Cannon Street station facts for kids

Front of the original station building, around 1910

Cannon Street station is a busy train station in central London. It's a "terminus" station, which means trains arrive here and stop. It's also a London Underground (Tube) station. You can find it in the City of London, which is the main financial area of London.

The station was built on a historic spot. Long ago, in the Middle Ages, there was a trading base here called the Steelyard. It was used by a group of merchants called the Hanseatic League. Cannon Street station is located in Travelcard Zone 1.

About the Rail Station

This station is where trains end their journey. Trains reach it by crossing the River Thames on the Cannon Street Railway Bridge. You can enter the station from Cannon Street or Dowgate Hill.

Trains can connect to or come from both London Bridge station and Charing Cross station. Cannon Street is one of 17 major train stations in the UK. These stations are managed by a company called Network Rail.

The First Building

The station first opened its doors on September 1, 1866. It was built by the South Eastern Railway company. The original station building had two tall, impressive towers. These towers were about 23 feet (7 meters) wide and 135 feet (41 meters) high. They faced towards the River Thames.

The towers supported a huge iron roof over the train tracks. This roof was about 700 feet (213 meters) long. It was shaped like a big arch, made of glass and iron. In 1867, an Italian-style hotel was added next to the station. This hotel offered services for passengers. It also made the station look very grand from the street.

Images for kids

• 

  Cannon Street Railway Bridge, 2005

• 

  Original station viewed from the railway bridge, around 1910

• 

  The station in 1923, in an etching by Ian Strang

• 

  Cannon Street station in 1969, showing the easterly of the twin towers

• 

  John Poulson's office block in 2007 before it was redeveloped

• 

  The Plumber's Apprentice by Martin Jennings. It was put up in 2011. It marks 400 years since the Worshipful Company of Plumbers' hall was taken down to build the station.

• 

  Cannon Street station seen from The Shard. You can see its roof garden and twin towers.

• 

  The station viewed from the south side of the Thames, 2020

See also

In Spanish: Estación de Cannon Street para niños