Weekend Guides: Disused Underground Stations

Weekend Guides: Disused Underground Stations

by: Street Team

Tom Armstrong goes underground to find the stories behind some of London's ghost stations.

Yes we moan about it – it's cramped, expensive, temperamental, but where would we be without our beloved tube? The finest subterranean railway system in the world carries a billion passengers a year (and yes, it does sometimes feel like they're all packed on to your tube carriage in the morning) and true to London form is full of history, secrets and stories. In fact, chances are you've probably walked past one of these disused underground stations without even noticing it. 

Down Street

Despite London Underground being rightly championed as an excellent display of Art Deco design, the glazed red tiles and half moon arches which we associate with many station buildings owe more to the Edwardian arts and crafts movement and to a man named Leslie Green. Down Street station in Mayfair is a tribute to the lasting impression of Green's iconic design; the station needs no signage to inform you of its past life, the ox-blood exterior is powerful enough to conjure up images of its own to Londoners.

Despite being inactive to trains since 1932, the station played a key role in WWII, providing deep level shelter for the Emergency Railway Committee during the bombing. In fact, Churchill himself used the station on occasion as an alternative to the Cabinet War Rooms.

Aldwych

Originally called Strand, this Green designed station on the crossover from Fleet Street changed its name in 1915 to Aldwych (mainly because someone else wanted to call their station Strand – this sort of thing happened a lot in the early days of the tube) and was in operation as recently as 1994. It helped house priceless artifacts from the British Museum during the war, and since its closure it's been used in films such as 28 Weeks Later, V for Vendetta, and Creep. Tours are occasionally organized by TFL but sell out extremely quickly, such is London's current demand for hidden treasures.

City Road

Just a stones throw away from Spoonfed HQ lies the remains of City Road station, which serviced the stretch of road between Old Street and Islington way before anyone even knew what a tech start-up was. The station was open from 1901 until 1922, when work on the Northern Line forced it to close for good. All that remains of the original building is the lift shaft which can still be seen at ground level, albeit plastered with flyers.

South Kentish Town

Unremarkable in itself and only open between 1907 and 1924, South Kentish Town has acquired cult status as the subject of a 1951 poem by John Betjeman. South Kentish Town tells the story of a passenger accidentally trapped in the dark, abandoned station after mistakenly getting off at a red signal and was based on a real incident. Despite calls to reopen the station to ease congestion at the nearby Camden Town, the Mayor's office seem none too keen on the idea, citing it as prohibitively expensive. Today the station building is a branch of Cash Converters.

Kingsway Tram (pictured)

Ever passed through Holborn and wondered where that tunnel in the middle of the road leads, with its path of leaves and street debris leading to a set of portentously padlocked iron gates? What lies beyond is in fact the remains of a lost tram tunnel, which ferried Londoners from Holborn to Waterloo Bridge for almost half a century from 1906. Trams were once an essential part of London transport, providing an efficient alternative to horse drawn vehicles before the motor-boom. As road traffic increased however, trams were seen as noisy, dangerous and outdated, despite being held dear by the public, and the tram took its last journey in 1952.  

Click here for London events. 

Street Team