Four Abandoned Stations of the London Underground

I never know about them before. Its great to get know about these stations. I would like to visit them next time when I will go to london.

I would like to visit them next time when I will go to london.

They are absolutly NOT open to the public.

One of my favourite subject. London's are the most famous, but there are unused stations in New York, Lisbon, Paris, Moscow, Singapore, Tokyo, Charleroi...

Jim Connor's two books on disused London Underground stations are probably the best reference you'll find on this.

Aldwych used to be my parents' local tube station! It's also where The Prodigy filmed their "Firestarter" video as well... I could go on - almost forever :-)

Thanks for the article. Another former tube Station worth looking at York Road, about 1/2 mile from Kings Cross. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_Road_station

I also should have mentioned that http://www.subbrit.org.uk/ is like the Bible for this type of Stuff.
I want to see the Underground Bunker located underneath Holborn Telephone Exchange.

Really nice insight.
It's a shame they're not open, I think would be interesting to take a look down there.

I would like to visit them next time when I will go to london.
They are absolutly NOT open to the public.

That did not stop the kid that died in one, and probably many others that have not died. The ones in los angeles arent open to the public, but did make for some fun adventures, although not officially called a subway (they are older than that) they are underground train tracks and even appeared in some movies (one was in the replacement killers).

NY ones have homeless making homes out of them. so its likely that more than that one kid made it into these tubes, and more will continue to especially now that they are more known.

There's one that's located just outside the Parliament if I'm not mistaken, just before you come to a bridge crossing the Thames near the London Eye (save your money, by the way).

It's all chained up and overgrown. Perhaps it was one damaged during the bombings?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=parliament+building,+london&ie=UTF8&ll=51.500627,-0.118905&spn=0.001142,0.002028&t=h&z=19

If this link works, that should center right on the one I'm talking about. Can anyone clarify what station this is? It's actually across the river from Parliament.

This is great. Does anyone want to work with me to create a Google Map of all the abandoned stations in the world? email me at "lordewoks at yahoo dot com"

Oh, and btw, this would be great for filming a zombie movie: http://zombie-protocol.blogspot.com/

A slight tangent, but interesting if you're an underground London buff. There is a who network of postal trains and tunnels that runs underground and leads to the Mount Pleasant mail sorting office. http://postalheritage.org.uk/exhibitions/mountpleasant/undergroundrailway
Hopefully, it will be open to the public at some point -- it could make a great tourist attraction.

@blah: "NY ones have homeless making homes out of them. "
And let's not forget Splinter and the Turtles; where would they be without abandoned subway stations???

/a

Did I skim through too fast, or did no one mention how unused tube stations figure significantly in Neil Gaiman's novel Neverwhere? I seem to recall the British Museum station being of special importance.

The abandoned British Museum station features heavily in the 70s film Death Line, with an mesmerising performance from Donald Pleasance as a copper investigating cannibal attacks in the tunnels. It's a bit like that terrifying underground station scene in American Werewolf In London, only a whole feature film's worth.

@They are absolutly NOT open to the public.

London Underground sometimes arranges public tours of Aldwych station as part of London Open House weekend in September, when a lot of buildings not normally open to the public are opened up. They always fill up quickly though.

Aldwych closed because its lifts needed replacement and it wasn't economic to do so due to its low usage, so now te only way in and out is by stairs - pity the poor film crews who have to carry their lights and other equipment up and down when there's filming there!

I'm a party planner in the US but I had a high-profile client contact me about possibly hosting a rave-like party in an abandoned station. Ultimately the city of London gave the no go because structural damage ruled the station in mind unsafe.

If you want to go exploring in America and you live in Detroit you should def. check out the old Ford plant downtown. It's empty and it houses some of the most impressive graffiti I think I've ever seen.

Thanks for the pictures of Brompton Road - I lived behind it for a year or so and always wondered what it looked like inside, now I know!

@yin7yang64: yes, and down street too.

Did I skim through too fast, or did no one mention how unused tube stations figure significantly in Neil Gaiman’s novel Neverwhere? I seem to recall the British Museum station being of special importance.

Ditto China Mieville's King Rat; apparently Mornington Crescent tube station was closed when the book was written (is open these days).

They are absolutly NOT open to the public.

Jeez Ian, lighten up.

In Madrid they recently opened an old abandoned station as a museum, with the old publicity posters on the walls and all. Trains still pass by that station although they havent stopped there in years.

Thanks for the info. I can win at the Mornington Crescent game now!

The abandoned British Museum station features heavily in the 70s film Death Line, with an mesmerising performance from Donald Pleasance as a copper investigating cannibal attacks in the tunnels. It’s a bit like that terrifying underground station scene in American Werewolf In London, only a whole feature film’s worth.

Ironically, it was filmed at Aldwych - which was open (although not all day) at the time. I believe they used the closed platform at Aldwych but can't verify that. I love that film too :-)

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=parliament+building,+london&ie=UTF8&ll=51.500627,-0.118905&spn=0.001142,0.002028&t=h&z=19
If this link works, that should center right on the one I’m talking about. Can anyone clarify what station this is? It’s actually across the river from Parliament.

Given the name of the nearby road, it's most likely York Road station, which used to be the first stop on the Piccadilly Line after Kings Cross until 1932. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_Road_tube_station). Interestingly enough, the original Kings Cross underground station is also partially disused (since 1941) - it reopened as Kings Cross Thameslink. There's also disused platforms at Holborn, Charing Cross - quite a few others too...

Very nice pics. Thanks for sharing these.

In the mid to late 70s I ran a camera shop called Brunnings which was on the site of British Museum Station, we had access to the spiral stairway down to the old tunnels, there were still old posters on the tunnel walls times furnishings ect, all hand painted, there were air wardens office signs on the tilled walls, the old round lift shafts were still there, although the lifts were removed, we found old trolley bus tickets and train tickets from the 1930s, although the entrace to the platform was bricked up you could hear and feel the trains running through the tunnels,I wonder if it's still hidden down there..??

yes, British Musuem still exists, you can see it from the window of tube trains going past. Have a look at http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk

Little do you know that you have actally missed three of your list. Trust me I work for the tfl.

In the late 70,s I managed Brunnings photographic shop at 133 High Holburn, I discovered when opening a large wooden door in the Basement, on opening it I discovered a large spiral staircase armed with a large lantern torch I went down into the depths and found white tiled tunnels with pre war advertising hordings with the likes of times furnishings offering furniture from 15/- per month payments, I found 2 huge round lift shafts with hydrolic workings to a side room and an abundance of signs pointing to the air wardens office from the 2nd World War, the end of the tunnels were bricked of but you could here the underground trains running through the tunnels the other side, I had found British Museum Station, it was then all there apart from the lifts which had been removed, there were old trollybus tickets and woodbine cigerette packets everywere, Brunnings was built over so I dont know if it is still there, but it was pretty big, so maybe it is..??