One of the most fearful fires that have occurred in the neighbourhood of the metropolis for many years took place at a late hour on Monday evening, at the works attached to the station of the South Eastern, Brighton, and Croydon Railways at New-cross, resulting in the destruction of property to an enormous amount.

The New Cross station is to the above railways what Wolverton is to the London and Birmingham line. It communicates with the metropolis by the Kent Road on which it is situated; and with the Thames by part of the old Croydon Canal. The area occupied by the station is about equal to that of Russel Square. it consists of an assemblage of vast workshops, large lathe and planning machine rooms, furnace rooms, carpenters’ and painters’ room, carriage and fire engine houses and a grand octagonal engine house, nearly as larges as the Colosseum in the Regent’s Park; in the centre is a stone shaft, surround by a circle of columns supporting a roof in the manner of the Chapter-house, at Salisbury; between these columns are eight large doorways with tracks for the engines and tenders. The height of this vast octagonal building is, or rather was, 70 feet; and with the range of carriage and workshops attached, it was part of the original station, its erected under the superintendence of Mr. Gibbs, the engineer to the Company; it was handsomely built of brick, with stone finishing.

The firemen at the first appeared to be completely bewildered; the flames were rushing out of the roofs and nearly every window in the octagon and fitting departments, and were roaring sound. At the same moment, the molten lead, was running from the cornices round the blazing property, thereby exposing every one to great danger. Nevertheless every man exerted himself with the greatest intrepidity, and by that means a long range of premises used for the erection of carriages was saved. There was a spacious tank between the two building, but the fire was so fierce, that it completely reached over the tank, and almost set the roof a blaze. It was indeed truly distressing to see the valuable lathes and splendid machinery in fitting house falling a sacrifice. There was no alternative, the whole was quickly destroyed or rendered useless. For two hours and upwards the fire continued to rage with awful violence, although its progress bad, to a certain extent been stopped. The immense mass of inflammable materials that the two buildings contained with the heavy floors and roofs, caused the fire to be frightful extent, the flames risings to such a great altitude as to be seen for many miles distant attracting some thousands of persons to the spot.

His Majesty the King of the French arrived at the station at about eleven o’clock, and on alighting expressed his great regret at the calamity.

One very fortunate circumstances was that the wells from which the engine worked were powerfully charged with water the engines being supplied by steam engine on the works, and to this in a great measure may be attributed the saving of the remainder of the company’s property.

At one o’clock a great number of the engines were still in full operation, there remaining a great body of fire in the ruins. The hose of some were directing streams of water from the warehouses and adjacent buildings into the burning mass beneath, while the firemen were stationed on all sides to prevent the flames from extending. Up to this period, and an hour subsequently, several attaches of the King of the French, who were to follow in another train after the royal carriage, were to be mingled with the police and firemen. Their state dresses wonderfully contrasted with those of the fire corps, whose appeal was covered wit mud, and their faces as black as sweeps. In the course of another half hour or so the whole of the suite left the New-cross station in a special train, on their way to Dover.

The exact amount of property destroys as well as the extent of insurances, are as follows:- The octagonal building, as well as the fitting house, which was 120 feet long by 30 wide, were insured in Westminster Fire Officers for £4600, and the contents in the Phoenix Office to the amount £9000, making a total  of £13600. There were in the octagon six engines and three tenders, the former valued at £1300 each, and the latter at £200 each. It will cost an enormous more to replace the machinery alone. The company estimate the damage under £20,000.

The cause of the fire had been traced to the spontaneous ignition of some vegetable black which was stowed in the paint room.

The ruins, particularly those left of the octagonal or principal buildings, as the fire gradually subsided, had a most remarkable appearance. The upright walls of the upper story, or lantern, which was supported by four stone pillars, while the body of fire was raging beneath, was so charred and splinter by the intensity of the heat, that they resembled the fretted pillars of some ancient monastery, which had been worn away by the lapse of years, while the wreck of several locomotives was to be seen along the extensive line of shedding, presenting a most serious loss of this valuable property of the company.