Visitors to London who are also transport enthusiasts (‘railfans’) sometimes ask for advice as to the ‘best’ things to see on London’s railway network. This page is part of a guide which aims to answer that question.
If this is the first time you have reached these pages then it is best to go to the Opening Page which sets the scene, explains the difference between the small and the large profile trains, offers advice on the best type of ticket to buy and photography tips.
Alternatively, it is possible to view everything on one page
Station Architecture & Features
Being an older system which dates back to the 1860's London Underground stations feature a wealth of both aged and contemporary structures and whilst over the years some of the older buildings have been modernised and even rebuilt out of all recognition, others partially or even fully survived in their original forms long enough for their historic ambiance to be recognised and even celebrated in the present - day era.
As a general theme stations dating from the Victorian and Edwardian-eras can be found:-- on all the subsurface UndergrounD lines (Metropolitan, District, Circle, Hammersmith & City),
- much of the London Overground network,
- the 'open air' stations of the Elizabeth line,
- the 'open air' sections of the Piccadilly line in west London (although many of these were rebuilt in the 1930s)
- the Central line east of Leyton and Northern line north of Finchley Central - both of these were converted from London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) steam trains to London Transport electric tube trains in the period 1939 - 1949.
The Victorian era was during the reign of Queen Victoria, 1837 - 1901. The Edwardian era was during the reign of King Edward ll 1901 - 1910, although it is usually seen as ending at the start of WW1 in 1914, when King George V was the British Monarch. Since then eras stopped being named after our Monarch, instead we have been in the Modernist era. However in the future historians may decide to call 1952 - 2022 the second Elizabethan era, after Queen Elizabeth II.
The 1930's saw much expansion of the London Underground with many brand new stations plus older stations rebuilt in an architectural style called Art Deco. These too have often become of historic interest.
This page primarily looks at a few of the more noteworthy stations. More such stations - plus some more modern stations - can also be found on the relevant pages about the different Underground lines, London Overground, the DLR, etc.
Note that although not specified in the image comments below, since 2000 many stations on the Underground have seen much refurbishment and installation of new safety systems and CCTV camera systems. Typically stations were refurbished in a way designed to retain what is now seen as their 'heritage' styling, with (especially) platform walls often being retiled on an almost ‘like for like’ basis.
Before looking at the stations, a few words on several generic station topics that will also be of interest.
Accessibility
In an ideal world every station would be fully accessible - and for 'new build' accessibility is part of the design brief, This usually also applies when older stations are rebuilt, eg: with a new, larger, ticket hallHowever, most of London's railways were built in eras when accessibility was not even thought of and whilst, in recent years many stations have been (and are continuing to be) made fully accessible there is still much to do. Of course the cost of the work is the primary reason why progress is slow.
Typically what is required to make a station accessible is to install one (or several) lifts (elevators in the American dialect) between street level and the platforms.
However, especially for people who use wheelchairs the gap and height difference between the platform and the train floor can also act as a barrier to travel.
Where the train floor is lower than the platform the most usual solution is to use an accessibility ramp which is deployed by a member of station staff who (for safety reasons) will have been trained on its use. This might need to be arranged before travelling.
Especially at stations where the train floor is lower than the
platform wheelchair passengers also need to use an
accessibility ramp, such as is seen here - leaning on the wall.
By way of contrast, a solution which has found favour at stations where the train's floor is higher than the platform is installing a raised section of platform. Here in the UK this is often called a Harrington Hump, because Harrington was the first National Rail station to use this solution. I feel sure that the first British use of this concept was actually on the London Underground, but as this is not part of the state-owned railway system so its use here is not recognised by the National Railway system.
Installing the lifts benefits many more passengers than just wheelchair users - especially people with heavy luggage and parents with children in pushchairs / strollers / buggies. Usually these passengers can cope with height differences between the platform and train's floor.
Finding space to install lift shafts at railway stations where the platforms (and perhaps also the ticket offices) are underground can be very challenging as there can be a myriad of water, sewage and other pipes in the way and also care has to be taken to ensure that digging a lift shaft will not affect the structural stability of the station (and other) buildings. In theory there will be paper records showing what pipes are where but records do become mislaid and especially at stations that were damaged during WW2 any ad-hoc emergency repairs may not have been (properly) documented.
Many deep level tube stations were originally built with lifts - but typically there were still passageways with steps between the lift's lower landing and the platforms. It would seem logical that simply digging down even further and possibly also digging new access passageways would be a simple enough task, but if this was the situation then it would have been done! Another issue is that disused lift shafts are often repurposed for ventilation.
A significant hazard which is still to be resolved is the sometimes large gap between part of the train and platform at stations with curved platforms.
Possibly these stations could become accessible to wheelchair users when there is a member of staff using a ramp - or several family members who are physically able to ensure safety.
The gap also poses a very severe risk to people with limited eyesight - indeed at some stations the situation is such that unaided people with limited or even zero eyesight should not use these stations.
The reality is that such platforms can be hazardous to everyone - even the able-bodied - so everyone must exercise great care to ensure their safety.
Fortunately there are relatively few such stations in London - but it only needs a moment of carelessness at one of them for a very bad event to occur.
Getting Lost!
Sometimes finding the way around busy stations can be somewhat challenging. Especially stations that are served by many lines / services where there are many platforms and a virtual labyrinth of passageways between them and the stations entrances / exits. This makes it become possible to become lost. In London all Underground lines have a name, which should help. Where lines split in to two or more suburban branches it is best to look for the last station to work out where the branch is going. This solution is only partially helpful on the Northern line which has two branches through Central London. Whilst this can cause confusion the easy solution is to look to see whether the train is advertised as travelling via Bank or Charing Cross.
Many visitors to London become confused and even lost when travelling on the SubSurface network - the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines. This is because they all use the same trains and inside them there are several different paper route maps. Even worse, the route maps do not have little lights next to the station names showing where the train is going. Whilst there are electronic display screens the information they show scrolls (ie: is changing all the time) so they only show the information for a short while.
The DLR does not have individual line names, and whilst it also has a complex service pattern only Stratford and Canning Town have platforms spread out at different parts of the station in a way that can be confusing to visitors. Canning Town is perhaps the most difficult because trains to some destinations (eg: Beckton, Woolwich Arsenal via London City Airport) call at different platforms depending on where the train came from.
District line (left); Hammersmith & City and Circle lines (right). and there are insufficient language neutral^ ways of informing passengers which map is relevant for that journey
Many tourists become confused - because they look at the wrong map!
It also does not help that the platforms for the northbound and southbound Northern line (Charing Cross branch) are at different parts of the station.
^language neutral means that it is suitable for people who do not understand English - or even cannot read our alphabet but understand pictograms
Some Stations
Barons Court has what is perhaps one of London's most ornate UndergrounD station buildings. Built in an Edwardian Baroque style and designed by
HW Ford this station opened in 1905.
The steps to the platforms and the platform canopies date from a 1931 partial rebuild and are less ostentatious.
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Either side of the ornate station entrance are 1920's bronze information panels with swan-neck lamp brackets and globe lamps. The south-east corner has a cartouche with the DR (District Railway) monogram plus bronze information panel and lamp. As the cartouche is in shadow it is also seen in an inset. The retail shop fronts feature three section art nouveau glazing above their picture windows.
The ticket hall features distinctive green tiling with a frieze of darker green tiles with sunburst motifs (as seen in the inset). There are two pedimented ticket windows, each with a bronze illuminated box sign above them, which were added later. Although the ticket office windows are no longer used they have been retained to preserve the station's visual integrity.
Barons Court station is now a Grade ll listed building, read more:
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1358562
Also at Barons Court station are these original and unique
(on the London Underground) back-to-back wooden bench seats.
The solid disc sign at Ealing Broadway dates from before Edward Johnston designed the familiar roundel in 1919.
Note that not all the services shown on the map still operate and that the Bakerloo, East London and Piccadilly lines have partially faded.
In those days the Moorgate - Finsbury Park Northern City line was owned by the Metropolitan Railway.
Underground stations with Victorian and Edwardian-era buildings which were built in the steam train era can be found on all the subsurface Underground lines plus the 'open air' sections of the Central line east of Leyton and Northern line north of Finchley Central. These two routes also date from the steam train era and only some of them were rebuilt to a more modern design when they were converted from London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) steam trains to London Transport electric tube trains in the period 1939 - 1949.
This station also retains a few original (and very rare) GER wall-mounted bench style platform seats.
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The up/down signs are actually British Railways (Eastern Region) heritage features - most stations between Bow Road and Upminster Park only switched to London Transport ownership in the late 1960s.
Right: Grit spread on a stairway on a cold winter morning, as filmed at Leytonstone High Road London Overground (Suffragette line) station.
Roofing stairways between ticket halls and platforms is not just 'a nice thing' - it provides some serious safety benefits too - especially as many passengers do not hold a handrail when using steps and if someone was to slip over in ice they could experience a very nasty fall.
Yes, OK, but these stations are from an older era and modern people prefer more modern stations
Of course London's Underground does have some ultra modern station buildings. The most impressive of these are to be found on the Jubilee line (especially the portion built in the 1990s between Westminster and Stratford) as well as the Battersea branch of the Northern line and the central London portion of the Elizabeth line.
Right: London Bridge - two of the accesses between the circulating area and the platforms, with a train having just arrived and the doors about to open.
Right: The passageway between the platforms at Liverpool Street station, with the escalators to the rebuilt ticket hall at Moorgate in the distance.
Most stations on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and Croydon Tramlink are modern 'glass and metal' structures. Especially on the DLR the station designs vary depending on when they were built.
For the rest of London's railways (including the London Overground Network) the fate of the station buildings largely depends on whether the routes have always been busy or the stations have been replaced / downsized as economy measures. For example, if you travel on the London Overground Stratford - Richmond North London / Mildmay line or the Gospel Oak - Barking Riverside (GOBLIN / Suffragette line) you will see many stations where British Railways knocked everything down and nowadays there is nothing much more than ‘bus stop’ shelters on the platforms and the smallest possible ticket office building designed to be suitable for just one person. eg: Finchley Road and Frognal.
As a general theme stations on routes which were once served by steam trains but in the 1940's became part of London Transport have been preserved better than those which remained part of the national railway network.
Sometimes the older stations are actually more functional than present-era stations for which the designers often seem more interested in what might look good than whether it actually performs well.
as part of a new road project and the replacement station is of the contemporary design which younger people desire.
It is bright and airy, with translucent / clear glass brick walling and a very welcome platform shelter which extends part-way along the platforms.
But it has to be asked what the younger generation think about the white RSJ H shaped metal columns (with peeling paint)
and what look like ‘el cheapo’ residential ‘car porch’ style platform lights?
Their thoughts are that a modern railway should have stations that feature cutting edge glitzy designs which use modern materials such as concrete, metal and glass (or similar).
So maybe these people will prefer stations such as Hillingdon (above) with its functional but visually plain RSJ H shaped columns and car porch lights - and dislike the ornate circular columns often found at older stations - such as seen at Woodford station in the image on the right?
Platform canopy support pole variations, at Woodford Central line station - would some people actually prefer it if the historic ornate round versions were replaced by the plain H shaped RSJ versions?
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This example is Holland Park on the Central line.
Beware! The metal grilles are usually somewhat dusty - so be careful to avoid touching them - especially if wearing light coloured clothing.
Typical Edwardian Era Tube Stations
Designed by the architect Henry Green, London‘s Covent Garden station is typical of the over 40 stations built in the first decade of the 20th century by the Underground Electric Railways Group (UERG) for what nowadays are known as the Northern, Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines.
The UERG corporate style included distinctive ruby red glazed bricks and - to maximise financial income from the valuable land space - a structure which permits several floors of offices to be built over it.
The design brief included placing the distinctive London Transport roundel symbol on the side of the building where it could be seen by people elsewhere along the road and act as a ‘homing beacon’ making the station even easier to find. Typically these were illuminated at night.
Whilst some of them have been rebuilt with escalators, Covent Garden still uses lifts and being at the heart of an area which is very popular with both locals and tourists this station is often so busy that even with four lifts crowding is commonplace. To avoid the crowds some passengers use the emergency spiral stairway instead, although this is discouraged - because the distance between the upper and lower levels is equivalent to that of a 15 floor building!
When built these 40 stations featured their own unique wall tile patterns and colour schemes - this was done because in those days not
everyone
was able to read and these differences helped regular passengers to identify where they were and when they had reached their destination station.
Nowadays only some of these stations still retain their original decorative tiling patterns and colours. Especially in Central London many of these stations have been 'modernised' with very different wall tile designs, a few of these stations have also been closed.
the railway company's names in a frieze near the top of the frontage.
This was built in 1915, to a design by Harry Ford.
In sunny weather this is best photographed before midday.
in the mid 1930’s to serve a new Earls Court Exhibition building.
This image also shows the additional glass rotunda which in the 1960’s was added above the 1930’s entrance.
1930's Art Deco Stations
In the 1930's many new stations were built (and some existing stations rebuilt) in connection with extensions to the Piccadilly, Northern, Bakerloo‡ and
Central lines. Typically the stations built by London Transport were designed by Charles Holden
‡In 1979 the Bakerloo line's Stanmore branch became part of the Jubilee line.
More information about 1930's and immediate post war London Underground stations (and other buildings) built in Art Deco and Modernism styles can be found at the two links below.
The first link also explores the Metro-Land phenomena designed to create new residential areas where the inhabitants would become passengers of the Metropolitan Railway:
http://www.modernism-in-metroland.co.uk/metro-land-and-modernism.html
http://www.modernistbritain.co.uk/browse/tag/transport/
Acton Town station is typical of many of the 1930’s Art Deco stations where the ticket hall is capped with a flat concrete slab roof and the brick walls are punctuated with panels of clerestory windows.
Designed by Charles Holden this station was rebuilt
prior to the District line service to Rayners Lane
and Uxbridge being replaced by the Piccadilly line.
these views show the ticket hall as illuminated during the hours of darkness.
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Left: A platform view. Middle: The full lighting column as seen in the view above-left. Right: A closer view of the Art Deco glass lamp shade and signage.
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The station frontage includes a bus interchange, albeit only for buses travelling in one direction (or terminating here).
Buses travelling in the opposite direction call at traditional kerbside bus stops - as seen in the somewhat faded road markings.
The single concrete support column in the middle of the station building is another common architectural feature.
When this station was refurbished the telephone booths were restored too. At one time they all had twin leaf folding doors, unfortunately the doors for the two booths with working payphones had to be removed to deter people with ill-intent from leaving explosive devices where they can not be seen when the doors are closed. To maintain the visual effect the third booth retains its door - but this is fixed closed.
which is served by District and Piccadilly line trains. It was designed by Charles Holden with Stanley Heaps as the on-site supervisor.
This station building also includes some design cues from the 1920’s Northern line extension in south London.
This includes the use of Portland stone cladding on the tower and Aberdeen granite cladding below the tower.
The image above-right shows a recessed seating bay on one of the platforms.
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The examples seen here show two different types of walling, flat roofs and wrap-around glass screens to create a sense of lightness and openness.
These photographs were taken at Northfields (left) and Park Royal (right).
Uxbridge is a town on the north-western edge of London. At one time it had three^ railway stations but nowadays only the Charles Holden 'concrete cathedral' station built by London Transport in 1938 still survives.
^Two of them were GWR / British Rail stations and the third was Metropolitan Railway / London Transport.
Uniquely on the London Underground network Uxbridge station features some stained glass windows. These are easily seen by arriving passengers when walking towards the main exit from the station (ie: not the exit for the bus station). They were created by the Hungarian artist Ervin Bossányi, who emigrated to the UK in 1934.
at the concrete cathedral Uxbridge station.
See below
The Stained Glass Windows:
Left: The coat of arms of Middlesex County Council, which ceased to exist after London's local governments were changed in the mid 1960's. This comprises a Saxon crown and three seax. A Viking seax was a large fighting knife whilst a Saxon seax was a small / short curved knife (or dagger) used by the early Middle Ages settlers of Germanic origin. In olde Englishe a seax was a knife and the settlers who used them became known as Seaxan - which morphed in to Saxon.
Middle: The coat of arms of the Basset family, esteemed local landowners who in circa 1180 granted the people of Uxbridge permission to hold a market every Thursday.
Right: The flag and coat of arms of the historic county of Buckinghamshire include a white swan. This dates back to Anglo-Saxon times when this county was
known for breeding swans for the king.Other Routes - Not Part Of The UndergrounD
Just a few stations from London's extensive National Rail / main line railway network. More stations of interest are seen on the relevant pages, eg: London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and more.
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The station is seen as important because it represents the least altered example of the stations along this route after they were all rebuilt in the late 1870s.
Located to the west of London, Hanwell station is served by some (not all!) Elizabeth Line (Crossrail Line 1) trains from Paddington and central London.
Read more:
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1358787
Historic sign with finger pointer (not an arrow) telling passengers to use the steps and pedestrian subway if they wish to cross the tracks.
This station is also served by the Docklands Light Railway, although its two station entrances are more traditional in format.
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There are four platforms and two station entrances (one on each side of the tracks).
The entrance for Brent Cross Town has an ambiance more reminiscent of a courtyard garden than a railway station.
It includes a mezzanine level (intermediate floor) which offers fine views of the entrance building.
A feature that is very rare in London is the tactile wayfinding information on the stairway handrails.
Although not seen here this information is also in Braille.
| Opening Page Fares & Tickets / Photography |
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| London Underground Small Profile ‘Tube’ Trains |
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| Bakerloo Line | |
| Central Line | |
| Jubilee Line | |
| Northern Line | |
| Piccadilly Line | |
| Victoria Line | |
| Waterloo & City Line | |
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| London Underground Large Profile ‘Subsurface’ Trains |
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| Circle Line | |
| District Line | |
| East London Line | |
| Hammersmith & City Line | |
| Metropolitan Line | |
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| National Rail ‘Tube’ Trains | |
| Northern City Line | |
| Elizabeth Line (Crossrail Line 1) | |
| Crossrail Line 2 | |
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| Other National Rail Trains | |
| London Overground | |
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| Local Light Railways | |
| Docklands Light Railway | |
| Croydon / London Tramlink | |
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| General Information | |
| Main National Rail Stations Fast Regional Services Overhead Wire & 3rd Rail Trains |
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| Busier Suburban Stations In Zones 1-4 With A Wider Variety Of Trains To See |
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| Station Architecture & Features |  |
| Shared Service Routes | |
| Further Information Resources To Visit In Person Or Online |
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| Single Page Version Of This Guide |
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