Knightsbridge tube station
Encyclopedia
Knightsbridge tube station is a London Underground
station in Knightsbridge
, The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
. It is on the Piccadilly Line
between South Kensington
and Hyde Park Corner
, and is in Travelcard Zone 1
.
(GNP&BR, now the Piccadilly Line). When opened, the platforms were accessed in the standard manner by four lifts
and an emergency staircase connecting to parallel passageways and bridges to midway along the platforms. The original station building designed by Leslie Green
was located on Brompton Road
a short distance west of its junction with Knightsbridge
and Sloane Street
. A rear entrance was located on Basil Street.
The location of the station in a busy and fashionable shopping district meant that patronage at the station was high from the beginning, particularly due to the presence locally of the Harrods
and Harvey Nichols
emporiums. This contrasted with the next station on the line westward - Brompton Road
, where passenger numbers were so low that from soon after its opening many trains were timetabled not to stop there.
enabled the Underground Group
to carry out a major modernisation programme, during which many central London stations were brought up to date with escalator
s to replace the original lifts. Knightsbridge was one of the Piccadilly Line stations to benefit from the installation of escalators.
To enable the escalators to reach the existing platforms without excessive below ground reconstruction or interference with station operations a new ticket hall was constructed under the Brompton Road/Knightsbridge/Sloane Street junction and new circulation passages were constructed at the lower level. A new station entrance was inserted into the existing building on the corner of Brompton Road and Sloane Street and the original entrances were closed (the building has subsequently been demolished). Subway entrances on the other corners of the junction enabled pedestrians to avoid the traffic on the busy junction.
To ease congestion, it was also decided to provide an additional entrance to the western end of the platforms closer to Harrods. The additional exit would further diminish the passenger numbers at Brompton Road so this station was scheduled to close. A separate ticket hall was provided for the western escalators which is accessed by a long subway from the surface entrance at the corner of Hans Crescent. This narrow subway was to be a regular problem, often becoming congested with groups of passengers trying to pass each other in the confined space.
Eventually, in 2004, this congestion was solved by the expansion of this exit into a large circular area, under the road towards Harrods, with the way out of the station being by a stairway in the midst of the road.
The station recently underwent the first major refurbishment of the platforms since the reconstruction with the 1930s cream-coloured tiles being concealed behind a modern metal cladding system.
The residential development of One Hyde Park
opposite the station features an entrance to the station and the closed off exit has been re-opened in early December 2010.
(Rumpole and the Children of the Devil), as Horace Rumpole and his wife Hilda travel there separately from Temple
and Gloucester Road
stations respectively. They exit Knightsbridge station from the stairs at the former street level portico on the corner of Hans Crescent and Brompton Road, which has since been redeveloped as the main entrance to a Zara fashion shop at 79 Brompton Road.
The opening scene of the 1997 film version of Henry James
's The Wings of the Dove was set on the east-bound platforms at both Dover Street and Knightsbridge stations, both represented by the same studio mock-up, complete with a working recreation of a 1906 Stock
train.
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 Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a central London borough of Royal borough status. After the City of Westminster, it is the wealthiest borough in England....
. It is 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...
between 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...
and Hyde Park Corner
Hyde Park Corner tube station
Hyde Park Corner is a London Underground station near Hyde Park Corner in Hyde Park. It is in Travelcard Zone 1, between Knightsbridge and Green Park on the Piccadilly Line.-History:...
, and is in 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...
.
History
The station was opened on 15 December 1906 by the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton RailwayGreat 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). When opened, the platforms were accessed in the standard manner by four 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...
and an emergency staircase connecting to parallel passageways and bridges to midway along the platforms. The original station building designed by Leslie Green
Leslie Green
Leslie William Green was an English architect known especially for his design of iconic stations constructed on the London Underground railway system in central London during the first decade of the 20th century....
was located on Brompton Road
Brompton Road
Brompton Road is a street in Knightsbridge, London, in The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea .It starts from Knightsbridge tube station and runs south-west through an extremely wealthy residential area until it reaches Egerton Gardens and the area to the east of South Kensington tube station...
a short distance west of its junction with Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
and Sloane Street
Sloane Street
Sloane Street is a major London street which runs north to south, from Knightsbridge to Sloane Square, crossing Pont Street about half way along, entirely in The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Sloane Street takes its name from Sir Hans Sloane, who purchased the surrounding area in 1712...
. A rear entrance was located on Basil Street.
The location of the station in a busy and fashionable shopping district meant that patronage at the station was high from the beginning, particularly due to the presence locally of the Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
and Harvey Nichols
Harvey Nichols
Harvey Nichols, founded in 1813, is an upmarket department store chain. Its original store is in London. Founded in 1813 as a linen shop, it sells many international brands of clothing for women and men, fashion accessories, beauty products, wine and food...
emporiums. This contrasted with the next station on the line westward - Brompton Road
Brompton Road tube station
Brompton Road tube station is a disused station on the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground. It is located between Knightsbridge and South Kensington.-History:...
, where passenger numbers were so low that from soon after its opening many trains were timetabled not to stop there.
Reconstruction
In the early 1930s, the availability of government grants to stimulate the depressed economyGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
enabled the Underground Group
Underground Electric Railways Company of London
The Underground Electric Railways Company of London Limited , known operationally as The Underground for much of its existence, was established in 1902. It was the holding company for the three deep-level "tube"A "tube" railway is an underground railway constructed in a circular tunnel by the use...
to carry out a major modernisation programme, during which many central London stations were brought up to date with 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 to replace the original lifts. Knightsbridge was one of the Piccadilly Line stations to benefit from the installation of escalators.
To enable the escalators to reach the existing platforms without excessive below ground reconstruction or interference with station operations a new ticket hall was constructed under the Brompton Road/Knightsbridge/Sloane Street junction and new circulation passages were constructed at the lower level. A new station entrance was inserted into the existing building on the corner of Brompton Road and Sloane Street and the original entrances were closed (the building has subsequently been demolished). Subway entrances on the other corners of the junction enabled pedestrians to avoid the traffic on the busy junction.
To ease congestion, it was also decided to provide an additional entrance to the western end of the platforms closer to Harrods. The additional exit would further diminish the passenger numbers at Brompton Road so this station was scheduled to close. A separate ticket hall was provided for the western escalators which is accessed by a long subway from the surface entrance at the corner of Hans Crescent. This narrow subway was to be a regular problem, often becoming congested with groups of passengers trying to pass each other in the confined space.
Eventually, in 2004, this congestion was solved by the expansion of this exit into a large circular area, under the road towards Harrods, with the way out of the station being by a stairway in the midst of the road.
The station recently underwent the first major refurbishment of the platforms since the reconstruction with the 1930s cream-coloured tiles being concealed behind a modern metal cladding system.
The residential development of One Hyde Park
One Hyde Park
One Hyde Park is a major residential and retail complex located in London, United Kingdom. The development includes three retail units totalling and 86 residential properties marketed with prices starting at around £20 million...
opposite the station features an entrance to the station and the closed off exit has been re-opened in early December 2010.
Miscellany
- It is the only tube station on the London Underground network to have six consecutive consonantConsonantIn articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
s in its name. - The tunnels between Knightsbridge and South Kensington stations follow a particularly twisting route to avoid a 17th century plague pitPlague pitA plague pit is the informal term used to refer to mass graves in which victims of the Black Death were buried. The term is most often used to describe pits located in Great Britain, but can be applied to any place where Bubonic plague victims were buried....
. - In the tunnels between Knightsbridge and South Kensington there used to be Brompton RoadBrompton Road tube stationBrompton Road tube station is a disused station on the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground. It is located between Knightsbridge and South Kensington.-History:...
, now permanently closed.
In popular culture
The station appeared in a 1992 episode of Rumpole of the BaileyRumpole of the Bailey
Rumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer which starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an ageing London barrister who defends any and all clients...
(Rumpole and the Children of the Devil), as Horace Rumpole and his wife Hilda travel there separately from Temple
Temple tube station
Temple is a London Underground station in the City of Westminster, between Victoria Embankment and Temple Place. It is on the Circle and District lines between Embankment and Blackfriars and is in Travelcard Zone 1. The station entrance is from Victoria Embankment...
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...
stations respectively. They exit Knightsbridge station from the stairs at the former street level portico on the corner of Hans Crescent and Brompton Road, which has since been redeveloped as the main entrance to a Zara fashion shop at 79 Brompton Road.
The opening scene of the 1997 film version of Henry James
Henry James
Henry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
's The Wings of the Dove was set on the east-bound platforms at both Dover Street and Knightsbridge stations, both represented by the same studio mock-up, complete with a working recreation of a 1906 Stock
London Underground 1906 Stock
The 1906 Stock, also known as "Gate Stock", was built for the Yerkes tube lines, Baker Street and Waterloo Railway , Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway , and Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway ....
train.
External links
- London's Transport Museum Photographic Archive
- Compare elevation with current image which shows changes have been made to increase the width of the façade and to the first floor windows