Sydenham Station - The Early Days

The current station facilities at Sydenham are far removed from the luxurious station buildings of the late 1800s.
The following images show how it used to be.

The original station was the second of the intermediate stations on the Holywood branch, and was a mere stopping place, taking it's name from the townland Ballymisert. A BCDR (Belfast and County Down Railway) shareholder offered land for a permanent station in a851 and a platform was built. Suburban Belfast was developing rapidly and the more 'sophisticated' name of Sydenham waa adopted for the district. Long before the Sydenham Bypass was thought of a level crossing existed for military and later for public use during the second world war. The public used the level crossing to gain access to the Shorts' aircraft factory and the adjacent Royal Navy Aircraft yard.