South Kensington tube station
South Kensington | |
---|---|
Location | South Kensington |
Local authority | Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea |
Managed by | London Underground |
Number of platforms | 4 |
Fare zone | 1 |
London Underground annual entry and exit | |
2018 | 32.25 million[1] |
2019 | 33.07 million[2] |
2020 | 9.81 million[3] |
2021 | 10.82 million[4] |
2022 | 24.33 million[5] |
Key dates | |
1 October 1868 | Opened (MR) |
24 December 1868 | Started (DR) |
1 February 1872 | Started "Outer Circle" (NLR) |
1 August 1872 | Started "Middle Circle" (H&CR/DR) |
30 June 1900 | Ended "Middle Circle" |
15 December 1906 | Opened (GNP&BR) |
31 December 1908 | Ended "Outer Circle" |
1949 | Started (Circle line) |
Other information | |
External links | |
WGS84 | 51°29′39″N 0°10′26″W / 51.4941°N 0.1738°W |
London transport portal |
South Kensington is a
The station is in two parts: sub-surface platforms opened in 1868 by the
History
Sub-surface station
The station was opened on 24 December 1868 by the Metropolitan Railway (MR, later the Metropolitan line) and the District Railway (DR, later the District line). The MR had previously opened an extension from Paddington (Praed Street) (now Paddington) to Gloucester Road on 1 October 1868 and opened tracks to South Kensington to connect to the DR when the DR opened the first section of its line to Westminster.[7] The original South Kensington station, designed by the MR's engineer John Fowler,[8] had two platforms although it was intended that this would be supplemented as DR services extended.[9]
On 1 August 1870, the DR opened additional tracks between Gloucester Road and South Kensington. On 10 July 1871, the DR opened its own facilities at South Kensington.[7] The enlarged station had two through platforms for each company and a bay platform for terminating MR trains from the west. The junction between the two companies' tracks was also moved from the west side of the station to the east side.[10]
On 1 February 1872, the DR opened a northbound branch from its station at
From 1 August 1872, the Middle Circle service also began operations through South Kensington, running from Moorgate along the MR's tracks on the north side of the Inner Circle to Paddington, then over the Hammersmith & City Railway (H&CR) track to Latimer Road, then, via a now demolished link, on the WLEJR to Addison Road and the DR to Mansion House. The service was operated jointly by the H&CR and the DR.[11]
On 4 May 1885, the District Railway opened
In 1890, the South Kensington and Paddington Subway (SK&PS), a proposed
In 1949, the Metropolitan line-operated Inner Circle route was given its own identity on the
Over the decades, there were also a number of aborted attempts to build above the station with hotels, offices and a shopping mall proposed at times. None were built.
Deep-level station
By the beginning of the 20th century, the DR had been extended to
To relieve the congestion, the DR planned an express deep-level tube line starting from a connection to its sub-surface tracks west of Gloucester Road and running to Mansion House. The tunnels were planned to run about 60 to 70 feet (18–21 m) beneath the existing sub-surface route with only one intermediate stop at
Following the purchase of the DR by the
The deep-level platforms were opened on
The unused westbound tunnel was used during World War I to store art from the Victoria & Albert Museum and china from Buckingham Palace and, from 1927 to 1939, was used as a signalling school. During World War II it contained equipment to detect bombs falling in the River Thames which might require the emergency floodgates on the under-river tunnels to be closed.[30]
In the early 1970s the lifts to the Piccadilly line platforms were replaced by escalators, with one pair being provided between the ticket hall and a new intermediate level, where it met a linking passageway to the Circle and District line platforms, and three being provided from there to a lower concourse between the levels of the two Piccadilly line platforms. Stairs up and down from the lower concourse connect to the platforms. The stairs and passage to the westbound platform are located in the disused DR westbound platform tunnel.[30] With the introduction of escalators, the GNP&BR station building was taken out of use.
In February 2021, access to the Piccadilly line was closed in order to replace the escalators. The work was completed by June 2022.[31][32]
Future proposals
Many stations on the Circle line which were originally constructed in open cuttings have been subject to
Services
The station is in
On the Piccadilly line
Connections
There is a Santander Cycles rental station north of the station in Thurlow Street.[44]In literature
South Kensington is one of two tube stations (the other being Sloane Square) mentioned in the song "When you're lying awake" from the operetta Iolanthe by Gilbert and Sullivan.[45]
Notes and references
Notes
References
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (CSV). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2018. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ "South Kensington Underground Station".
- ^ a b c d e Rose 1999.
- ^ "Photograph details, 1998/87142". London Transport Museum. Transport for London. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
- ^ Horne 2006, p. 9.
- ^ Horne 2006, p. 13.
- ^ a b Horne 2006, p. 15.
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ Historic England. "South Kensington Subway (1392462)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ Badsey-Ellis 2005, pp. 50–51.
- ^ Wolmar 2005, p. 114.
- ^ Horne 2006, p. 30.
- ^ Horne 2006, p. 44.
- ^ "Photograph details, 2000/13635". London Transport Museum. Transport for London. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
- ^ Horne 2006, p. 79.
- ^ a b Horne 2006, p. 91.
- ^ Historic England. "South Kensington Underground Station (1392067)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ Historic England. "South Kensington Subway (1392462)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ Wolmar 2005, p. 108.
- ^ Badsey-Ellis 2005, pp. 70–71.
- ^ "No. 26881". The London Gazette. 10 August 1897. pp. 4481–4483.
- ^ Badsey-Ellis 2005, p. 85.
- ^ Badsey-Ellis 2005, p. 215.
- ^ Badsey-Ellis 2005, pp. 218–219.
- ^ Wolmar 2005, p. 175.
- ^ a b Badsey-Ellis 2005, p. 220.
- ^ "Piccadilly line trains won't stop at South Kensington for a year". Railfinder. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
- ^ "Piccadilly line to serve South Kensington Tube station again from 1 June". Transport for London. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
- ^ McAslan 2009a, p. 7.
- ^ McAslan 2009a, p. 9.
- ^ McAslan 2009c, pp. 44–45.
- ^ Deloitte 2016, p. 4.
- ^ "South Kensington station". Transport for London. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ "South Kensington station redevelopment to go ahead after Planning Inspector overturns council block". ianvisits. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ "Timetables". Transport for London. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
- ^ "First and last Tube". Transport for London. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
- ^ "Rolling Stock". Transport for London. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ "Buses from South Kensington" (PDF). Transport for London. 15 July 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "Night buses from South Kensington" (PDF). Transport for London. July 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "Find a docking station". Transport for London. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ "When You're Lying Awake (lyrics)". Boise State University. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
Bibliography
- Badsey-Ellis, Antony (2005). London's Lost Tube Schemes. Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-293-3.
- Deloitte (2016). South Kensington Station Around Station Development: Development Brief (PDF). Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- Horne, Mike (2006). The District Line. Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-292-5.
- John McAslan & Partners (2009). South Kensington Underground Station: Massing & Feasibility Study (part 1) (PDF). Transport for London. Archived from the original(PDF) on 28 December 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
- John McAslan & Partners (2009). South Kensington Underground Station: Massing & Feasibility Study (part 2) (PDF). Transport for London. Retrieved 14 June 2010.[permanent dead link]
- John McAslan & Partners (2009). South Kensington Underground Station: Massing & Feasibility Study (part 3) (PDF). Transport for London. Retrieved 14 June 2010.[permanent dead link]
- John McAslan & Partners (2009). South Kensington Underground Station: Massing & Feasibility Study (part 4) (PDF). Transport for London. Retrieved 14 June 2010.[permanent dead link]
- Rose, Douglas (1999) [1980]. The London Underground, A Diagrammatic History. Douglas Rose/Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-219-4.
- ISBN 1-84354-023-1.
External links
- London Transport Museum Photographic Archive
- South Kensington station, circa 1890
- View of sub-surface platforms, circa 1890
- Piccadilly line station building, 1910
- Booking hall, 1928
- Station Entrance, 1933
- Section of the unfinished deep tube platform tunnel in use as an office, 1939
- Westbound sub-Surface platform (now demolished), 1949
- Central sub-surface reversing track (now removed), 1949
- Eastbound sub-surface platform (now disused), 1951
- Partially filled-in central reversing track, 1958
- Piccadilly line platform, before redecorations, 1998
Preceding station | London Underground | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Gloucester Road towards Edgware Road
|
Circle line | Sloane Square towards Hammersmith via Tower Hill
| ||
Gloucester Road | District line | Sloane Square towards Upminster
| ||
Gloucester Road | Piccadilly line | Knightsbridge towards Cockfosters or Arnos Grove
| ||
Former routing | ||||
Preceding station | London Underground | Following station | ||
Gloucester Road towards Uxbridge or Hounslow West
|
Piccadilly line Former route (1906-1934)
|
Brompton Road towards Cockfosters or Arnos Grove
| ||
Abandoned plan | ||||
Gloucester Road | District line Deep Old
|
Charing Cross |