Charing Cross tube station – Prefab Building – Spatial Grid Structure
History
The Northern line and Bakerloo line parts of the station were originally opened as two separate stations and were combined when the now defunct Jubilee Line platforms were opened. The constituent stations also underwent a number of name changes during their history.
The first part of the complex, the Bakerloo line platforms, were opened as Trafalgar Square by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway (BS&WR) on 10 March 1906.
The Northern line platforms were opened as Charing Cross by the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway (CCE&HR, now the Charing Cross branch of the Northern line) on 22 June 1907. At its opening this station was the southern terminus of the CCE&HR which ran to two northern termini at Golders Green and Highgate (now Archway) tube stations.
Although both lines were owned and operated by the Underground Electric Railways Company (UERL), there was no direct connection below ground and passengers interchanging between the lines had to do so via two sets of lifts and the surface.
In an effort to improve interchange capabilities, the CCE&HR was extended the short distance south under Charing Cross main line station to connect with the BS&WR and the District Railway (another UERL line), opening as such on 6 April 1914. The interchange station between the BS&WR and District had been know hitherto as Charing Cross (District) and Embankment (BS&WR). The original CCE&HR terminus to the north of Charing Cross main line station was renamed Charing Cross (Strand) and the new station and the BS&WR station to the south of the main line station was named Charing Cross (Embankment). These names lasted only a short time: on 9 May 1915, Charing Cross (Strand) was renamed Strand and for Charing Cross (Embankment) the tube lines adopted the District Railway name of Charing Cross. At the same time, the separate Strand station on the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway was also renamed Aldwych to avoid confusion.
The Northern line Strand station was closed on 4 June 1973 to enable the construction of the new Jubilee line platforms. These platforms were constructed between the Bakerloo line and Northern line platforms together with the long missing below ground interchange between those two lines. In anticipation of the new interchange station, from 4 August 1974 Charing Cross was renamed Charing Cross Embankment. The Jubilee line platforms and the refurbished Northern Line platforms opened on 1 May 1979 from which date the combined station including Trafalgar Square was given its current name; simultaneously Charing Cross Embankment reverted to the original BS&WR name of Embankment, ending 109 years of association with the name Charing Cross.
Although Charing Cross was constructed as the southern terminus of the Jubilee line, plans already existed to continue the line to the east towards Lewisham in south-east London. The tunnels were, therefore constructed beyond the station beneath Strand as far as 143 Strand, almost as far as Aldwych station which would have been the next stop on the line. The subsequent regeneration of the Docklands in London’s East End during the 1980s and 1990s required additional transport infrastructure and the eventual route of the extension took the new tunnels south from Green Park to provide new interchanges at Westminster, Waterloo and London Bridge stations and then on to Greenwich and Stratford.
The new tunnels branch away from the original south of Green Park station and, on the opening of the final section of the line between Green Park and Waterloo stations on 20 November 1999, the Jubilee Line platforms at Charing Cross were closed to the travelling public. The escalators continuing down to the closed platforms can, however, still be seen through closed doors at the bottom of the escalators from the ticket hall.
Design
One of the entrances to Charing Cross tube station from Trafalgar Square.
A 100 metre-long mural along the Northern line platforms was designed by David Gentleman. It shows scenes from the funeral journey of Eleanor of Castile (the wife of Edward I) from Nottinghamshire to her tomb in Westminster Abbey (see Eleanor cross).
Former Jubilee line platforms
Although now closed to the public, the Jubilee Line platforms of Charing Cross station are still maintained by TfL for use by film and television makers needing a modern Underground station location. While still open they were used in the 1987 film The Fourth Protocol, and after closure in numerous productions, including different episodes of the television series Spooks, the films Creep (2004), 28 Weeks Later (2007), The Deaths of Ian Stone (2007) and the video for the Alex Parks’s single “Cry”.
In 2006, it was proposed that an extension to the Docklands Light Railway from Bank station would take over the platforms. Intermediate stations at Aldwych tube station and City Thameslink would be opened, mirroring the planned route of the old Fleet Line.
Nearby places of interest
Trafalgar Square
National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery
South Africa House
Canada House
St Martin-in-the-Fields
Nelson’s Column
Admiralty Arch
Savoy Hotel
The Mall
Whitehall
Covent Garden
The Astoria
See also
List of London Underground stations
References
^ a b c “Customer metrics: entries and exits”. London Underground performance update. Transport for London. 2003-2008. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/modesoftransport/tube/performance/default.asp?onload=entryexit. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
Demuth, Tim (2004). The Spread of London’s Underground, 2nd ed. Published by Capital Transport, in co-operation with London Transport Museum. ISBN 1-85414-277-1.
Harris, Cyril M (2004). What’s in a name?, 4th ed. (reprint). Published by Capital Transport, in co-operation with London Transport Museum. ISBN 1-85414-241-0.
External links
The Charing Cross-Embankment-Strand conundrum explains the various names of the tube stations in this area.
London’s Abandoned Tube Stations – Charing Cross
London Transport Museum Photographic Archive
Subway entrance to Trafalgar Square station, 1906
Stairway entrance to Charing Cross station from Craven Street, 1909
Trafalgar Square station booking hall, 1922
Strand station booking hall, 1927
Craven Street entrance to Strand station, 1937. Note sign pointing way to Bakerloo Line.
Strand station booking hall, 1973, two weeks after closure for reconstruction
New Charing Cross station booking hall, 1979
Platform Murals
Northern Line – Construction of Charing Cross
Bakerloo Line – Pictures from the National Gallery
Jubilee Line – Images of Nelson’s Column
Preceding station
London Underground
Following station
Piccadilly Circus
towards Harrow & Wealdstone
Bakerloo line
Embankment
towards Elephant & Castle
Leicester Square
towards Edgware, Mill Hill East
or High Barnet
Northern line
Embankment
towards Kennington or Morden
Former Route
Preceding station
London Underground
Following station
Green Park
Jubilee Line
Former Route
(1979-1999)
Terminus
v d e
Bakerloo line
Stations
Baker Street Charing Cross Edgware Road Elephant and Castle Embankment Harlesden Harrow and Wealdstone Kensal Green Kenton Kilburn Park Lambeth North Maida Vale Marylebone North Wembley Oxford Circus Paddington Piccadilly Circus Queens Park Regents Park South Kenton Stonebridge Park Warwick Avenue Waterloo Wembley Central Willesden Junction
Click to enlarge
Rolling stock
1972 Stock
History
Former companies
Baker Street & Waterloo Railway Underground Electric Railways Company
Former stations now served by London Overground
Bushey Carpenders Park Hatch End Headstone Lane Watford High Street Watford Junction
Former stations now served by Jubilee Line
Canons Park Dollis Hill Finchley Road Kilburn Kingsbury tube station Neasden Queensbury Stanmore St. John’s Wood Swiss Cottage Wembley Park West Hampstead Willesden Green
Former rolling stock
1906 Stock 1914 Stock Watford Joint Stock Standard Stock 1938 Stock 1949 Stock 1959 Stock
Abandoned plans
Extension to Camberwell Extension to Cricklewood Extension to Old Kent Rd.
London Underground Transport for London
London Transport Portal
v d e
Northern line
Stations
High Barnet branch
Archway Camden Town East Finchley Finchley Central High Barnet Highgate Kentish Town Mill Hill East Totteridge and Whetstone Tufnell Park West Finchley Woodside Park
Edgware branch
Belsize Park Brent Cross Burnt Oak Camden Town Chalk Farm Colindale Edgware Golders Green Hampstead Hendon Central
Charing Cross branch
Camden Town Charing Cross Embankment Euston Goodge Street Leicester Square Mornington Crescent Tottenham Court Road Warren Street Waterloo
Bank branch
Angel Bank Borough Camden Town Elephant and Castle Euston King’s Cross St. Pancras London Bridge Moorgate Old Street
Morden line
Balham Clapham Common Clapham North Clapham South Colliers Wood Kennington Morden Oval South Wimbledon Stockwell Tooting Bec Tooting Broadway
Future
Extension to Battersea
Click to enlarge
Rolling stock
Present stock
1995 Stock
History
Former companies
City and South London Railway Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway Edgware, Highgate and London Railway Underground Electric Railways Company
Former lines
Northern City Line
Former stations
City Road King William Street South Kentish Town
Former rolling stock
1906 Stock 1938 Stock 1949 Stock 1956 Stock 1959 Stock 1962 Stock 1972 Stock Standard Stock
Abandoned plans
Northern Heights plan Alexandra Palace Brockley Hill Bushey Heath Cranley Gardens Crouch End Elstree South Mill Hill Muswell Hill North End Stroud Green
London Underground Transport for London
London Transport Portal
v d e
Jubilee line
Stations
Baker Street Bermondsey Bond Street Canada Water Canary Wharf Canning Town Canons Park Dollis Hill Finchley Road Green Park Kilburn Kingsbury London Bridge Neasden North Greenwich Queensbury Southwark ( Waterloo East) St John’s Wood Stanmore Stratford Swiss Cottage Waterloo Wembley Park West Ham West Hampstead Westminster Willesden Green
Click to enlarge
Rolling stock
1996 Stock
History
Former lines
Metropolitan Line Bakerloo Line
Former stations
Charing Cross
Former rolling stock
London Underground 1972 Stock 1983 Stock
London Underground Transport for London
London Transport Portal
Categories: Stations in London fare zone 1 | Bakerloo Line stations | Northern Line stations | Transport in Westminster | Tube stations in WestminsterHidden categories: London stations without latest usage statistics
We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Prefab Building , Spatial Grid Structure for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits china steel structures.
Processing your request, Please wait....
