Tube Facts T To Z
Temple
Temple is a station on the Circle and District lines of the London Underground and is located in the heart of the triangular area formed by the old City of London. In medieval times, in 1133 to be exact, a hospital for poor travellers was founded here. When it was founded it was situated outside the city walls. As the city expanded as one of Europe's leading financial centres, so did its name. Nowadays there are over ten Temple tube stations spread out throughout Europe.
The word 'temple'comes from the Latin word 'tempus', which means a place that is set aside for religious purposes or services, My City of London (mycityoflondon.co.uk). The temple in this case is Roman Catholic but you might be surprised how many other things there are with. At the base of each column at Temple Station there is a temple-shaped emblem. This is supposed to protect from bad spirits and bring good luck. The Chinese love the number 8 (pronounced baat) as it sounds like prosperity in their language.
These are known as “temple-shaped” (廟堂式) emblems and give you good luck if you step on them. On the columns outside the station, these can be found at the end of each alleyway. There’s a temple-shaped emblem on the column at the base of every pillar at Temple station. They are quite small but if you look closely, you just might find them. At Temple station there are small temple symbols at the base of the columns.
Tooting Bec
Ah, 'Tooting Bec'as I lived in my mothers home town of Wandsworth I would pass the local train station on my way to work. The whole time I resided there (1990-2004) it was under construction but it wasn't an everyday process. Several years ago I had a local band photograph a railway bridge at the station. It's spectacular near dusk with the last rays of evening light hitting that section of the track and it forms part of a mural in a restaurant nearby.
However, it wasn't until 2008 that I was aware that Tooting Bec has a crater on Mars named after it. We all know about the big clubs in the UK and Manchester has been at the forefront of the electronic music explosion for a number of years now, all thanks to its 'Warehouse Party 'tradition which dates back to 1988. However, despite this, there aren't many dance nights dedicated specifically to drum & bass in Manchester.
One night that seems to be changing that is 'Tooting Bec. ', a weekly drum & bass night held at Big Hands, with MC focus on bringing big name DJs such as Friction, Dom Dolla and Jakes. Tooting Beck is one of the striking features (colloquially called “gills”) in Hart Crater, which is in the southern hemisphere of Mars. In 2008, it was discovered that there was a crater on Mars with a name very similar to Tooting Bec.
This led to speculation that these two locations are connected. So what proof is there? Well, they are both located within impact craters. and so is Tooting Bec tube station. and that’s about it. This is a list of Martian craters named after towns and cities on Earth. These were chosen because a) they sound like towns/cities, b) they are on maps, and c) people looked for them (two of these came from personal searches).
I have tried to provide the city and country it’s named after. If any are missing, please let me know in the comments section. Have my ear, Dr. Tyson? Good. Tooting Bec is a crater on Mars named after the street I grew up on in London, back before we moved to a galaxy far, far away. As you may have guessed this crater is not named after me (thank goodness), but rather it was named after an area of southwest London.
Mars is all the rage these days, with a rover trundling around on its surface and Elon Musk promising us that we could visit it in just a few decades time. But has the red planet been everything it promised to be? It turns out that, on the face of things, yes it has. The neighbourhood of Swiss Cottage is a fascinating area of central London with an abundance of history. This fact compelled me to write a blog post about which are the shortest and longest vertical changes in the London Underground network.
Tooting Broadway
If ever there was a local landmark that made the history of Paddington famous, it is the statue of Edward VII outside the entrance to Paddington Station. It is not very large but still stands 25ft high and depicts the late King at the moment of arrival from his travels to Egypt. The statue was designed by Albert Toft, who also designed the seated figure on top of Marble Arch in Central London. Once known as Theatre Lane, this charming street has stepped from its post-war slumber and is back to its theatrical roots.
This pedestrian street boasts all the charm of an old stage set from centuries ago. It’s a bit like stepping into 'Dickens London', in the quaint shops, cobblestoned paving roads, brightly painted houses and terraces, all edged in gas lamps. The statue of Edward VII at the entrance was paid for entirely by the public when it was made in 1911. It is cast in three parts (Edward, his horse and his oak tree) and stands over 20 feet high.
The original plan to stand him upon Blackfriars Bridge failed when the foundations would not bear the weight, so it was erected on this site above St. John's Church. Tooting Broadway is an arts center in the London Borough of Wandsworth in South West London. It is best known for its small theatre, named the "Theatre Royal", which has been hosting arts events since 1887. The current building was opened in 1995 and it is run by the local authority Wandsworth Council.
On the south side of the entrance to the park is a statue of Edward VII. It was sculpted it by Sir Thomas Brock and unveiled in 1911. The whole cost of the statue, which shows Edward VII wearing armour and holding gauntlets, was paid for by public subscription during his lifetime. The statue on the left is of William Shakespeare. Although this might be a Hollywood replica made of plaster, it was sculpted by the English artist Marochetti.
Tottenham Court Road
Tottenham Court Road is an interesting road that divides London across the way, where there are two very different sides. Let me explain: On one side (the east), it is home to a varying selection of ethnic establishments, boutique stores and grocers. It is also famous for being home to The World's End pub – home to hundreds of local bands and musicians who play here regularly. This area is trendy, full of variety, but still home to some of the less fortunate.
To the west you have Soho, which boasts a wide range of restaurants, bars and nightclubs. It's your typical 'going out'kind of area with a fair share of posher establishments. On top of that, Soho has a reputation. I've always liked the name for Tottenham Court Road it's at least literate, in a. well, North London kind of way. It's definitely sounds like an area which is part of London, but would have a history all of it's own, and not just some naff-sounding street somewhere near Central.
(I do however think that Oxford Street should have been moved to Angel. ). I strongly believe that many of the Oxford Street businesses were actually on Tottenham Court Road, not Oxford Street (borders are not clearly defined). But Oxford Circus can claim to be famous for its shopping. Tottenham Court Road is a lot better known for music shops and video stores. The local tube station is Tottenham Court Road. TGVs use it as a terminus.
It was originally called Oxford Street (before Oxford Circus opened). It has a connection to Marchmont Street, and Goodge Street was also Oxford Street. Originally called Oxford Street, Tottenham Court Road was named after a local family called Tottenham, who lived in one of the houses near the street. Charing Cross Road. Was originally called New Oxford Street. Guess how much it cost! £8,500. The shortest escalator on the London Underground network is the 4.
Tottenham Hale
In the late 1990s, a series of incidents occurred in the vicinity of Tottenham Hale station. On 7 March 1997, a defect on passenger train 17009 caused it to run into the rear of freight train TJT104. This was followed by a collision between passenger train HP47 and freight train EDL73 in May 1997, where in both cases the passenger service was terminated shortly afterwards. Finally, two derailments occurred on 24 September 1999 involving trains SP11 & FGD3 at the junction with Spooner Lane – no injuries were reported.
I am writing a history of Tottenham Hale station because it's my local station. It's not strictly a case of station making a name for itself as much as a case of an unfortunate series of incidents that brought the station to the nation's attention. Tottenham Hale is located next to Tottenham Marshes in north London. The station is the busiest interchange station outside of central London. It's where London Overground (North London Line & Watford DC Line) & East.
Totteridge & Whetstone
There is a place in Whetstone, North West London that is both well known and yet so little known. The reason for this, is that this little place; it has no commonly used name. It was built several thousand years ago to house the weary traveller and the local inhabitant and was then named Totteridge after its proximity to a particularly useful hilltop – Whetstone which we now today know as Highgate Hill. Totteridge & Whetstone or TotW is a blog about the two towns in which I live.
It's about the local businesses (both good and bad) as well as local events. I write about these things honestly, which means I'll bring you both the good and bad the controversial even. Totteridge & Whetstone strives to be a true representation of a place that has become home for myself and our community. Totteridge & Whetstone. A tiny village on the slope of one of the highest hills in London. Outside the churchyard there is a Chocka Block (the locals call it Uh oh) which is all smaller than you think, and can easily be walked around in the time it takes to attend your funeral.
Totteridge & Whetstone is a small company, but it can boast of a large number of loyal customers. The products that Totteridge & Whetstone develop are always high quality and unique. That is why they always find themselves among the best, if not at the top of their markets. Totteridge & Whetstone is an ancient village, with a history going back to the Saxon period, where peoples of Germanic origin settled in the early part of the 7th century.
These settlements were made by Angles and their leader was called Wheta. What is the Totteridge and Whetstone? Its a railway station in London, England, along the Chiltern Main Line. But there is more to it than that, it has a strong history of serving a growing population for the past 19 years. What, may you ask, is the most accident prone railway station in London? Is it perhaps Waterloo, Clapham Junction or Elephant & Castle? The answer may surprise you: it's Tottenham Hale.
Tower Hill
The station has a maze of tunnels and walkways above the tracks, but one that takes you from the eastbound platform to the westbound. Its used by London Underground staff in training to learn how to navigate the stations, but is also open to members of the public for a fee, subject to an interview and written test. Tower Hill station lies in the heart of what is genuinely described by Visit London as ‘The Heart of the Capital’.
This is easy to believe just from looking at where it lies in on a map, although ‘The Heart Of The Capital’ might lead you to believing that there are shops and coffee houses aplenty nearby. I dont know about you, but I love London. Its an incredible city with so much history. Everywhere you go there is a plaque telling you about the history of the building your standing in. Well this station has history running through its very core.
The longest stretch of this wall can be seen on the platform at Tower Hill station. Tower Hill is named for the fact that before the medieval period, it was an island in the Old London marsh near the tower of London. Tower Hill is the easternmost point on the City of London lying immediately outside the old Roman city wall. It is the location of Tower Hill tube station and Tower Gateway DLR station.
Tufnell Park
A travellers writing in a visitors book at the station includes this: /I have been to many stations, thousands. I have travelled in every country in the world. But nowhere have I found anything as wonderful as Poetry Corner at Tufnell Park. And so it was that I taught myself to read and write poetry. Now I run the Poetry Corner at my own station. If you ask me how poetry saved my life, I say its because of poetry that Im still alive, instead of dead or mad or locked up somewhere like they said I would be when my head bashed against the carriage window on the Brighton line travelling too fast for comfort.
/. Poetry Corner was started in partnership with the Poetry Society in 2013 and quickly became popular, both locally and nationally. In 2016 we helped launch a competition organised by the Poetry Society to get poems onto TfL station service boards. The competition was judged by Michael Rosen and received hundreds of entries. Weve had poems from children and adults, poems that have been published, and poems that are being read for the first time.
Each year over 50 million people see our poetry corner on their daily commute – its transformed what we see on our screens into something more uplifting. It was in 1973 that Gordon Roper, a local resident and art teacher at Hillyfield School in suburban Highgate, first put up an anthology of poems from students, entitled Poetry Corner. Today it is an institution, although poetry lovers have to wait until Monday, when the station opens at 6am, to read the weekly offering.
Of course, Tufnell Park is not the only place to find poetry on the London Underground. Inspired by the rich tradition of using public transport as a testing ground for new poems, Im serving up a little something of my own. Poetry Corner is part of a station wide campaign to promote reading for pleasure and provide a focal point for poetry on the Northern Line. To quote the Poetry Tap website. At Tower Hill, you can walk through the remains of a medieval gateway called Tower Gateway built in 1411 by order of Henry VIII.
Turnham Green
It's not certain whether it was EON Productions or the films'directors and producers that made the ornamental choices, but either way they're in good company because Bond and Batman always have impeccable taste. Wheelers'first order from EON Productions, for the 2012 film Skyfall, had a request for "one large bouquet of cream roses, daisies and lily stems". This time around, it was for something a little more dynamic. Wheelers Florist is just round the corner, in Turnham Green Village.
If you’re familiar with travel shows around trendy areas of London, everyone always visits Turnham Green and its plethora of flower shops. It’s sort of become a routine that seeing it on any travel show. Kinda like Limehouse, Dalston and Walthamstow all rolled into one – maybe not that big a deal…. Wheelers is a real flower shop in Turnham Green, just outside West Ealing tube station. Wheelers also regularly ships flowers to London locations used in the James Bond and Batman movies among others.
Turnpike Lane
The Turnpike Lane district is located in the Borough of Brent in north-west London. The area has been occupied since Roman times and there are some impressive ruins to look at nearby. Turnpike Lane is also a road intersection which incorporates the A406 North Circular Road, one of the busiest intersections in London that creates a bottleneck on the North Circular. Just to the northeast of Chalk Farm tube station (which is on the Northern line in Zone 1) lies Turnpike Lane.
This very short road is located less than two kilometers from Chalk Farm and gives you access to a number of businesses in the area. The shops, services, and other establishments here are an eclectic mix separated by the kind of businesses each offer. Number 66: This is the name of the resident ghost at Turnpike Lane. She apparently likes to sit on the window sill in old tube stock with her husband, causing it to stall across the bridge.
The resident ghost was an actual person named Emily Walker who worked in a pub in nearby Cricklewood Lane, according to a report in The Hampstead and Highgate Express. Is there any London A-Z that doesn't include Turnpike Lane? Nope. It's a fundamental part of the city. Tbk, I've never been through it on a bike (probably always go the other way), car, or public transport. But it's one of those areas where you see a lot of weird and wonderful things going on.
And always with the cars. As anyone who's ever crossed the barrier at Turnpike Lane tube station will know, this is a very special place. Inside is a world of its own, completely separate from the open spaces and calming air that lie seethrough the glass beyond. Wheelers Florist, based directly outside the station, has provided flowers for Bond & Batman movies. Which, apparently, had flowers in them. (The films, not the actual bouquets.
Upminster
There is a good claim that Upminster, a London Underground station on the District line, is the precise place where the speed of sound was first accurately measured. In his seminal 1665 work Meteorologica, philosopher John Wallis observed that when a hasty gunner fired his cannon through the thick fog at Upminster it made an audible sound, but when the slow-firing gun was used from the same spot, no sound could be heard. Thus was born the concept of the speed of sound (approximately 1050 feet per second), which Wallis calculated to be about 11 seconds from Upminster to Westminster.
An old track and field (formerly _Upminster Road_) stadium existed briefly in Upminster, from 1924 to 1927, when it was demolished. The stadium was on Leyton Road; nicknamed "The Gasworks" because of the nearby works. Archibald Leitch's famous football stadium design was used here. The now-demolished sports ground used to be close to Paddy Power betting shop. The first match played at the 'Gasworks'was on 2 September 1924, when Upminster Athletic beat Grays United 2–1 in front of a crowd of around 800.
Upminster is a London Underground station in Greater London, England. It is about 7 miles (11 km) from Charing Cross. There are two platforms here, but there were once three — the middle one was closed in 1924 when HSBC Railway Station was constructed on the Great Northern & City Line, which has been replaced by an above-ground station with the same name. Upminster is a place in London, in Greater London, close to the M25 motorway.
Upminster Bridge
Upminster Bridge. Pronounced Up-min-ster, and located on the London Underground District line, this station was initially opened in 1885 as a stop on the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway. It was named after a nearby hotel called the Bridge House (not to be confused with Upminster Station which is also located within London Borough of Havering). This Bridge House Hotel was subsequently renamed as the Upminster Bridge Hotel. So I guess that makes sense.
The logo for the original railway company – the L,T&S – had an image of a white swan on its logo and when it merged with other railways to form London Midland & Scottish Railways in 1923, they incorporated the swan into their logo. Upminster Bridge is one of the oldest bridges in London, originally built by the Edwardian-era Metropolitan Railway (now part of London Underground or TFL). The bridge indeed features a swastika design element in its architect Charles Holden’s original drawings.
The design was based on overhanging Germanic curved petals from a typeface called Odin and likely selected for its supposed “Aryan” associations. After coming under fire from fellow members of parliament and interest groups, Holden changed the design—an alteration which you can still see today if you know where to look. Once again there is a lot to cover today and we’ll get started straight away with a tower. Actually, it’s not just any old tower – it’s the most easterly of London’s three famous bridges, the famous suspension bridge in east London that connects Upminster with the suburb of Rainham.
The iconic structure was designed by Eugenius Birch and this particular bridge is notable for being one of the first such bridges in Britain, built in 1826, but more importantly in my eyes for its association with aircraft and flying. Blackfriars. The architect responsible for the supporting piers that cross the Thames designed them in a Tudor style to match the station. The problem? Tudor bridges have corbels, those little decorative bits that stick out on the outside edge of the bridge.
Corbels tend to look like this: __. not this: ____. The result is an uncanny representation of a swastika, and it is still there today. When a new railway station was constructed some eight decades ago in England, it featured a large swastika design in the tiles that covered the ticket hall. I’m sure this was not intentional, yet on August 27th, 1933, less than two years into Hitler’s rule of Germany, the local paper revealed the “Nazi emblem” that was now adorning Upminster Bridge.
Originally a bridge just for trains, it had two lines northbound and southbound. It was often quite busy. That ended in the early 70s with the advent of the HGV and later tachographs. Since then the bridge has only been used by people on foot or on bike (there is a cycle path also under the bridge). It is located in the London Borough of Havering. The first reference to Upminster appears in 959 AD as "Upmoncels".
Upney
Upney is another of the five stations on the line from Stratford to Canning Town. The station opened as "Leytonstone & Walthamstow" on 1 October 1873 and was renamed Upney on 29 November 1950. It is located in Exeter Road, and the name of the station originates from Upney House, a large residence of Elizabethan or Jacobean architecture that stood next to the station until it was demolished in about 1965. The building was a few hundred years old and had various owners over its history but is most closely associated with Sir Arthur Downing, 1st Baronet, who died at Upney House in 1779.
Upney is the London Underground station serving the area of Gunpowder Plot. You can find it on the District line between Bethnal Green and Stepney Green, just east of the City of London. For this reason, it is popularly known as Upminster but for ease of typing and to avoid confusion with another nearby station on the District Line, this article will call it Upney. Upney railway station is a London Underground station in Upney, in the south-east of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in east London, England.
The station is on the District line between Marks Gate. It was opened in 1901 as part of an extension of the line from Barking to Upminster and the original building still stands. The Gunpowder Plot was hatched in a manor house next to the station. The origin of this name is unknown, but somehow it was recorded as Upmundes Muri or Upmundes Murye in 1016 and Domne Eomune around 1180. ). 1-metre high one at Stratford.
Upton Park
Ohmigod. I havent been to West Ham for two years since they played Portsmouth in a cup game (West Ham were relegated in my first season as Chairman, so I didnt go for the last year). Heading up the stairs to the concourse was like a trip through time. Most of the graffiti hadnt changed since i used to frequent regularly, and everything was pretty much exactly the way I remember it. There were three groups of fans milling about; a big clump of Chelsea boys were just spitting distance from where we were standing, a group of cagouled Millwall fans behind us, and then some assorted Arsenal and Palace kids who looked like they were on their first awayday.
Upton Park. It's very similar to Camden Town (at the other end of Overground) in that it has a wide variety of cheap bars, cafes and kebab shops. It also has one of my favourite ground for football. "The greatest football ground in the world" is often cited as the reason West Ham were easily outvoted to take over from Wimbledon and move next door, rather than the prestigious Millwall and Crystal Palace. It is a famous sounding ground too.
Upton Park. As we walked in on Sunday, past a row of garishly painted red buses outside the ground, young kids in their early teens shouted at us from under an advertising hoarding "Eh up, im West Ham!". There. A short walk from Upton Park tube station, tucked in between a Tesco Metro and a Waitrose, is Sweetmeats. Its a restaurant you may whiz past on your way to the next big thing but its really worth taking the time out to make your way to Sweetmeats.
The name may suggest that its all about sweet things but there’s plenty of other things on the menu that are just as good if not better. As a 12 year old, i used to get on the District line at Upton Park in an attempt to avoid my abusive stepdad. After seeing West Ham lose our first game at the Boleyn Ground (Wonderful Everton), we would stop off at a greyhound track for a drink on route to Barking.
It was in this little drinking den that I first heard Prefab Sprout, but i never found out what the song was. Theres something about a short walk from the tube to a football ground that makes me feel more connected to the team. You can imagine that, as a Spurs fan, every away trip is too far-so last week I took advantage of their potentially tricky tie at West Ham and got with 3 mates to see if it really was ''like going home.
Uxbridge
Uxbridge is a London Underground station. It was built by the Metropolitan Railway (MR, later Metropolitan line) in 1883 as the terminus of the branch from Baker Street. In 1885, the MR opened an extension from Uxbridge to Ealing Broadway via West Ealing, which became the western terminus of the District line when it opened in 1892. The two lines share tracks between Ealing Common and Acton Town and thence to Ealing Broadway. The situation in respect of track ownership is complex: District line trains run on tracks owned by Network Rail between Acton Town and west of Rayners Lane, and less than half of those running east of Rayners Lane belong to London Overground (the rest are freights.
I've lived in the UK all my life, and when I bought a London guidebook one year I noticed that there were three tunnels to get from one side of the River Thames to the other, I thought it was an amazing feat of engineering. That's why when I found out about this station, which like Cockfosters (the first/last station on the line) has its own mirroring tunnel, I couldn't stop myself from writing about it.
Another station and another tunnel. This time beneath Uxbridge rather than above. The all-too-short line run by Transport for London ends at Uxbridge but doesn't just terminate at the eponymous station as it also has another terminus deep underground. This final destination is also far closer to the general public than the Cockfosters tunnel. It's also a lot quieter this is a ghost station. Uxbridge station is the first and last station on the London Underground District line in west London.
It is one of the most important stations on the underground network, as it is adjacent to a number of major engineering works for the Piccadilly and Metropolitan lines, including the depot known as ‘Uxbridge Common’. This Edwardian style tunnel – built in 1910 and rediscovered during excavation works in 2007 – was designed to mirror the red brick Eastern Counties extension through Cockfosters a few miles along the line. Upton Park Station on the District line is by far my favourite stop on the London Underground.
Vauxhall
In today’s world of multi-million pound trains and bleeping level crossings, it’s hard to imagine the railway barons of London Bridge Station ever worrying about where their milk was coming from. And yet, in the late 1800s, efficient refrigeration was lacking, and they would regularly have to import supplies from as far away as Cornwall or Scotland. Over on the south side of the river, Vauxhall station had just become an independent company – no longer part of the LB&SCR power empire – and had a direct link to ice delivered from Norwegian glaciers.
The downside; both stations were competing for the same resources. No, this isn’t a story about Napoleon’s favourite car factory (though it was once owned by what eventually became PSA Peugeot Citroen!) but rather the milk train that ran through my old neighbourhood in South West London back in the 1920s/1930s (depending on which source you read). The place was built on elevated ground so as to remain easily accessible for those travelling by train, and the early plots were sold off for development.
And that milk train – I wonder if any of its descendants are still running? Or is there some Vauxhall Warburg Group equivalent now?. The space between the walls and platform is just over 10 feet so you can fit in a train that's about 7 feet wide. It's also worth pointing out that there is a little-known tunnel which runs under the whole of Vauxhall station allowing access to trackside maintenance and, if legend is to be believed, once exited into the old flower market outside the station.
So, there's a lot going on with Vauxhall. Located in London, just down the road from Westminster, it's the oldest part of the city (more or less). It was originally a bit up the river from there though, so they needed some way to get their goods to market. So they built a "Vauxhall". But what does that have to do with science? Well, Vauxhall isn’t just a 56-page issue about the history, the people and cars of this amazing place.
From the smell of the place in the early morning – rubber and tar – to its intriguing past… there are scientists everywhere you look . The milk trains were responsible for getting the milk into the creamery so that we could get one of life’s essential foodstuffs milk. It is not due to its architecture (its a bit dilapidated), its proximity or any other objective factors, but purely down to it being where I lived during my studies at The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London.
Walthamstow Central
Walthamstow Central is a London Underground station in the centre of the town of Walthamstow. It is on the Chingford branch of the Lea Valley Lines and lies between Blackhorse Road and Hoe Street stations. It is located in Travelcard Zone 3. There has been a lot of development of shops and restaurants along this street in recent years. You will also find there are a lot of bars around Hoe Street and Mare Street which are typical places to visit in Walthamstow.
Wanstead
The London Underground has some weird and wonderful stations, but few compare to Wanstead. It is an absolute rabbit warren of rooms, passageways, old storage spaces and platforms. For most of its history it was known as Wanstead (New), before being renamed in 1924 to avoid confusion with the newly opened LNER branch line station on the Great Eastern Railway from Woodford to Stratford. Wanstead is an area of London located in the Boroughs of Redbridge and Waltham Forest.
Despite its proximity to Central London, the area is a tranquil place to live, due in part to the expansive green spaces which make up a large proportion of Wansetadt (there are actually several definitions of Wanstead, which we will examine in detail presently). Wanstead, for some people it’s just another district in the London Borough of Redbridge. To others, it stands as an important place in England’s architectural and transportation history. The name Wanstead is derived from the Saxon words ‘Wands’ meaning wand or staff, and ‘Stead’ meaning place or site.
I moved with my family to Wanstead in autumn 2011, and quickly discovered that the area I lived in wasn't just a normal residential area. Wanstead is home to many strange tales and eerie sights, and the area has an unsettling reputation for being haunted. There are a few ways to get to Wanstead from Hackney: by road, by tube, or by walking down the Regents Canal. My favourite way is by the canal, as it takes me through some of Hackneys most interesting back streets.
Warren Street
The station was opened in 1869 as part of the Metropolitan and St. Johns Wood Railway. It was located between Goodge Street and Tottenham Court Road stations, with trains running from Baker Street to St. John’s Wood and Hans Town. The station building has two storeys and a basement, typical for the nearby Goodge Street Station. There were originally four platforms (two island platforms) two on the main line and two on a loop which served a separate platform on the Metropolitan Railway's short circuit between High Street Kensington and Gloucester Road.
The Metropolitan Line platforms were subsequently amalgamated into one large island platform and remain in use today. You may know that there is a lot of history beneath your feet every time you go underground. Other than the skeletons and ghosts of unwary travellers, the lovely red brick tunnels can also tell you fascinating stories, such as the one you are about to discover now. Sometimes it’s not just about ghosts and skeletons – but also cannibals.
Beneath the streets of London is another world hidden in the darkness. Warren Street has had its fair share of famous residents, as a recent Gordon Ramsay documentary highlighted. The discovery was made after City workers detected a fishy smell emerging from within the London Underground station. London has so many stories to tell and you can find the history of any place in London. Warren Street tube station opened in 1890. In recent years it is mainly associated with the Northern Line which is known for delayed trains and even leaks beside the track.
Warwick Avenue
Warwick Avenue. A street with a background of some of the most incredible acts of the 20th Century. It has played host to music royalty, as well as giving birth to one of the best known songs records. Let's take a look at the fascinating story behind this famous street and where it is today. Mention of the street [in Westminster] usually conjures images of the Houses of Parliament, but for artists in the music business, it’s a place full of mystique.
Watford
Watford has a history of being home to many small cinemas since the 1920’s. Many featured live stage shows and bands and caters mainly to the working man, but also held a lot of interest to their families. Many films that would appeal to children were viewed in these smaller cinema’s as they are cheaper than the bigger picture houses. The Metropolitan Railway planned to close Watford and Croxley Green stations. Local residents were upset by this, and sent a petition with 840 signatures to the Metropolitan Railway.
Due to this campaign, these two stations and Bushey were kept open. Officially opened in 1927, Watford Stadium is the club’s home ground since its formation. Due to not being in the centre of town, it has been threatened with closure since 1927 and has even had to revert from its original name of Vicarage Road. Watford is a town that is close to my heart. I actually live in Watford and have seen it change from the grungy, but fun, urban town it was when I was a child to the student-dominated and business-centric town we enjoy today.
I personally think that the old Lady was saved just for people like me. I love her character and know that not many major clubs are willing to be out of the centre of town like this is. The Warren Street tube station was used a filming location for the 1972 British horror movie which featured a family of cannibals living on the London Underground. From Gants Hill Gate, buses serve the following locations. Walthamstow Central.
Wembley Central
Wembley Central is located in Travelcard Zone 2, despite servicing Wembley Stadium. This is only the 142nd busiest station on the line. The station was opened by the Metropolitan Railway (MR, now the Metropolitan Line) on 5 July 1892, after an earlier proposal for a tunnel was rejected. It was the temporary northern terminus of the MR's tracks north of Finchley Road, until its route was extended to Willesden Green on 1 February 1894. Mega-stations like Wembley Central have a MASSIVE catchment area.
However, despite serving Wembley Stadium, it is only the 142nd busiest station on the line (which is frankly amazing given its size). I'm sure you can imagine how impressive and vast most of these areas are as they often stretch into other boroughs outside of its ticketing districts (Wembley Central is an exception). It has been announced that mainline services at Wembley Central for the Southeastern route have ceased to exist, with Bakerloo and London Overground services now serving the station.
Wembley Park
Wembley once had a tower that was to be taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It has undergone several different designs and incarnations over the years, but it has never been built. Construction of this incredible structure was actually never fully completed. However, it did eventually reach a height of 324 metres — or 1,063 ft — giving it the title of the tallest uncompleted building in the world. When George Hillyard and holding companies backed by American financiers began looking for land in the area to build a theme park, is was only natural that they found Wembley Park.
The location was ideal due to its proximity to a mainline railway station (the iconic Wembley Park station) with direct connections to London, as well as to the centre of London itself. Wembley Park is an area of Wembley, London, England and part of the larger Wembley complex. It is noted for its proximity to Wembley Stadium on one side and Wembley Arena on the other, and the famous twin towers. Originally called Hoe Street.
West Finchley
The building was originally made from fittings taken from other stations, the most notable of which being the large glass windows from Mansfield station in Nottinghamshire. One of the glass panes has the original glass within still, as it was too big to be taken out and replaced with another one. Some of it was built by British Rail workers at Manchester Victoria in 1972-73. The original plans of the station show that it was to be a two decker although only one deck appears under the turntable road and foundation stone.
Built on the site of a medieval manor house, West Finchley station was opened by the Great Northern Railway on July 14 1912. It was one of a number of stations built by the GNR in this era to south Finchley and Highgate. The station layout is simple, consisting of an island platform with two platforms either side (one still remains). The main booking office building has been demolished and used in more modern buildings now, but the rest of the station remains architecturally intact.
West Finchley is the 9th busiest station in England – a claim which surprised even me, when I first heard of it. It’s popularity is partly down to its proximity to open spaces and recreational areas like Hampstead Heath and Whetstone Park.
. The unusual bridge is in the area of West Finchley. It only has a footpath on both sides, rather than the much more conventional road bridge. ". The bridge, which has stumped experts for decades, is believed to have come from a carriage and wagon works in Darlington, Durham.
West Ham
West Ham is a major London railway terminus close to the Boleyn Ground, the home ground of West Ham. The station was opened in 1839 as part of the London and Blackwall Railway's tunnel through the centre of Outwich into Fenchurch Street Station. The station later became known simply as Fenchurch Street when platforms were added and the West Ham station closed and demolished to make way for an eastwards extension of the Underground station.
If you take a walk along the platforms of Charing Cross station and look out the window, you’ll see a few trains. But if you turned around and took a walk along the platforms of West Ham station, you’d be surprised by what you found: five. That’s right, West Ham has more platforms than Charing Cross. It's the thought that counts, right? Well it might just be that some of the thinking behind our railway platforms hasn't put enough thought into them.
Well, this little article is going to change all that (…or not. It's just a bit of fun). The facts I have looked at are. You may have heard that West Ham station has more platforms than Charing Cross. But did you know it has more than Canary Wharf? I’m sure you’ve never thought which rail station had the most platforms, so let me tell you how I got here. West Ham is a large east London station on the London Underground, and also on the National Rail network.
West Hampstead
West Hampstead really is a lovely place. Filled with characterful houses, high street cobblers and plenty of greenery, it’s where you go if you want to be surrounded by a real sense of community spirit. I’ve lived in West Hampstead all my life, have watched it develop and grow over the years, and spend most of my time here. The reason I’m telling you the story of my neighbourhood is because I see a lot of parallels with email marketing.
If it's your first time speaking with me, I run a small online store for a small business in West London. West Hampstead is one of those neighbourhoods where everyone knows about everyone else. North West London 's residential area is one of the most sought after addresses in the capital. Surrounded by greenery and open spaces, West Hampstead combines a great sense of community with all the facilities that modern living requires. West Hampstead is a postcode district in the London Borough of Camden.
West Harrow
Each autumn the country comes alive with hundreds of miles of countryside trails filled with hikers, trippers and ramblers. It’s a sight to behold. And so this month we wanted to find some fun walking routes in West Harrow. I’ve been exploring West Harrow for years and years, as I grew up here, and know all the best local area paths, parks, wildlife sites and views. Each of these routes are relaxing, but still enjoyable enough to hold your interest no matter how tired you feel after that 18th biscuit.
Hiking is a great way to lose weight, reduce stress and just get back in touch with Mother Nature – provided the weather cooperates! So get out there. I have been going to the festival since I was young child. I even used to go with my mother and brother when I was about seven years old. It is always a fun and slightly bizarre weekend. Although the festival is held over a few days it is hard to get time off work so many people arrive on the Friday afternoon for an early start the next day; it would be foolish after all to turn down a five-day walking holiday in some of Britains most beautiful scenery.
What an intriguing sentence. There's nothing particularly memorable about a sentence that says "a station people travel to in order to get to Britain'. the word interesting, in this case, is quite simply the subject matter which is so strange it grips imagination and makes you want to read more. West Harrow. A station that has never (that I have been made aware of) been the gateway to either a music festival or indeed, anything happening outdoors for that matter.
Unless you live in Harrow, you might just see it as another station in Zone 6 of the London Underground network. West Harrow. That’s the name of a new housing estate at the end of my road. It is rather noisy. And, at night, it transforms into a brightly-coloured heaven for all things nocturnal and, it has to be said, some rather unsavoury people. As a result of Heathrow's expansion and redevelopment plans, West Hampstead together with South Hampstead are now considered two areas.
West Kensington
I think the above has 11 mistakes. First, the name of this tube station is West Kensington. Second, the phrase “or Wimbledon station” is nonsensical (even if it was possible to be 5x closer to a grass court tennis court than a train station; I doubt anyone has ever thought this). Third, near can’t be used in this way. The West part is okay as it makes sense (the West London neighborhoods of Notting Hill and Shepherd’s Bush are both near here), but the proximity to Wimbledon station doesn’t make sense.
Lastly, I don’t think you can be “next to” a train or subway station — this should be replaced with “. The West Kensington and Gibbs Green Conservation area of London is a special place for us. From it came 3 of the greatest tennis players to ever hit a ball over a net, and all into the latter half of the last century. In the 60s & 70s, Pancho Gonzalez, Ilie Nastase and John McEnroe all plied their trade on its leafy streets.
West Kensington, being next to the Queens Club, is 5x closer to a grass court. Wimbledon Station is approximately 9. 58 kilometres from the centre of London, or 6 miles away. Also it's been mentioned that it's possible to get to WKS by tram and the time taken between getting on and getting off is 10mins. For me, there are three main types of venues for live tennis; Outdoor, Indoor, and Court. West Kensington is one of those rarer venues which is neither indoor or outdoor.
Instead it’s a grass court that sits on the edge of a neighborhood in an old sports center. That's the old story of how Wimbledon moved to SW19. Less fertile soil, but no neighbour so less chance of being backhanded in the eye by a flying ball. Apart from being the home of British tennis, Kensington also is a fashionable area in west London with many shops and restaurants. West Hampstead is a district in the London Borough of Camden.
West Ruislip
It turns out that commuter journeys are not as straightforward as you might assume. You would think you could walk from West Ruislip to Epping in 40 minutes, but that doesn’t take into account the two stations that lie in between. Nor does it consider the unusual route that some commuters have to travel if they want to avoid a change from the Central line onto another line. It is on these complicated journeys in London, and across the UK, that Transport for London is hoping to make changes.
And it believes blockchain technology can be used to ease some of the pain points for passengers. Epping and West Ruislip are two stations on the Central line of the London Underground network with a distance between them of precisely 37 miles (approx. 60 kilometres). It is therefore the longest journey you can take without changing trains on any line of the Underground – from mobile phone signal to satellite navigation systems, that length is considered one journey without having to change equipment.
You may be surprised to see West Ruislip on that list; it's certainly not the most glamorous destination in the world. However, this journey goes all the way down to Epping via Cockfosters, Hainault, Newbury Park and Woodford before doubling back over itself to Epping. That's right: you'll travel 37 miles round-trip without ever changing lines. My plan is simple. I’m going to attempt to travel the distance from West Ruislip to Epping on the London Underground.
It’s a journey of around 40 miles that covers every line in Zone 7, and has the longest continuous journey available on the entire network – so it’ll be quite a sight. It used to be that the longest journey you could take without changing on the entire London Underground network was the 37 miles from West Ruislip to Epping. It is known for its wide, tree-lined avenues which lead to small cottages and houses.
Westbourne Park
The original station was opened on 24 April 1868 by the West London Extension Joint Railway (WLEJR, now the West London Line) as its eastern terminus. It was originally named "Gospel Oak" after a local area of London to avoid confusion with nearby Hampstead and Gospel Oak which were already served by the North London Railway. This first station was north of Queen's Road at what is now the northern end of the present Edgware Road and was relocated 200 metres to the west in 1871.
Westbourne Park also known as, West Bridge was a station which opened in 1844. It was situated in Ossulston Street at the west end of the present-day Euston Road. The station closed in 1871 when relocated to the new Marylebone Station roughly two hundred yards further east. The Westbourne Park station was constructed in 1854 and it was the first station to be demolished as part of the construction of the Victoria line. It was relocated and rebuilt on 3rd March 1871.
Westminster
In August 1977, engineers discovered the foundations to Big Ben were in danger of complete failure, and in 1981 Parliament voted to spend $6 million to build concrete piles around the base of the tower for support. After excavations for the Jubilee line, which runs deep under Westminster, there was concern for damage to Big Ben’s foundations. So engineers built the piles and strengthened the foundations. In September 1972, they re-hung the great bell at London’s Lords Chamber after it was damaged during relocation from its home near St Stephen’s Gate.
The 13 1/2-tonne bell was raised 50 feet up into position using a hydraulic platform and crane with wires attached. When the time came for Big Ben to be restored to its original position, it was found that the foundations had been badly damaged by the Jubilee Line work. This meant that the tower's dials no longer aligned with the clock mechanism. Due to this finding, a new digital clock face was designed and installed in 2016.
The clock was re-dedicated on 22 May 2016 by Elizabeth II. The stations at Westminster and Embankment have constructed integral parts of the Palace of Westminster for centuries. These two stations are directly underneath the Thames riverside palace and their construction has caused some anomalies which are worth noting when passing through both subway stations. Until now the world has believed that Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster were founded on solid rock. Historically, the Palace stands on a patch of gravel deposited by the ancient River Thames, which halted its northward expansion at Regina’s Island in the thirteenth century.
White City
When I lived in London, I would take the tube to get to and from work. One of the main stations serving London is called White City station. It's a huge station with many exits and is one of those places you go through often without really thinking about it. About half a mile from White City station is Wood Lane station. For people who live nearby, Wood Lane station is obviously more convenient than White City, so why aren't they building any new houses for people to live by Wood Lane and why does everyone still use White City?.
So let’s examine each of these three Wood Lanes. There’s a Wood Lane roundabout near Earl’s Court, and it was here that Wood Lane railway station stood from 1864 until November 2008 when it closed. It was replaced by West Brompton where you can now catch the District line from the two new platforms there. The area around Wood Lane is now predominantly offices with no obvious reminders of its railway past. If the fact that Wood Lane station was renamed twice wasn’t weird enough for you, how about this? It was situated on Wood Lane.
Yep, it’s right in the name – but it was built on White City. That’s the fictional utopia the BBC built back in 1929 for their very first show called Broadcasting House. White City was a railway station, a stop on the Great Central Railway, in Addison Road, Kensal Green. This station never called at White City. I’ll spare you the history lesson and get to the point. Wood Lane Underground Station has a new postcode, , and it opened in 2015.
Whitechapel
The East London Line has two tube stations. Whitechapel Station has Overground platforms, while the other station, Shadwell (formerly known as Minories), is on the Underground. The stations are also connected by a pedestrian tunnel which is blue, like the Underground, and shares it's distinctive logo! The eastbound platform at Shadwell is above ground, but if you want to travel westwards, you'll need to take a lift down to the one below ground. The London Underground is an 85 year old railway network that runs in a loop around a big, fat circle.
Some of the lines are above ground, some are below. This is because we live in a city with roads and things. The Circle Line is the only line that runs entirely underground, but there are parts of the East and West line (District) which are also underground. The area was heavily bombed during the Blitz due to its proximity to Dockside warehouses containing military supplies and armaments. During the Second World War, this vulnerability led to the construction of a series of deep level shelters beneath stations on the network which could be used in air raid emergencies.
Clapham Common station is one such example. The Overground is a lovely, modern, more efficient form of transport. Cleaner, better air-conditioning, less queuing for the equivalent of a bus route… everyone is happy. Except when the Overground meets the Underground on the surface at Whitechapel station. It’s always a shambles. St. Mary’s Church, Whitechapel is a church on Whitechapel High Street. It is one of the few remaining churches in London with an outdoor bell-ringing team, and one of only three City of London churches to have preserved its 18th-century woodwork.
Whitechapel is the only London Underground station to have been built and opened by the Great Eastern Railway (GER), who had taken over the failed East London line that was planned to link Shoreditch and New Cross. It was opened on 20 October 1837 as "Bayswater Station" (named after the area) and renamed "Westbourne Park" in 1871 when it was rebuilt on a new site. It has 8 platforms, more than Charing Cross (6). The station was severely damaged.
Willesden Green
The best thing about Willesden Green is that, in common with its neighbours, it's not beaten the way we might be beaten up if we live in the more-sophisticated bits of London. The air is a bit more fresh; the subways less dank; and there are some bits and pieces about which at least one can feel mildly optimistic. Willesden Green is quite an ordinary part of northwest London. Not extraordinary at all, Willesden Green has a couple of railway stations and a bunch of nondescript streets with an array of boring houses.
But one thing that Willesden Green is not just ordinary for is being the home of famous English people. Sitting at the hub of the London Underground, Willesden Green Station is incredibly easy to get to. Whether you walk or drive, the station is a little over five minutes away from either Paddington or Wembley Park station. The area's name has historically been variously written as Willesden Green, Willesden Green, Willesden Green, and Willesden Green.
Wimbledon
There is something I find thoroughly entertaining about an animal with a uniform. There is a famous picture of Laddie the Airedale in his suit, taken as he collected fares from passengers at the Wimbledon train station. He was trained by his owner to collect the change on his back, and ended up with 5,000 pounds in the process. If you are not familiar with Laddie story, there is an online movie about it made in 2006 which is well worth a watch.
Wimbledon, home of the grass-court championships. But also home to a very cute Airedale Terrier who worked as a collector for the train company! In 1956 they retired him and today there is a plaque dedicated to him (and his money box) at the station. (more…). Laddie the Airedale Terrier provided railway officials and passengers at a train station in Scotland with good service for six years, but what left them flabbergasted was when he carried a whopping 5,000 pounds in cash on his back.
Wimbledon Park
The Wimbledon branch of the District line has the station Wimbledon Park, only a mile from the All England Club. Despite being the closest station to the venue, it is still around a 20 minute walk away. This is because the District Line train service divides into two branches – those that go to Tooting Broadway, and those that go to Wimbledon. The latter stop at Wimbledon Park before entering West Kensington Olympia. Source: London Reconnections.
Wimbledon Park is a relatively trivial station when you think about it. It was opened in 1889, and hasn't changed much since then. There's just one platform at the station (platform 1 for those of you who are interested) so it's not exactly a major interchange on the network. For me however, it does represent one of the consequences of the London Underground 1930 extension. Over the years Wimbledon station has acquired something of a reputation for being the tennis equivalent of Morden.
The fact that it is a long way from the centre of Wimbledon (Strawberries patrons will know what I mean), coupled with a distinct lack of toilets, has tended to put people off using it to get to their matches. It’s an amusing fact that Wimbledon Park Station is nearer to the home of Golf than Tennis, despite being located much closer to Centre Court. As a keen golfer myself this discrepancy was enough to pique my interest and I wanted to find out just how much closer it is.
Wimbledon Park is a station on the Kingston Loop Line in south-west London owned by Network Rail and managed by South West Trains. It is close to Wimbledon Common and the grounds of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, from which it takes its name. Wimbledon Park tube station may provide easy access to Wimbledon for visitors and fans, but sadly it is not particularly close to the tennis club. The train station also gave it a fleeting fourth incarnation of Willesden Green.
Wood Green
The names of the streets crisscrossing my home offer a trip down memory lane. I can’t drive down Lister Avenue without thinking about where I used to play as a teenager. I’m taken back to the 40s and 50s where I stroll down Holden Road and grasp an image of cars parked and doors thrown open to welcome guests. This is Wood Green, my neighbourhood. It comes alive when you visit, either for its shops or just to take a walk or eat in one of the cafés on the high street — people are out enjoying themselves, committing time to family and friends.
Wood Lane
Although it’s the newest station on the network, Wood Lane opened in October 2008, rather than in 1900 when it might have been expected. The name used to be just plain old Wood Lane; but on 1st January 2009, it was renamed with the new addition ‘& Shepherds Bush Market’. This change was due to the new road that was built–Wood Lane–which runs right past the station, and was created as part of the Crossrail line development that will eventually reach Reading, through central London.
Wood Lane station is a London Underground station in White City, west London, and is the newest station on the network. It lies on the Central line, between Shepherds Bush and Latimer Road stations, and is in Travelcard Zone 2. The tracks emerge from tunnels deep below the surface level; more specifically, its platforms are 19 m below ground level at their deepest point. This is only 0. 8 m below the surface of Shepherd’s Bush Green itself.
Despite being the newest station on the Underground network, Wood Lane has had a turbulent start. The original plans for the Central Line Extension involved creating a new station called Walpole Park, close to the existing Wood Lane station (then known as elstree & Borehamwood). However, following a public consultation exercise in 2005, TFL decided to change the name of both stations to Wood Lane and open a new station at Rushton Road. Wood Lane is a London Underground station on Wood Lane in West London.
It is served by the Central line between Central London and Ealing Broadway, and the London Overground Bakerloo line trains between Watford Junction and Stratford. The station was opened as part of the extension of the Central line to West Ruislip in 1933. One hundred and fifty million pounds later, Wood Lane, the newest Underground station on the London Underground network was opened on the 19th October 2008. Located between White City and Shepherd’s Bush Green stations, the new station is capable of serving over 36,000 passengers per hour during peak times.
Woodford
In 2006, to celebrate 150 years of railway history, Network Rail launched the Woodford Owl Conservation Project, said to be one of the first such schemes in Europe. This project is supported by the RSPB and Broxbourne Council, as a way to create an income stream that may enable local inhabitants to continue their conservation work. Woodford Underground Station is on the Central Line, close to Shenfield, Buckhurst Hill and Woodford stations. A wooden owl was put into the stations rafters during recent refurbishment as a reference to the owl sanctuary nearby.
Woodford is a subway station, the westernmost stop on the northern leg of the Blue Line of the Toronto subway system. It is located at Islington and Bloor streets in the Seaton Village neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Woodford is a rail station in Carnforth, England. It has been hailed as one of the most beautiful stations in the United Kingdom, and even won an award for being Britain's most picturesque station in 2006. To find out more, outside the station take a left out of the main entrance and walk about 10 metres.
Woodside Park
Woodside Park is the last station on London Underground's Northern line. Even though it's last alphabetically, Woodside Park isn't actually the very last station in terms of geography. Eight stops from this bare suburban stop is North Finchley, a bustling shopping centre compared to Woodside Park's quiet streets. As you might guess, there is a Woodside Park in the US and it has the same problem with being at the end of the alphabet in that country too.
London's Tube-based maps are very precise. Below ground, they even show the angles of all the tunnels, and sometimes the relative positions of underground signals. But while each station is carefully positioned, there's a glaring inaccuracy in the geographic centre of it all: Woodside Park is not the middle of London. Woodside Park is the final station on the Northern Line – alphabetically, that’s last. That makes it unique: no other Tube station shares that crown.
Woodside Park is also only 42 metres away from Brondesbury Park station yet it's a different country added with a microclimate. Woodside Park has a lot of interesting facts. Aside from being the station with the longest name on the entire London Underground network, it is also one of the three stations that are located at Westminster. Woodside Park is the letter Z. Well, how about Woodside Park? This between-the-lines station is a hidden gem on the Northern Line and really should be more of a household name.