Marius Road Tram Depot
Balham SW
The Balham Tram depot was built in the 1880's to house the horse trams of the London Tramways Company. It was take over by the LCC on the 1st January 1899 when it is recorded it housed 35 horse cars. The route that passed the depot was opened on December 16th 1889 Having been extended from Clapham South to Totterdown Street in Tooting.
In 1903 the tramway was rebuilt and electrified and was opened by the Prince of Wales when he drove the first electric tram form Westminster to Tooting, Totterdown Street. The horse tram bodies that were replaced by the new electric cars were mostly broken up and burnt in a field next to Balham Hill.
The depot was converted to hold the first LCC trams (Class A) on six tracks inside the depot, six cars had to be stored outside under tarpaulins. This was due to the unavailablity of Clapham Electric Car Shed under construction. The total compliment af class A cars at Marius Road was 42. They were delivered and assembled in the Marius Road depot. Access to the depot was via the "up" and "down" tracks in Balham High Road, they led to a traverser outside the depot giving access to the six tracks under cover. There was also an outside track on the left that gave access to the (ex) stables and workshops. The works were at the top left hand corner of the depot. The tramways in this area used the conduit system of current collection. In the photographs you can see that the conduit was carried into the depot and across the traverser although it was not in the centre of the tracks but over to one side to enable the safe use of the inspection pits.
The Marius Road car sheds were used as an overflow shed for Clapham, but after August 1904 it was held in reserve as a site that could be developed if need arose. It was later used as a store and dismantling depot for surplus horse cars. The horse cars and the class A cars were open top and when they were replaced by covered cars the depot was not high enough to accomodate these.
In September 1915 the shed was re-opened to house trailer cars that were put on the Merton - Embankment service. After the enlargement of Clapham Depot all the electric trams were transfered there and Marius Road Depot was then used to house the trailer cars only.
Three experimental petrol electric powered trams that were tried out on the Tooley Street route near London Bridge were transferred here and after their bodywork was removed they were use to shunt the trailers in and out to the depot forecourt where they were coupled to an electric tram. The trailers were much used after the first World War, but as the A class trams were replaced by the E and E1 class trams with more powerfull motors they were gradually withdrawn. The last of the trailer trams were withdrawn in 1924 and Marius Road tram Depot was finally closed.
The premises became a none tram related workshop which passed to British Films Limited in 1946. In 1978 British films moved to Southampton. In the late 1990s the site was completely redeveloped.
Now nothing remains of the London Tram system in the Balham area, apart from a few manhole covers with the legend 'London County Council Tramways' cast on them.
© Copyright John R. Prentice Software 2015-2023. Wills photo copyright TLRS.