Aldwych station as seen shortly before closure, including internal and external views of the station. Many, MANY moons ago I mentioned a programme about Aldwych that featured a paranormal investigation into Aldwych station. [55] The music video for The Prodigy's song "Firestarter" was filmed in the disused eastern tunnel and one of the unused lift shafts. Also shown is the route of the line leading to it. Piccadilly line platform (the staircase was necessary because the main Piccadilly line tunnels at Originally a double tracked line, with two platforms at either [20] The other two shafts rose from the lower concourse to the basement of the station, but could have been extended upwards into the space of the shop unit when required. With a little forward planning (and hint dropping) I was lucky enough to receive a Hidden London tour of Aldwych station as a Christmas present. There are about 26 disused tube stations in London but you may have already seen inside Aldwych station without realizing as it is a popular filming location. Ah, I still remembering using this tube station! This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. A video showing the what the station looks like today, the posters that you see in the video are fake, added by film crews. A visit to the station includes the Ticket Hall area, down the 160 steps and the two disused platforms, the lifts (although they are not in use) plus any other areas available at the time. In the present day, there are some unfinished tunnels that have been opened which had previously never before seen by visitors. Three shafts were dug out by hand but only one was fitted with lifts. The page contains many more pictures of Aldwych, both above and below ground!

[4] The station was to be the southern terminus of an underground railway line planned to run from Wood Green station (now Alexandra Palace) via Finsbury Park and King's Cross and was originally to be located at the corner of Stanhope Street and Holles Street, north of the Strand. Elsewhere on the eastern platform there are experimental tiling designs. The station attracted low passenger numbers but originally ran a late night shuttle service to take theatre-goers from The Strand to Finsbury Park and Holbron. They also include an early design of insulator.

The junctions between the routes would have been south of the station.

Holborn were built one above the other, due to the width restriction These included the Elgin Marbles, which were brought down in the lift. It was opened in 1907 with the name Strand, after the street on which it is located, and was the terminus of the short Piccadilly line branch from Holborn that was a relic of the merger of two railway schemes.

Hi Keri, it would probably be quite hard as there is no lift – – and 160 steps! [24] Initially, shuttle trains operated to Holborn from the eastern platform into the through platform at Holborn. The architect, Leslie Green, designed a number of Tube stations, often with similar distinctive features. You have a lot of extra physical energy. Low usage led to the withdrawal of the second peak-hour shuttle and the eastern tunnel was taken out of use in 1914.

Over the years, Aldwych has often felt the shadow of an overhanging axe due to low patronage and for many years had been run as a peak-hours only service. The (seemingly pointless) short branch line between Holborn

The branch reopened on 1 July 1946, but patronage did not increase.

[29][note 3] The branch was again considered for closure in 1933, but remained open. The fact that it's on a branch line still connected to the main network and that it's now deserted, yet at the same time being in reasonably good condition down at platform level makes the station an ideal filming location. By 1979, the cost was estimated as £325 million, a six-fold increase from the £51 million estimated in 1970. Hence, not everything is at it seems. See the trains, platforms, ticket hall, booking office, some passageways and one of the lifts. The deliberations of the Royal Commission on London Traffic prevented parliamentary consideration of the proposal, which was withdrawn. When it opened in 1907 the first two trains didn’t have any passengers at all. The station was also used as deep level storage for the treasures from the V&A and the British Museum including the Elgin Marbles.

Both were under the control of Charles Yerkes through his Metropolitan District Electric Traction Company and, in June 1902, were transferred to Yerkes' new holding company, the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL). History [40] A further review of alternatives for the Jubilee line was carried out in 1980, which led to a change of priorities and the postponement of any further effort on the line. Two days exploring the coast from Bridport to Charmouth, Dorset, A walk to and around Highgate Cemetery, London, 10 quirky ways to spend an hour in London, Visiting the Old Bailey and Inns of Court, London, Erin Gustafson | Oregon Girl Around the World, Faraway Files #115 | oregon girl around the world, How to keep kids entertained this summer (part 1: home) - Treads Shoes, Hidden London tours are an offshoot of the London Transport Museum. A video showing the what the station looks like today, the posters that you see in … In 1922 the Booking Office closed and tickets were issued in the lifts (elevators).

and Aldwych was a curious by-product of the amalgamation of plans What did I think? ), however if you go to the surface entrance, you can peer through the gates and see that the ticket area has been restored almost to the same condition as when it was built. Other bands, including Madness and The Kinks, have also filmed down here. [31][note 4] The Saturday service was withdrawn in June 1962. There are sections of the station that were in daily use up until its ultimate closure in 1994. The junctions between the two northbound tunnels would have been north of the platforms. #FarawayFiles, This is something I’ve wanted to do for a really long time, but as I have mobility issues I’m worried about the amount of stairs – how much climbing did you have to do on your tour of this station? All material on this page is © 2001 Hywel Williams unless otherwise noted. A chase through Aldwych station ends with the agent's death by electrocution on the track. We discovered that one of the unfinished lift shafts was the perfect location for a music video, Prodigy’s Firestarter. The original 1907 lifts required replacement at a cost of £3 million. The limited amount of movement on the line made it an ideal film location and many movies and TV shows were shot in the station before it's closure. Aldwych Station, originally know as Strand Station was closed in 1994. Look carefully and you can see the short circuit device connecting both live rails to ensure no electricity is running.
Served mostly by a shuttle train and having low passenger numbers, the station and branch were considered for closure several times. The eastern platform only saw active service until 1917, at least in relation to its train service.

Exterior photographs taken Wednesday 22nd March 2000 and Wednesday 12th April 2000. Aldwych is a closed station on the London Underground, located in the City of Westminster in Central London.It was opened in 1907 with the name Strand, after the street on which it is located, and was the terminus of the short Piccadilly line branch from Holborn that was a relic of the merger of two railway schemes. They are very different to today’s rails; there’s no suicide pit and the sleepers are wooden. And to think I’ve never given the design of underground stations a second glance before. The UERL began constructing the main route in July 1902. [21], The platforms are 92 feet 6 inches (28.19 m) below street level and are 250 feet (76 m) long;[18] shorter than the GNP&BR's standard length of 350 feet (110 m). Many people went to work each day and spent their nights in the station.

I later regretted this as you exit via an alternative route; make sure you don’t make the same mistake if you visit. I’m usually desperate to get out of underground stations but the tour could easily have lasted another hour. There are occasional opportunities to visit the station for tours organized by the London Transport Museum. In recognition of its historical significance, the station is a Grade II listed building. Why You Keep Seeing The Number 11 Explained, 10 Must-See Episodes Of Ghost Hunting Shows. The reason for this strange configuration comes about because the current Piccadilly line is an amalgamation of three separate projects with different government planning permissions obtained for each; the Great Northern & Strand Railway (Wood Green to Aldwych), the Brompton & Piccadilly Circus Railway (Piccadilly Circus to South Kensington, though not the locations we know today) and the Deep Level District, (an express route from Earl's Court to Mansion House). For more about disused tube stations, check out Abandoned Tube Stations and Underground History. Low passenger numbers continued and as there were nine minutes between trains it was quicker to walk.

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