Earl's Court tube station
Encyclopedia
Earl's Court tube station is a London Underground
station in Earls Court
. The station is located between Earls Court Road and Warwick Road (both A3220
). It is on the boundary of Travelcard Zone 1
and 2
and is in both zones.
On the Piccadilly Line
the station is between Barons Court
and Gloucester Road
. It is the major junction of the District Line
, with West Brompton
, Kensington (Olympia)
and West Kensington
to the west, High Street Kensington
to the north and Gloucester Road
to the east.
(MDR, now the District Line) opened tracks through Earl's Court as part of a south-westward extension from its station at Gloucester Road
to West Brompton
where the MDR opened an interchange with the West London Extension Joint Railway
(WLEJR, now the West London Line
). At its opening, the extension had no intermediate station.
The 1870s was a busy decade for the MDR. On 3 July 1871 the MDR opened a northward link from the West Brompton branch which connected to the Inner Circle (now the Circle Line) south of High Street Kensington
. Shortly afterwards, on 30 October 1871, the MDR opened its first station at Earl's Court.
The original station was on the east side of Earls Court Road rather than the west. On 1 February 1872, the MDR opened a northbound branch west of Earl's Court station to the WLEJR which it connected to at Addison Road
(now Kensington (Olympia)). From that date the "Outer Circle
" service began running over the MDR's tracks. The service was run by the North London Railway
(NLR) from its terminus at Broad Street (now demolished) in the City of London
via the North London Line
to Willesden Junction
, then the West London Line to Addison Road and the MDR to Mansion House
— at that time the eastern terminus of the MDR.
From 1 August 1872, the "Middle Circle
" service also began operations through Earl's Court running from Moorgate
along the Metropolitan Railway
's (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, to the West London Line to Addison Road and the MDR to Mansion House. The service was operated jointly by the H&CR and the MDR.
On 9 September 1874 another extension was opened which took the MDR west from Earl's Court to West Kensington
and Hammersmith. Trains from Earl's Court could then travel via five different routes and the station's efficient operation was central to the MDR's success. Unfortunately, the location of the station close to the eastern junction meant that the original station was congested. A fire on 30 November 1875 damaged the station and a more substantial replacement was built to the west of Earls Court Road. It was opened on 1 February 1878.
On 5 May 1878 The Midland Railway
began running a circuitous service known as the "Super Outer Circle" from St Pancras to Earl's Court via Cricklewood
and South Acton
. It operated over a now disused connection between the NLR and the London and South Western Railway
's branch to Richmond
(now part of the District Line). The service was not a success and was ended on 30 September 1880.
By the start of the 20th century competition from bus
es and the new electric tram
s was eroding passenger numbers and to make itself more competitive the MDR began planning for the electrification of its services. An experimental service was operated for six months in 1900 when electric trains were tested over the section of track between Earl's Court and High Street Kensington. Following protracted negotiations with the MR over the method of electrification to be used the first electrified section of the MDR was opened in 1903. Electric services through Earl's Court were begun on 1 July 1905.
The first decade of the 20th century saw other developments at Earl's Court station. On 30 June 1900 The Middle Circle service was withdrawn east of Earl's Court which became the terminus of the service until 31 January 1905 when the service was cut back again to terminate at Addison Road. On 15 December 1906, the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway
(GNP&BR, now the Piccadilly Line) opened between Hammersmith and Finsbury Park
serving Earl's Court from platforms in deep tube tunnels constructed beneath the surface station. Unlike at Gloucester Road and South Kensington
, other stations served by both the District and Piccadilly Lines, a new building to house the lifts
to the deep level platforms was not required. Instead space was provided within the existing station shed and the lifts descended directly to platform level without the need for intermediate stairs below ground.
On 31 December 1908, Earl's Court became the terminus of the Outer Circle service when services east of the station to Mansion House ended. By this date the service was operated by the London and North Western Railway
(LNWR, successor to the NLR). It was reduced again in 1912 to a shuttle service operating between Willesden Junction and Earl's Court only.
The lift access was supplemented in 1911 by the London Underground's first escalator
s. These operated from new passageways beneath the surface platforms down to the GNP&BR platforms. Stories of a one-legged man named "Bumper Harris" travelling all day on the escalator to demonstrate its safety appear to be apocryphal as no evidence of this has been found by the London Transport Museum. A new station building on Earls Court Road was constructed to a design by Harry Ford in 1915.
The Warwick Road entrance was rebuilt in between 1936 and 1937 in the modern brick and glass style being employed by London Underground at the time.
During World War II
, bomb damage to the West London Line caused the closure of the line and the Willesden to Earl's Court shuttle last ran on 2 October 1940. The section to Kensington (Olympia) was reopened on 20 December 1946 but ran only when exhibitions were open at Olympia
.
An additional glass rotunda was built on top of the Warwick Court entrance in the 1960s to house the station's operation room.
Between 1986 and 2011, the Kensington (Olympia) service was operated full-time throughout the week, running regardless of whether an exhibition was open. From December 2011 onwards, it reverted to operating only during exhibitions.
In the 1990s additional lifts for the mobility impaired were added from the District Line platforms to a new overbridge which was connected to the high level walkway which joins the two station entrances.
As of November 2007, the station began undergoing further construction to repair the roof. From 17 December 2008 the scaffolding for the repaired roof has been removed and the platform restored to its original state.
The station is 'Grade II' listed as being of architectural and historical interest. At the 2009 National Railway Heritage Awards the reconstruction of the station's train shed roof gained a certificate of merit for the quality of the work carried out.
on the tube map
although the name of the local area is generally spelled without. Prior to the 1950s tube and rail maps show the station name without the apostrophe and on the station buildings the name has variously appeared with and without the apostrophe. The name of the local area has always been shown with an apostrophe on Ordnance Survey
maps, and also by A-Z
, but other mapmakers do not use one.
There is an acknowledged reason why the apostrophe
is used for Earl's Court station but not for the nearby Barons Court
. William Palliser
developed the Barons Court estate. A book in the Society of Genealogists, annotated in pencil by R. Burnet Morris who knew Sir William personally, provides a history of the area. Morris declared Barons Court was named "after Sir William's Irish Estates," Baronscourt. As a result, unlike its neighbouring station, Earl's Court is written with an apostrophe.
, 328
, 430, C1
, C3
and night route N31, N74 and N97.
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 Earls Court
Earls Court
Earls Court is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It is an inner-city district centred on Earl's Court Road and surrounding streets, located 3.1 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It borders the sub-districts of South Kensington to the East, West...
. The station is located between Earls Court Road and Warwick Road (both A3220
A3220 road
The A3220 is a primary A road in London. It runs north from Clapham Common to the A40 Westway at Ladbroke Grove.The road crosses the River Thames at Battersea Bridge and from this point until its end it forms the western boundary of the London Congestion Charge zone...
). It is on the boundary of Travelcard Zone 1
Travelcard Zone 1
Fare zone 1 is the central zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services. For most tickets, travel through the zone is charged...
and 2
Travelcard Zone 2
Fare zone 2 is an inner zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services.-Background:...
and is in both zones.
On the Piccadilly Line
Piccadilly Line
The Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the fifth busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line, running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
the station is between Barons Court
Barons Court tube station
Barons Court is a London Underground station in West Kensington, Greater London. This station services the District Line and the Piccadilly Line. The station is located on Gliddon Road, a short distance from Talgarth Road in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham...
and Gloucester Road
Gloucester Road tube station
-Deep-level station:By the beginning of the 20th century, the MDR had been extended to Richmond, Ealing Broadway, Hounslow West and Wimbledon in the west and to New Cross Gate in the east...
. It is the major junction of the District Line
District Line
The District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels. It is the busiest of the sub-surface lines. Out of the 60 stations served, 25 are underground...
, with West Brompton
West Brompton station
West Brompton is a Network Rail West London Line and London Underground District Line station in west London. It is located on Old Brompton Road immediately south of Earls Court Exhibition Centre and to the west of Brompton Cemetery....
, Kensington (Olympia)
Kensington (Olympia) station
Kensington station is a station in West London managed and served by London Overground and also served by Southern and London Underground. It is in Travelcard Zone 2...
and West Kensington
West Kensington tube station
West Kensington is a London Underground District Line station in West Kensington. It is located in North End Road close to the junction of that road and West Cromwell Road/Talgarth Road ....
to the west, High Street Kensington
High Street Kensington tube station
High Street Kensington is a London Underground station at Kensington High Street.The station is on the Circle Line between Gloucester Road and Notting Hill Gate, and the District Line between Earl's Court and Notting Hill Gate. It is in Travelcard Zone 1....
to the north and Gloucester Road
Gloucester Road tube station
-Deep-level station:By the beginning of the 20th century, the MDR had been extended to Richmond, Ealing Broadway, Hounslow West and Wimbledon in the west and to New Cross Gate in the east...
to the east.
History
On 12 April 1869, the Metropolitan District RailwayMetropolitan District Railway
The Metropolitan District Railway was the predecessor of the District line of the London Underground. Set up on 29 July 1864, at first to complete the "Inner Circle" railway around central London, it was gradually extended into the suburbs...
(MDR, now the District Line) opened tracks through Earl's Court as part of a south-westward extension from its station at Gloucester Road
Gloucester Road tube station
-Deep-level station:By the beginning of the 20th century, the MDR had been extended to Richmond, Ealing Broadway, Hounslow West and Wimbledon in the west and to New Cross Gate in the east...
to West Brompton
West Brompton station
West Brompton is a Network Rail West London Line and London Underground District Line station in west London. It is located on Old Brompton Road immediately south of Earls Court Exhibition Centre and to the west of Brompton Cemetery....
where the MDR opened an interchange with the West London Extension Joint Railway
West London Line
The West London Line is a short railway in inner West London which links lines at in the south to lines near Willesden Junction in the north. It has always been an important cross-London link especially for freight services...
(WLEJR, now the West London Line
West London Line
The West London Line is a short railway in inner West London which links lines at in the south to lines near Willesden Junction in the north. It has always been an important cross-London link especially for freight services...
). At its opening, the extension had no intermediate station.
High Street Kensington tube station
High Street Kensington is a London Underground station at Kensington High Street.The station is on the Circle Line between Gloucester Road and Notting Hill Gate, and the District Line between Earl's Court and Notting Hill Gate. It is in Travelcard Zone 1....
. Shortly afterwards, on 30 October 1871, the MDR opened its first station at Earl's Court.
The original station was on the east side of Earls Court Road rather than the west. On 1 February 1872, the MDR opened a northbound branch west of Earl's Court station to the WLEJR which it connected to at Addison Road
Kensington (Olympia) station
Kensington station is a station in West London managed and served by London Overground and also served by Southern and London Underground. It is in Travelcard Zone 2...
(now Kensington (Olympia)). From that date the "Outer Circle
Outer Circle (London)
The Outer Circle was a railway route in London operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries over tracks which are now mainly owned by Network Rail but include parts of the London Underground...
" service began running over the MDR's tracks. The service was run by the North London Railway
North London Railway
The North London Railway was a railway company that opened lines connecting the north of London to the East and West India Docks. The main east to west route is now part the North London Line. Other lines operated by the company fell into disuse, but were later revived as part of the Docklands...
(NLR) from its terminus at Broad Street (now demolished) in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
via the North London Line
North London Line
The North London Line is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of north London, England. Its route is a rough semicircle from the south west to the north east, avoiding central London. The line is owned and maintained by Network Rail...
to Willesden Junction
Willesden Junction station
Willesden Junction station is a Network Rail station in Harlesden, northwest London, UK. It is served by both London Overground and the Bakerloo line of the London Underground.-History:The station developed on three contiguous sites:...
, then the West London Line to Addison Road and the MDR to Mansion House
Mansion House tube station
Mansion House is a London Underground station in the City of London, near Mansion House . It is a sub-surface station served by trains on the Circle and District Lines. It is between Blackfriars and Cannon Street stations. The station is located at the junction of Queen Victoria Street and Cannon...
— at that time the eastern terminus of the MDR.
From 1 August 1872, the "Middle Circle
Middle Circle
The Middle Circle was a railway route in London which operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries over tracks which are now mainly part of the London Underground...
" service also began operations through Earl's Court running from Moorgate
Moorgate station
Moorgate station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground station on Moorgate in the City of London; it provides National Rail services by First Capital Connect for Hertford, Welwyn Garden City and Letchworth and also serves the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan Lines and...
along the Metropolitan Railway
Metropolitan railway
Metropolitan Railway can refer to:* Metropolitan line, part of the London Underground* Metropolitan Railway, the first underground railway to be built in London...
's (MR's) tracks on the north side of the Inner Circle to Paddington then over the Hammersmith & City Railway
Hammersmith & City Line
The Hammersmith & City line is a subsurface London Underground line. It connects Hammersmith in the west with Barking in the east, running through the northern part of central London. It is coloured salmon pink on the Tube map...
(H&CR) track to Latimer Road
Latimer Road tube station
Latimer Road Station is a London Underground station in North Kensington on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines between Wood Lane and Ladbroke Grove stations...
then, via a now demolished link, to the West London Line to Addison Road and the MDR to Mansion House. The service was operated jointly by the H&CR and the MDR.
On 9 September 1874 another extension was opened which took the MDR west from Earl's Court to West Kensington
West Kensington tube station
West Kensington is a London Underground District Line station in West Kensington. It is located in North End Road close to the junction of that road and West Cromwell Road/Talgarth Road ....
and Hammersmith. Trains from Earl's Court could then travel via five different routes and the station's efficient operation was central to the MDR's success. Unfortunately, the location of the station close to the eastern junction meant that the original station was congested. A fire on 30 November 1875 damaged the station and a more substantial replacement was built to the west of Earls Court Road. It was opened on 1 February 1878.
On 5 May 1878 The Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
began running a circuitous service known as the "Super Outer Circle" from St Pancras to Earl's Court via Cricklewood
Cricklewood railway station
Cricklewood railway station is in the London Borough of Barnet in North London. The station lies on the north-south Midland Main Line where it crosses Cricklewood Lane. It is served by First Capital Connect services as part of the Thameslink service...
and South Acton
South Acton railway station
South Acton railway station is in the London Borough of Ealing in South Acton, west London. It is on the North London Line, and the station and all trains serving it are operated by London Overground. It is in Travelcard Zone 3...
. It operated over a now disused connection between the NLR and the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
's branch to Richmond
Richmond station (London)
Richmond station is a National Rail and London Underground station in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London which is managed by South West Trains....
(now part of the District Line). The service was not a success and was ended on 30 September 1880.
By the start of the 20th century competition from bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es and the new electric tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s was eroding passenger numbers and to make itself more competitive the MDR began planning for the electrification of its services. An experimental service was operated for six months in 1900 when electric trains were tested over the section of track between Earl's Court and High Street Kensington. Following protracted negotiations with the MR over the method of electrification to be used the first electrified section of the MDR was opened in 1903. Electric services through Earl's Court were begun on 1 July 1905.
Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway
The Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway , also known as the Piccadilly tube, was a railway company established in 1902 that constructed a deep-level underground "tube" railway in London. The GNP&BR was formed through a merger of two older companies, the Brompton and Piccadilly Circus...
(GNP&BR, now the Piccadilly Line) opened between Hammersmith and Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park station
Finsbury Park Station is a busy transport interchange in North London. The interchange consists of an interconnected National Rail station, London Underground station and two bus stations. The main entrances are by the eastern bus station on Station Place...
serving Earl's Court from platforms in deep tube tunnels constructed beneath the surface station. Unlike at Gloucester Road and South Kensington
South Kensington tube station
South Kensington is a London Underground station in Kensington, west London. It is served by the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines. On the District and Circle lines, the station is between Gloucester Road and Sloane Square, and on the Piccadilly Line, it is between Gloucester Road and...
, other stations served by both the District and Piccadilly Lines, a new building to house the lifts
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
to the deep level platforms was not required. Instead space was provided within the existing station shed and the lifts descended directly to platform level without the need for intermediate stairs below ground.
On 31 December 1908, Earl's Court became the terminus of the Outer Circle service when services east of the station to Mansion House ended. By this date the service was operated by the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
(LNWR, successor to the NLR). It was reduced again in 1912 to a shuttle service operating between Willesden Junction and Earl's Court only.
The lift access was supplemented in 1911 by the London Underground's first escalator
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
s. These operated from new passageways beneath the surface platforms down to the GNP&BR platforms. Stories of a one-legged man named "Bumper Harris" travelling all day on the escalator to demonstrate its safety appear to be apocryphal as no evidence of this has been found by the London Transport Museum. A new station building on Earls Court Road was constructed to a design by Harry Ford in 1915.
The Warwick Road entrance was rebuilt in between 1936 and 1937 in the modern brick and glass style being employed by London Underground at the time.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, bomb damage to the West London Line caused the closure of the line and the Willesden to Earl's Court shuttle last ran on 2 October 1940. The section to Kensington (Olympia) was reopened on 20 December 1946 but ran only when exhibitions were open at Olympia
Olympia, London
Olympia is an exhibition centre and conference centre in West Kensington, on the boundary between The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham, London, W14 8UX, England. It opened in the 19th century and was originally known as the National Agricultural Hall.Opened in 1886,...
.
An additional glass rotunda was built on top of the Warwick Court entrance in the 1960s to house the station's operation room.
Between 1986 and 2011, the Kensington (Olympia) service was operated full-time throughout the week, running regardless of whether an exhibition was open. From December 2011 onwards, it reverted to operating only during exhibitions.
In the 1990s additional lifts for the mobility impaired were added from the District Line platforms to a new overbridge which was connected to the high level walkway which joins the two station entrances.
As of November 2007, the station began undergoing further construction to repair the roof. From 17 December 2008 the scaffolding for the repaired roof has been removed and the platform restored to its original state.
The station is 'Grade II' listed as being of architectural and historical interest. At the 2009 National Railway Heritage Awards the reconstruction of the station's train shed roof gained a certificate of merit for the quality of the work carried out.
Operations
Although it is theoretically possible for a train to be routed from any one of Earl's Court's five adjacent District Line stations to any other, operations are currently simplified by limiting the number of operational routes as follows:- Kensington (Olympia) to High Street Kensington
- West Brompton to High Street Kensington
- West Brompton to Gloucester Road
- West Kensington to Gloucester Road
Name
Since the early 1950s, the station name has been spelled with an apostropheApostrophe
The apostrophe is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritic mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet or certain other alphabets...
on the tube map
Tube map
The Tube map is a schematic transit map representing the lines and stations of London's rapid transit railway systems, namely the London Underground , the Docklands Light Railway and London Overground....
although the name of the local area is generally spelled without. Prior to the 1950s tube and rail maps show the station name without the apostrophe and on the station buildings the name has variously appeared with and without the apostrophe. The name of the local area has always been shown with an apostrophe on Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps, and also by A-Z
Geographer's A–Z Street Atlas
The A–Z or A to Zed, or in full the Geographers' A–Z Street Atlas, is a name given to any one of a range of atlases of streets in the United Kingdom currently produced by Geographers' A-Z Map Company Limited. The first atlas, of London, was originally compiled in the 1930s by Phyllis Pearsall...
, but other mapmakers do not use one.
There is an acknowledged reason why the apostrophe
Apostrophe
The apostrophe is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritic mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet or certain other alphabets...
is used for Earl's Court station but not for the nearby Barons Court
Barons Court tube station
Barons Court is a London Underground station in West Kensington, Greater London. This station services the District Line and the Piccadilly Line. The station is located on Gliddon Road, a short distance from Talgarth Road in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham...
. William Palliser
William Palliser
Major Sir William Palliser CB MP was an Irish-born politician and inventor, Member of Parliament for Taunton from 1880 until his death.-Early life:...
developed the Barons Court estate. A book in the Society of Genealogists, annotated in pencil by R. Burnet Morris who knew Sir William personally, provides a history of the area. Morris declared Barons Court was named "after Sir William's Irish Estates," Baronscourt. As a result, unlike its neighbouring station, Earl's Court is written with an apostrophe.
Transport links
London bus routes 74London Buses route 74
London Buses route 74 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
, 328
London Buses route 328
London Buses route 328 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to First Centrewest.-History:...
, 430, C1
London Buses route C1
London Buses route C1 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:The route has always been operated by minibuses since London Transport operation...
, C3
London Buses route C3
London Buses route C3 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Abellio London.-History:...
and night route N31, N74 and N97.
External links
- London's Transport Museum Photographic Archive
- Glass roof of Gloucester Road station is visible in distance.
- British History Online — Warwick Road entrance, 1907
