Jason Allen 22/06/70
You’re probably here because of our list, An Interesting Fact About Every London Tube Station.
Now, like the Underground itself, the list is pretty huge. And also like the Underground, we thought we’d make it easier to navigate – so we also created a little splinter list dedicated to stations on The Bakerloo Line. A list which, lo and behold, you’ll find on this very page, starting with the it’s southernmost point Hammersmith, just to the south of this line…
Technically, it’s two stations – one District/Piccadilly, one Hammersmith & City/Circle. And to get from one to the other without walking would require a minimum of 10 stops and 3 changes.
The line running through Goldhawk Road station was active as early as 1864, yet no station opened there until 1914.
Until 2008, it was called Shepherd’s Bush until it was renamed to avoid confusion.
Newest station on the network, opened in October 2008.
Is actually located half a kilometre away from Latimer Road.
Was originally called Notting Hill, but the name was changed to avoid confusion with Notting Hill Gate. There’s now a movement to change the name to Portobello Road, despite the fact that it’s not on Portobello Road. It’s on Ladbroke Grove.
First station to be demolished. It was relocated in 1871.
Named after a nearby pub (still there, but now called The Porchester).
Jeremy Segrott / Flickr
The track running towards Bayswater passes under 23-24 Leinster Road – a facade constructed to match neighbouring terrace houses. disguising where the original house was demolished to allow a gap in the tube system for steam trains to er…let off steam.
Has a “living wall” wall of plants outside the station, the only one in the underground network.
Has the most platforms of any tube station – 10.
Despite having three lines run through it, it only has one pair of tracks, making it one of the most intensely used parts of the network.
Was the place that the very first piece of work on the underground – or any underground railway on earth – took place. A shaft was sunk in January 1860 there.
Has the shortest lift shaft on the network, at just 2.3 metres.
Originally designed to transport livestock to Smithfield market – there are still cattle ramps onto the street West Smithfield for this purpose.
The tube’s first rail disaster happened here. 4 people died …and the trains were running again within half an hour.
Has a virtually unknown second underground line which starts here – the Northern City Line runs from Moorgate to Finsbury Park.
Built on the original site of the Bethlehem (Bedlam) mental asylum.
The station was moved by just a few feet in 1938 in order to make the curve of the track slightly more gentle. In order to do this, the entire track had to be lowered by 2m in one night. The ground below the track was excavated during the day (with the rails held up by a wooden trestle <em>while trains still ran over them</em>), and 900 workmen simultaneously eased the rails down after the station closed. It reopened the next morning with no break in service.
Tom Page / Flickr
Whitechapel is the only place on the network where the Overground runs below the Underground.
A Tudor-era bowling ball was unearthed during the Crossrail excavations under the station.
Is named so because it’s exactly one mile from the eastern boundary of The City of London.
The steepest gradient on the tube network.
In EastEnders, the fictional Walford East tube station takes the place of Bromley-by-Bow.
Has more platforms (8) than Charing Cross (6).
Prior to the station being put in, Plaistow was a whole day’s coach ride to Westminster due to the roads. Now, it takes less than half an hour.
The station’s name is slang for crazy (because they’re ‘two stops short of Barking’).
Between 1851 when the station wan built, and 1911 East Ham’s population grew by 7585%.
Currently has a direct freight service running 7,500 miles direct to & from the city of Yiwu, on China’s east coast.
Enjoyed this Hammersmith & City Line trivia? Check out the other lines right HERE.
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