Recommended stations to visit

[Rup]

Hi.

I've just joined the site, and this is my first post!

I'll be visiting central London for a day for work in January, and I'll have an hour or so to spare towards the end of the day.

I love the S-stock trains, so I'll make sure I travel on one of those.

I'd like to visit an interesting station or two, and wondered if anyone had any recommendations?

Thanks.

 

[ainsworth74]

Baker Street is quite nice as the subsurface (Met, H&S & Circle) line platforms feel more like a mainline railway station than a station on the London Underground. The District Line platforms at Earl's Court are also quite interesting and also have some rather vintage platforms indicators.

 

[valenta]

Welcome to the forum!

I visited London a year or so ago and found this article useful in choosing which stations to visit: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/p...ds-most-beautiful-stations.html?frame=2441905

 

[NSE]

Well Baker Street has the most platforms and up on the Circle/Hammersmith platforms are possibly the oldest platforms on the network. The Metropolitan line has some old staircases connecting the platforms and a tile design referencing Sherlock Holmes.

Kings Cross has the most lines going through it, so if that's your bag there's variety there. I've always liked the Bakerloo line at Piccadilly Circus where there's a crossover at one end of the platforms, which is (I think) the only point where two deep level tubes come together at a platform area like that. The Jubilee extension is worth checking out if you like modern architecture. Its all metal and shiny and with the platform edge doors underground. Quite the comparison if you've just checked out the oldest platforms at Baker Street. If you like to see junctions/railway activity etc, then Aldgate is quite good as you can see the H&C and District lines diverging from Barking to either Tower Hill or Liverpool Street.

If you want to check out the S Stock particularly, then I'd suggest maybe going from Baker Street towards Liverpool Street. Its cut and cover so you see good views of the stations and not just the inside of a tunnel and you can nosy round Baker Street. Its not that interesting, but I was always had a soft spot for Great Portland Street. I always thought it was a nice little station, quite pretty and quaint for somewhere so central.

Anyway, hope that helps

 

[jopsuk]

I quite like Hammersmith (H&C). Feels oddly like some sort of country terminus. Uxbridge meanwhile, more of a trek, but it's a grand Holden designed terminus

 

[Antman]

Hi.

I've just joined the site, and this is my first post!

I'll be visiting central London for a day for work in January, and I'll have an hour or so to spare towards the end of the day.

I love the S-stock trains, so I'll make sure I travel on one of those.

I'd like to visit an interesting station or two, and wondered if anyone had any recommendations?

Thanks.

Stations between Hammersmith and Acton Town where you've got both District and Piccadilly Line trains, plenty of photo opportunities should you wish to do so, also at Barons Court. I think the Wimbledon branch has got a bit of character as well, enjoy!

 

[AlanFry1]

Best stations to visit: Great Portland St, Baker St, Brent Cross, Canary Wharf, South Kensington & Farringdon.

AVOID AVOID AVOID: Camden Town, Highbury & Islington, Seven Sisters, Kings Cross, Victoria you know the busy ones

 

[TheNewNo2]

Earl's Court for the District is quite good.

 

[telstarbox]

Westminster is uniquely modern in its design, as is Canary Wharf if you can get that far in the time you have.

 

[Rup]

Thanks, everyone. So many good ideas!

 

[jopsuk]

Also on the Jubilee, but in the other direction- between Finchley Road and Neasden you'll see not just the Metropolitan line services passing on the fast lies, but on the adjacent lines all the CHiltern services in and out of Marylebone

 

[NSE]

Best stations to visit: Great Portland St, Baker St, Brent Cross, Canary Wharf, South Kensington & Farringdon.

AVOID AVOID AVOID: Camden Town, Highbury & Islington, Seven Sisters, Kings Cross, Victoria you know the busy ones

Yes Baker Street, Canary Wharf and Farringdon are definitely not one of 'the busy ones'. *sigh* general rule of thumb, during the peak everything is busy. Off peak, during the week it's still busy, but quiet enough to have a nosy round any of the stations you fancy

 

[kwrail]

Have a look on Youtube and search for the Londonist 'Secrets of the underground' series. They really are very good and should give you some ideas

 

[Rup]

With all these ideas, I think I might have to visit every station at some point!

 

[swt_passenger]

With all these ideas, I think I might have to visit every station at some point!

You'll need more than an hour if that's the case!

The Tube Challenge is the Guinness World Record for the Fastest time to travel to all London Underground stations. Participants do not have to travel along all lines to complete the challenge, merely travel to all the stations on the system. Participants may connect between stations on foot, or by using other forms of public transport.

As of 2015, the record for fastest completion was held by Ronan McDonald and Clive Burgess of the United Kingdom, who completed the challenge in 16 hours, 14 minutes and 10 seconds on 19 February 2015.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tube_Challenge

 

[pitdiver]

I think you should try a deep level tube eg Northern or Piccadilly lines. Then have a trip on the Met up towards Amersham/Chesham. A different world but still the "London Underground".

 

[Busaholic]

If you want a flavour of the history of the London Underground, Baker Street and Wapping - go to the south (Thames) end and look down the tunnel mouth and just contemplate the digging of that historic route and the lives it cost! Don't know whether it still has water pouring down the walls like it used to (probably not) but there must still be an atmosphere. Before the pedants get to me, I know Wapping is now an Overground station but it had a century as an Underground station/part of the Metropolitan Railway.

 

[10306]

Gants Hill is a fabulous station at platform level. Southgate and the stations at the Cockfosters end of the Piccadilly line are all listed structures now. (Southgate westbound platform is the only one on the system where you can see daylight at the end of the tube tunnel from the platform)

 

[StateOfPlay]

I like the Barbican because of the unused track. Not sure but it seems pretty unique to me.

 

[fairysdad]

If you want a flavour of the history of the London Underground, Baker Street and Wapping - go to the south (Thames) end and look down the tunnel mouth and just contemplate the digging of that historic route and the lives it cost! Don't know whether it still has water pouring down the walls like it used to (probably not) but there must still be an atmosphere. Before the pedants get to me, I know Wapping is now an Overground station but it had a century as an Underground station/part of the Metropolitan Railway.

I was one one of the tunnel walks they did a while back, and there wasn't any water pouring down the walls. Just the sound of pumps working! One of the two stations (can't remember if it's Wapping or Rotherhithe) has pictures of the building on the platforms.

 

[Mikey C]

I quite like Hammersmith (H&C). Feels oddly like some sort of country terminus. Uxbridge meanwhile, more of a trek, but it's a grand Holden designed terminus

And the line between Hammersmith (H&C) and Edgware Road is interesting as well, good views of the BBC TV centre, the Westway urban Motorway, the Crossrail construction site and Paddington mainline itself!

 

[Mojo]

Sorry, not really central, but some of my favourite stations are on the Rayners branch of the Piccadilly line.

North Ealing - it's almost as if you are walking into someone's house, a really nice, small little station.

Park Royal - my favourite. The tall imposing tower is visible to the hundreds of cars that must pass by this station every minute along the A40. The circular ticket hall which is typical of many stations of this era. It's got that gritty urban feel to go with the local area.

Sudbury Town - a huge boxy design, quite surprising when you come up the approach road, but has the same feel about it. The entrance on the Westbound platform is also quite unique.

 

[Rup]

Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions

 

[Rup]

OK, I had my trip to London yesterday and managed to squeeze in a couple of the suggestions from this thread

I travelled on S-stock trains on the Circle line. A few minutes into my journey, I realised I wasn't hot and sweaty, so the aircon was definitely working

I descended to the cavernous depths of the Westminster station to check out the Jubiliee Line. It's so open and spacious down there. I'd forgotten the new Jubilee platforms were fitted with (Westinghouse?) platform doors. I can imagine this becoming the standard one day, but very expensive to implement I'm sure. I didn't realise the Jubilee tunnels were one above the other. I thought tunnels were always side-by-side.

I had time at the end of the day to travel on the H&C line from Hammersmith up to Paddington. I didn't realise the Hammersmith station for H&C is effectively a different station from the Piccadilly/District station, separated by a busy road and with no underground connection. On the journey, I noticed some significant construction taking place to the east of the line by the Westfield shopping centre and also on the west side nearer Paddington.

 

[Mikey C]

OK, I had my trip to London yesterday and managed to squeeze in a couple of the suggestions from this thread

I travelled on S-stock trains on the Circle line. A few minutes into my journey, I realised I wasn't hot and sweaty, so the aircon was definitely working

I descended to the cavernous depths of the Westminster station to check out the Jubiliee Line. It's so open and spacious down there. I'd forgotten the new Jubilee platforms were fitted with (Westinghouse?) platform doors. I can imagine this becoming the standard one day, but very expensive to implement I'm sure. I didn't realise the Jubilee tunnels were one above the other. I thought tunnels were always side-by-side.

I had time at the end of the day to travel on the H&C line from Hammersmith up to Paddington. I didn't realise the Hammersmith station for H&C is effectively a different station from the Piccadilly/District station, separated by a busy road and with no underground connection. On the journey, I noticed some significant construction taking place to the east of the line by the Westfield shopping centre and also on the west side nearer Paddington.

Westminster was a constricted site, hence the different arrangement. There are a small number of other stations like this.

The H&C station at Hammersmith is a separate station, it's never been connected to the District Line station, though there was a pedestrian subway at one point. The construction sites you would have seen are probably the Westfield shopping centre extension, and the Crossrail construction site.

 

[jopsuk]

Westminster was a constricted site, hence the different arrangement. There are a small number of other stations like this.

The H&C station at Hammersmith is a separate station, it's never been connected to the District Line station,

There was however a line linking from just north of the H&C station to west of the District station, with a further station, Grove Road, which shut in 1916

 

[NY Yankee]

Hi.

I've just joined the site, and this is my first post!

I'll be visiting central London for a day for work in January, and I'll have an hour or so to spare towards the end of the day.

I love the S-stock trains, so I'll make sure I travel on one of those.

I'd like to visit an interesting station or two, and wondered if anyone had any recommendations?

Thanks.

The Dockland light rail is an underrated and often overlooked train system in London. It features many sleek stations. My favorite station is Canary Wharf since it looks so futuristic. My favourite Tube line is the Met line since it runs express and it travels through the countryside.

This site features pictures of most of the Tube stations:

http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/London,_England

 

[urbophile]

Nobody's mentioned, unless I missed it, Clapham North and Clapham Common on the Northern Line. The only two still with the original platform layout from the old City and South London: extremely narrow island platforms which can be quite scary at times especially at rush hours.

 

[Mikey C]

Nobody's mentioned, unless I missed it, Clapham North and Clapham Common on the Northern Line. The only two still with the original platform layout from the old City and South London: extremely narrow island platforms which can be quite scary at times especially at rush hours.

Surely they'd be in the thread Recommended stations NOT to visit