Brockley Hill tube station
Encyclopedia
Brockley Hill tube station is an unbuilt London Underground
station in the Brockley Hill area of north London
. The planned location was close to Edgwarebury Park
and the north side of the junction of the A41 (Watford Bypass)
and the A410 roads.
The station was the first of three planned by London Underground in 1935 to extend the Northern Line
from Edgware
to Bushey Heath. There was debate about the name for the station, with Edgewarebury, North Edgware and All Souls all being proposed.
The previous station was Edgware Underground station
. The next to the north-west would have been Elstree South
.
The extension was part of the Northern Heights project to electrify steam-operated London and North Eastern Railway
(LNER) branch lines and incorporate them into the Northern Line. The powers to build the extension came from the purchase in 1922 of the unbuilt Watford and Edgware Railway
which had planned an extension of the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway
to Watford Junction via Bushey, but had never raised the capital required.
Construction on the Northern Heights project began in the late 1930s but was interrupted by the Second World War. Most of the work to that date had been carried out on LNER branch tracks but some work between Edgware and Bushey Heath had taken place. The route of the line had been laid out and some earthworks constructed. On the site of Brockley Hill station construction of arches of a viaduct
to carry the track over low ground had begun.
The sites of the new stations were semi-rural and, as elsewhere, it was intended that the new section would stimulate the construction of housing estates that the stations would serve. After the war, new legislation limited expansion of urban areas into the countryside. This created the Metropolitan Green Belt
around London and the area covered the Northern Line extension. Without housing estates, the line had no purpose and the plans were cancelled in 1950. Some consideration was given to finishing the station at Brockley Hill, as it had some housing and the site lay just within the green belt; the line beyond to Bushey Heath would have been for access to the depot. Analysis showed the capacity needed without the Bushey extension could be accommodated by developing LNER's former Highgate depot, and the entire route was abandoned.
The viaduct arches were partially demolished, leaving stumps of brickwork in a field. Earthworks from the station site parallel with the bypass indicate the route to Elstree South.
Recent development will see increased population, the Stonegrove estate being redeveloped to double its housing density. Despite this, there are no plans to revive the extension to the station to serve them so the arches remain as a relic of the abandoned works.
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
station in the Brockley Hill area of north London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The planned location was close to Edgwarebury Park
Edgwarebury Park
Edgwarebury Park is a large park in Edgware in the London Borough of Barnet. It was once part of the manor of Earlsbury, and the earliest reference to it is in a Royal Writ of 1216. There is still evidence of the older landscape of fields and woodland. Hendon Rural District and Middlesex County...
and the north side of the junction of the A41 (Watford Bypass)
A41 road
The A41 is a formerly-major trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although it has now largely been superseded by motorways. It passes through or near various towns and cities including Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton,...
and the A410 roads.
History
Northern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
from Edgware
Edgware
Edgware is an area in London, situated north-northwest of Charing Cross. It forms part of both the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of Harrow. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
to Bushey Heath. There was debate about the name for the station, with Edgewarebury, North Edgware and All Souls all being proposed.
The previous station was Edgware Underground station
Edgware tube station
Edgware tube station is a London Underground station in Edgware, in the London Borough of Barnet, in North London. The station is the terminus of the Edgware branch of the Northern Line and the next station towards central London is . Edgware is in Travelcard Zone 5.-Location:The station is in...
. The next to the north-west would have been Elstree South
Elstree South tube station
Elstree South tube station was an unbuilt London Underground station in Elstree, Hertfordshire. It was designed by Charles Holden...
.
The extension was part of the Northern Heights project to electrify steam-operated London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
(LNER) branch lines and incorporate them into the Northern Line. The powers to build the extension came from the purchase in 1922 of the unbuilt Watford and Edgware Railway
Watford and Edgware Railway
The Watford and Edgware Railway was a railway company established in the 1860s that intended to build a railway that would run between Edgware and Watford, via Bushey...
which had planned an extension of the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway
Edgware, Highgate and London Railway
The Edgware, Highgate and London Railway was a railway in north London. The railway was a precursor of parts of London Underground's Northern Line and was, in the 1930s the core of an ambitious expansion plan for that line which was thwarted by the Second World War...
to Watford Junction via Bushey, but had never raised the capital required.
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
to carry the track over low ground had begun.
The sites of the new stations were semi-rural and, as elsewhere, it was intended that the new section would stimulate the construction of housing estates that the stations would serve. After the war, new legislation limited expansion of urban areas into the countryside. This created the Metropolitan Green Belt
Metropolitan Green Belt
The Metropolitan Green Belt is a statutory green belt around London, England. It includes designated parts of Greater London and the surrounding counties of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey in the South East and East of England regions.-History:The...
around London and the area covered the Northern Line extension. Without housing estates, the line had no purpose and the plans were cancelled in 1950. Some consideration was given to finishing the station at Brockley Hill, as it had some housing and the site lay just within the green belt; the line beyond to Bushey Heath would have been for access to the depot. Analysis showed the capacity needed without the Bushey extension could be accommodated by developing LNER's former Highgate depot, and the entire route was abandoned.
The viaduct arches were partially demolished, leaving stumps of brickwork in a field. Earthworks from the station site parallel with the bypass indicate the route to Elstree South.
Recent development will see increased population, the Stonegrove estate being redeveloped to double its housing density. Despite this, there are no plans to revive the extension to the station to serve them so the arches remain as a relic of the abandoned works.
See also
- Bushey Heath tube stationBushey Heath tube stationBushey Heath tube station was an unbuilt London Underground station in Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire. The planned location of the station was at the junction of the A41 and A411 roads.-History:...
- planned terminus of the extension. - Edgware, Highgate and London RailwayEdgware, Highgate and London RailwayThe Edgware, Highgate and London Railway was a railway in north London. The railway was a precursor of parts of London Underground's Northern Line and was, in the 1930s the core of an ambitious expansion plan for that line which was thwarted by the Second World War...
- LNER branch line taken over by London Underground as part of the Northern Heights project
External links
- Aerial Photograph from Multimap of station site
- Northern Heights page on section of extension to Brockley Hill. Sadly, it never became a station and was never used at all.