There are several dozen permanently closed London Underground stations across the London Underground ("tube") network. Some were simply built too near to other stations to be useful; others experienced too little use to make their retention worthwhile, or became redundant after lines were rerouted. Some of the closed stations retain their original station façades, while others have been demolished to make way for shops. At least one (Aldwych) is now used for filming and exhibition purposes. A number of other stations, Charing Cross for example, while still open, have closed platforms or sections.
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Permanently closed stations
These stations of the London Underground and its predecessor companies (such as the Metropolitan Railway, the City and South London Railway and Underground Electric Railways of London) are now closed and, for the most part, abandoned:
| Station Name | Line | Closed | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldwych | Piccadilly | 1994 | Terminus of Piccadilly line branch line from Holborn. Closed due to low passenger numbers and cost of replacing lifts |
| Blake Hall | Central | 1981 | Between Epping and Ongar. Closed due to low passenger numbers |
| Brill | Metropolitan | 1935 | Beyond Amersham. Closed when Brill branch was closed |
| Brompton Road | Piccadilly | 1934 | Between Knightsbridge and South Kensington. Closed due to low passenger numbers |
| City Road | Northern | 1922 | Between Angel and Old Street. Closed due to low passenger numbers |
| Down Street | Piccadilly | 1932 | Between Green Park and Hyde Park Corner. Closed due to low passenger numbers when entrances to Green Park and Hyde Park Corner were moved closer to its location |
| Granborough Road | Metropolitan | 1936 | Beyond Amersham on closed route to Verney Junction. Closed when service was cut back to Aylesbury |
| Grove Road (Hammersmith) | Metropolitan | 1906 | On a closed loop connecting what is now the Hammersmith & City Line, south of Goldhawk Road, to the District Line, east of Ravenscourt Park. Closed when Metropolitan service to Richmond was withdrawn |
| Hounslow Town | District | 1909 | A now-closed branch of the District Railway, from what is now the Piccadilly Line near Hounslow East. Closed when Hounslow East station was opened |
| King William Street | Northern | 1900 | The original terminus of the City & South London Railway, a predecessor of the Northern line. Closed when City & South London Railway was extended on a new alignment to Bank |
| Lord's | Metropolitan | 1939 | North of Baker Street. Closed to increase line capacity on Metropolitan line |
| Marlborough Road | Metropolitan | 1939 | Between closed stations Lord's and Swiss Cottage. Closed to increase line capacity on Metropolitan line |
| Quainton Road | Metropolitan | 1936 | Beyond Amersham on closed route to Brill and Verney Junction. Closed in 1936 when service was cut back to Aylesbury. Reopened between 1943 and 1948. |
| St Mary's (Whitechapel Road) | District | 1938 | Between Aldgate East and Whitechapel. Closed when Aldgate East station was relocated closer to its location |
| Shoreditch | East London | 2006 | North-west of Whitechapel. To be replaced with a new station further west called Shoreditch High Street, due to open in 2010. |
| South Acton | District | 1959 | On a short branch of the District Line. Closed due to low passenger numbers |
| South Kentish Town | Northern | 1924 | Between Camden Town and Kentish Town. Closed due to low passenger numbers |
| Swiss Cottage (Metropolitan Line) |
Metropolitan | 1940 | South of Finchley Road. Originally operated as an interchange with new Swiss Cottage station on Bakerloo line (now Jubilee line) but closed during World War II |
| Uxbridge Road | Metropolitan | 1940 | On a closed branch linking the Metropolitan Line to Olympia. Closed due to bombing of the line during World War II |
| Verney Junction | Metropolitan | 1936 | Beyond Amersham. Closed when service was cut back to Aylesbury |
| Waddesdon | Metropolitan | 1936 | Beyond Amersham on closed route to Brill and Verney Junction. Closed when service was cut back to Aylesbury |
| Waddesdon Road | Metropolitan | 1935 | Beyond Amersham on closed route to Brill. Closed when Brill branch was closed. |
| Westcott | Metropolitan | 1935 | Beyond Amersham on closed route to Brill. Closed when Brill branch was closed. |
| Winslow Road | Metropolitan | 1936 | Beyond Amersham on closed route to Verney Junction. Closed when service was cut back to Aylesbury |
| Wood Lane (aka White City) | Metropolitan | 1959 | On what is now the Hammersmith & City Line between Latimer Road and Shepherd's Bush Market. Closed following a fire. Station reopened in 2008 albeit across the road from where the original station was located. |
| Wood Siding | Metropolitan | 1935 | Beyond Amersham on closed route to Brill. Closed when Brill branch was closed. |
| Wotton | Metropolitan | 1935 | Beyond Amersham on closed route to Brill. Closed when Brill branch was closed. |
| York Road | Piccadilly | 1932 | Between King's Cross St. Pancras and Caledonian Road. Closed due to low passenger numbers |
Resited stations
These stations of the London Underground and its predecessor companies (such as the Metropolitan Railway, the City and South London Railway and Underground Electric Railways of London) were directly replaced by alternate premises along the route of the line. In several cases, the platforms and buildings were completely abandoned, although there are cases where the resited station occupies part of the site of its predecessor.
| Station Name | Line | Closed | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldgate East | District | 1938 | Closed when the current station was opened a short distance to the east to enable the Aldgate junction to be rebuilt |
| British Museum | Central | 1933 | Between Tottenham Court Road and Holborn. Closed when Central line platforms were opened at Holborn |
| Earl's Court | District | 1878 | Original station closed when the current station opened to the west |
| Hillingdon | Metropolitan, Piccadilly | 1992 | Original station was to the east of current station and was closed to allow widening of the A40. The current station was opened in 1992 |
| King's Cross St. Pancras | Metropolitan | 1941 | Original platforms to the east of the current ones were closed when the station was relocated a short distance |
| Mark Lane | District, Circle line | 1967 | Closed when current Tower Hill opened |
| Northfields & Little Ealing | Piccadilly | 1932 | Closed when new Northfields station opened to the north. When open, this station was served by the District line |
| Osterley & Spring Grove | Piccadilly | 1934 | Closed when new Osterley station was opened to the south-west |
| Park Royal & Twyford Abbey | Piccadilly | 1931 | North of Park Royal. Closed when station was relocated to Park Royal. When open, this station was served by the District line |
| South Harrow | Piccadilly | 1935 | Original station to the south of current station was closed when station was relocated a short distance north. The southern end of the new platforms overlapped what used to be the northern end of the old platforms, and the old station entrance was replaced by a new building at the northern end of the site. Whether South Harrow is a very minor resiting or a very major reconstruction is a subject often discussed by those documenting the history of the Underground |
| Stockwell | Northern | 1923 | During modernisation of the City and South London railway, the original island platform at Stockwell was replaced by new platforms in separate tunnels, to the south of the station |
| Tower of London | District, Circle line | 1884 | On the site of the present Tower Hill station. Closed when now closed station at Tower Hill was opened |
| Uxbridge | Metropolitan, Piccadilly | 1938 | Original station was to the north-east of current station and was closed when the current station was opened on a new alignment in 1938 |
| Westbourne Park | Metropolitan | 1871 | Original station was to the west of the current station and was closed when the current one was opened in 1871 |
| Wood Lane | Central | 1947 | Between Shepherds Bush and White City, which replaced it. |
Open stations with closed platforms
| Station Name | Line | Closed | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angel | Northern | 1992 | The station was rebuilt in the early 1990s; disused areas of the station include a passenger tunnel to the old lift shaft, the old overground ticket hall and a small section of southbound tunnel |
| Charing Cross | Jubilee | 1999 | Two platforms abandoned when Jubilee Line Extension to Stratford was opened in 1999 |
| Euston | Northern | 1967 | The northbound Northern Line City branch platform was moved when the Victoria Line was opened but part of the abandoned running tunnel remains; passageways remain to disused lift shafts on Northern Line Bank branch (closed 1967) and Charing Cross branch (closed 1914) |
| Gloucester Road | District, Circle line | unknown | One unused platform originally used by the Metropolitan Railway |
| Highgate | Northern | never used by Under- ground |
Highgate is an active Underground station, but has a closed overground section (see below) |
| Holborn | Piccadilly line | 1917 (bay platform), 1994 | Two platforms that served the Aldwych branch |
| Hounslow West | Piccadilly line | 1975 | Original terminal platforms were closed in 1975 when extension to Hatton Cross was opened on new alignment |
| Liverpool Street | Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City, Circle line | unknown | Disused platform originally used by Metropolitan Line and closed connection from Metropolitan Line into Main Line station |
| South Kensington | District, Circle line | 1968/1969 | One unused platform originally used by the Metropolitan Railway and one removed platform originally used by the District Railway. There was also a partially constructed westbound platform at deep level for the District Line Deep Level route that became part of the Piccadilly Line |
Stations formerly served by London Underground
Beyond Amersham
Stations beyond Amersham, served by the Metropolitan line until 1961, now served by Chiltern Railways.
| Station Name | Details |
|---|---|
| Great Missenden | |
| Wendover | |
| Stoke Mandeville | |
| Aylesbury |
Beyond Ealing Broadway
Stations beyond Ealing Broadway, served by the Metropolitan District Railway (now the District line) between 1883 and 1885 along the Great Western Main Line, now served by First Great Western:
| Station Name | Details |
|---|---|
| Castle Hill (Ealing Dean) | Now West Ealing. Has decommissioned platforms once used for milk trains. |
| Hanwell | |
| Southall | |
| Hayes | Now Hayes & Harlington |
| West Drayton | |
| Langley | |
| Slough | |
| Windsor | Now Windsor & Eton Central |
With the exception of Windsor and Eton Central, these stations are due to be reconnected with Central London as part of the TFL-managed "Crossrail" project, currently under construction.
Beyond Upminster
Between 1910 and 1939, the District line operated an excursion service to Southend and Shoeburyness. This typically involved three trains in each direction each day although the intermediate stations served varied during the period. Services were operated in conjunction with the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (and its successors the Midland Railway and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway), with District line electric locomotives hauling the train to Barking where the steam engines took over for the rest of the route to the coastal towns. The service ended on 30 September 1939 but Southend continued to be listed as a District line destination on tube maps until 1943. The route is currently served by c2c trains.
| Station Name | Details |
|---|---|
| Leigh-on-Sea | |
| Southend Central | |
| Shoeburyness |
Northern City Line
The former Great Northern & City Railway, later served by the Metropolitan Railway, then called the Northern City Line and after that the Northern Line - Highbury Branch; now served by First Capital Connect:
| Station Name | Details |
|---|---|
| Essex Road | |
| Drayton Park |
Note: Moorgate, Old Street, Highbury & Islington and Finsbury Park were also served by Underground trains on this line and are still served by other Underground Lines.
Beyond Harrow & Wealdstone
Stations beyond Harrow & Wealdstone, formerly served by the Bakerloo Line, now served by the Watford DC Line of London Overground. It is expected that these stations will transfer back to the Bakerloo line now that management of the former North London Railways franchise has been transferred from the Department for Transport to Transport for London.
| Station Name | Details |
|---|---|
| Headstone Lane | |
| Hatch End | |
| Carpenders Park | |
| Bushey and Oxhey | |
| Watford High Street | |
| Watford Junction |
East London Line
Stations on the East London line which do not have connections with other lines closed for service on 22 December 2007 and ceased to be part of the London Underground. They are scheduled to reopen in 2010 as part of the London Overground.
| Station Name | Details |
|---|---|
| Shadwell | |
| Wapping | |
| Rotherhithe | |
| Surrey Quays | |
| New Cross | Still served by main line trains |
| New Cross Gate | Still served by main line trains |
Note: Canada Water and Whitechapel stations were served by trains on this line and are still served by other Underground trains.
Beyond Epping
Stations which were open before the Central Line was cut back to Epping. Except Blake Hall, they reopened as part of the Epping Ongar Railway.
| Station Name | Details |
|---|---|
| North Weald | Between Epping and Ongar. Closed due to low passenger numbers on the Central Line but later reopened as part of the Epping Ongar Railway. |
| Blake Hall | On the former extension from Epping to Ongar. Closed in 1981 and is now a private residence. |
| Ongar | On the former extension from Epping to Ongar. Reopened as part of the Epping Ongar Railway. |
Stations part-built but never opened
Some tube stations were only partially constructed and never opened:
- North End (also known to Underground staff as "Bull and Bush") on the Northern Line between Golders Green and Hampstead) had the lower level passages and platform tunnels constructed before the station was abandoned, at the start of the 20th Century. A stairwell and nondescript surface building were built in the 1950s before being converted into an emergency exit point for the Hampstead section of the Northern Line.
- Brockley Hill, Elstree South and Bushey Heath (on the abandoned extension to Bushey of the Edgware branch of the Northern Line) were planned, and preparatory work undertaken but were not built due to the Second World War and the establishment of the Green Belt. The preliminary construction work involved two brick viaducts and a tunnel opening which survived in a derelict state until finally demolished around 1999, and the Aldenham Works which became a bus overhaul works, ceasing bus overhauls in 1994 and being demolished in 1996.
Stations planned to become part of the Underground
Northern Line developments
The above-Northern Line extension to Bushey was part of the Northern Heights plan of the 1930s. Part of this plan was for the Northern Line to take over existing LNER lines in north London. This was completed from East Finchley to High Barnet and Mill Hill East but the project was halted by the outbreak of the Second World War and financial cutbacks after the war meant that the project was not restarted and a number of stations were never incorporated:
- Stations beyond Mill Hill East closed in 1939 in anticipation of incorporation into the Northern Line, but never re-opened to passengers:
- Mill Hill (The Hale)
- Edgware (would have been replaced by Edgware Underground station had the project been completed).
- Stations between Finsbury Park and Alexandra Palace via Highgate continued to be part of the LNER (and later British Railways) until the line closed in 1954:
- Note: The original surface part of Highgate station between Crouch End and Cranley Gardens also closed although the newer Underground section remains open.
Central Line developments
Denham station was to have been the original terminus of the western extension of the Central Line but the introduction of Green Belt legislation caused the extension to be cut back to West Ruislip. The intermediate stop, Harefield Road was similarly planned but not built.
Bakerloo Line developments
In 1931 the Bakerloo line extension to Camberwell was authorised. The outbreak of the Second World War delayed any work from happening. In 1947 the authorisation was renewed, a small amount of tunnel was constructed before the whole project was abandoned in the early fifties. Camberwell tube station was planned near Camberwell Green but never built. In the seventies the plans were revisited with a proposed intermediate station at Walworth, but were again abandoned. Camberwell has not been served by rail since 1916 when the above-ground Camberwell station closed.
Fleet Line
The Fleet Line was a planned expansion of what is now the Jubilee Line. Its proposed route partially followed that of Fleet Street from which it took its name. It would have seen a new section opened between Charing Cross and Fenchurch Street, with intermediate stations at Aldwych, Ludgate Circus and Cannon Street.
After Fenchurch Street, plans were less firm. Various ideas saw the line continue to Lewisham and New Cross Gate (Fleet stage 3), Addiscombe and Hayes (Fleet stage 4), or a more northerly alignment via the Docklands to Thamesmead (River Line)
Construction began on the route, a section of tunnelling between Green Park and Aldwych was built, and work on Ludgate Circus was also started. It was never completed, as rising costs forced the project to be repeatedly delayed.
More than twenty years later an eastwards extension to the Jubilee Line was eventually constructed, but travelling along a different route south of the river and then up to Stratford via Canary Wharf. The planned former route of the Fleet Line is now part of a propoed Docklands Light Railway extension to Charing Cross.
Great Northern & Strand Railway
Under plans approved in 1897, the Great Northern and Strand Railway (GN&SR), a tube railway supported by the Great Northern Railway (GNR) was to have been constructed beneath the GNR's tracks between Wood Green (now Alexandra Palace) and Finsbury Park and then into central London. The GN&SR stations had connections with the GNR stations on the surface, serving Wood Green, Hornsey and Harringay.
The GN&SR route and stations north of Finsbury Park were cancelled in 1902 when the GN&SR was taken over by Charles Yerkes' consortium which planned to merge it with the Brompton and Piccadilly Circus Railway to form a route from Finsbury Park to Hammersmith (now part of the London Underground's Piccadilly line).[1]
City and Brixton Railway
The C&BR received Royal assent in 1898, proposing a line between the soon-to-be-abandoned King William Street terminus of the C&SLR and Brixton via stations at London Bridge, St Georges Circus, Lambeth Road, Kennington Cross, Oval, and Lorn Road. However it proved impossible to raise the finance to start construction, and the scheme lay dormant, eventually being abandoned.
See also
- List of London Underground stations - includes previous names for stations
- List of closed railway stations in London
- List of closed railway stations in Britain
- List of fictional rapid transit stations
- List of London Underground-related fiction
- Ghost stations of Berlin
- Disused Barcelona Metro stations
References
- ^ Badsey-Ellis, Antony. London's Lost Tube Schemes. Capital Transport. pp. 77 and 138. ISBN 185414-293-3.
Further reading
- J. E. Connor, London's Disused Underground Stations, Capital Transport, 2001 (2nd edition)
- J. E. Connor, Abandoned Stations on London's Underground (A photographic record), Colchester, Connor and Butler Ltd., 2000. ISBN 0-947699-30-9
- Douglas Rose, The London Underground: A Diagrammatic History (Capital Transport, 2005): ISBN 1-85414-219-4
External links
- London's Abandoned Tube Stations
- Underground-history.co.uk (originally located at http://www.starfury.demon.co.uk/uground/)
- 2007 Photo gallery of disused tunnels at Euston Station
- Clive's Underground Line Guides
- Ghosts of the Underground
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