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Shadwell DLR station

Docklands Light Railway station

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 23, 2026
Entity authorityQ801431 ↗
Source-derived summary

Shadwell is a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station in Shadwell in east London, England and is between the terminals of Bank and Tower Gateway to the west and Limehouse to the east. The 1991 Bank extension joins the main DLR line just to the west of Shadwell. It is located near Shadwell railway station for London Overground services, in London fare zone 2.

History

This station opened on 31 August 1987 as part of the first tranche of DLR stations. It is located 50 yards to the west of an earlier station that was first called Shadwell and then renamed Shadwell & St. George's East, serving the slow lines of the London, Tilbury & Southend Railway that this section of the DLR replaced.

Initially designed for one-car DLR trains, Shadwell's platform was extended for two-car operation in 1991. The station was refurbished in 2009: the platforms were extended to accommodate three-car trains, the station entrance at ground level was altered, and an emergency exit was added at the east end of the platforms.

Location

The station stands on a viaduct and consists of a single island platform serving trains in both directions. The ticket machines and entrance are at ground level to the west of the island platforms, facing onto Watney Street.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Shadwell DLR station” as docklands Light Railway station. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Shadwell, station and Docklands.

Editorial reviewMost useful as a place-based finding aid connecting the present description to earlier jurisdictions, maps and built evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1991, 1987, 2009—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1987-08-31. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Shadwell, station and Docklands providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Shadwell DLR station”, the useful work is to connect “docklands Light Railway station” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q801431. Authority coordinates are 51.512, -0.056. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1991, 1987 and 2009.

Critical limits

Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Shadwell DLR station”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Shadwell DLR station primary sources, Shadwell DLR station archive and Shadwell research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Shadwell DLR station”?
  2. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
  3. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Shadwell DLR station” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.