well researched background of Bermondsey! I've been living here for about a year and a half and have loved it. I've been very surprised how little I see it mentioned, especially considering its vicinity to the City

Cut N cover, the Great Central lives . Almost Olympia Yorke and Yerkes as well. Thanks jay go go go.

Thanks for the LOL! - Glass seats, what could go wrong?!

I like it because it’s such a quiet station

I've often wondered about the Borough, why it was built when The Elephant and London Bridge are so close.

Bermondsey... a station I have travelled through many times, but never got on or off at.

Thamesmead again? To me that place has a mythical status, like Camelot. I thought tube lines avoided going into south east London because they were afraid the trains would disappear in the Bermondsey Triangle.