Park Royal & Twyford Abbey tube station
Encyclopedia
Park Royal & Twyford Abbey is a closed station on the route of the Piccadilly Line
of the London Underground
. It was located near Twyford Abbey Road a short distance north of the current Park Royal station
which replaced it on 6 July 1931.
The station was opened on 23 June 1903 by the Metropolitan District Railway
(now the District Line
) on a new branch line to South Harrow
and the Metropolitan Line
tracks at Rayners Lane
. The station was opened to serve the recently opened Royal Agricultural Society
showgrounds at Park Royal
; however, despite the proximity of the station (and another to the east on what is now the Central Line
), the showgrounds were not successful and closed after only a few years.
The second part of the station's name was adopted from the nearby Twyford Abbey
.
The new Park Royal station was built for the extension of Piccadilly Line services to South Harrow and was located further south to provide access from the Western Avenue (A40)
road constructed in the 1920s. Nothing of the old station remains.
Unusually, whilst the site of Park Royal & Twyford Abbey station is on the route of the modern Piccadilly Line, it was never served by Piccadilly Line trains as these did not begin to operate to South Harrow until July 1932, a year after the station closed.
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...
of the London Underground
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...
. It was located near Twyford Abbey Road a short distance north of the current Park Royal station
Park Royal tube station
Park Royal is a station on the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground. It is between and and is in Travelcard Zone 3. It is situated on the south side of the east-west Western Avenue , surrounded by residential Ealing and industrial Park Royal...
which replaced it on 6 July 1931.
The station was opened on 23 June 1903 by the Metropolitan District Railway
Metropolitan 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...
(now 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...
) on a new branch line to South Harrow
South Harrow tube station
South Harrow is a London Underground station on the Uxbridge branch of the Piccadilly Line. The station is between Sudbury Hill and Rayners Lane. It is located on Northolt Road . The station is in Travelcard Zone 5...
and the Metropolitan Line
Metropolitan Line
The Metropolitan line is part of the London Underground. It is coloured in Transport for London's Corporate Magenta on the Tube map and in other branding. It was the first underground railway in the world, opening as the Metropolitan Railway on 10 January 1863...
tracks at Rayners Lane
Rayners Lane tube station
Rayners Lane is a London Underground station in the district of Rayners Lane in north west London, amid a 1930s development originally named Harrow Garden Village. The station is on the Uxbridge branch of both the Metropolitan Line, between Eastcote and West Harrow stations, and the Piccadilly...
. The station was opened to serve the recently opened Royal Agricultural Society
Royal Agricultural Society
The Royal Agricultural Society of England was established in the United Kingdom in 1838 with the motto "Practice with Science". The RASE aim is to promote the scientific development of agriculture. The society received its Royal Charter from Queen Victoria in 1840.From its early days the society...
showgrounds at Park Royal
Park Royal
Park Royal is an area in northwest London, UK. It is the largest industrial and business park in London, occupying about , and is promoted commercially by the Park Royal Partnership...
; however, despite the proximity of the station (and another to the east on what is now the Central Line
Central Line
The Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and, at , has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...
), the showgrounds were not successful and closed after only a few years.
The second part of the station's name was adopted from the nearby Twyford Abbey
West Twyford
West Twyford was a small extra-parochial area, and later civil parish, in the county of Middlesex, England.The area of West Twyford is part of the London Borough of Ealing...
.
The new Park Royal station was built for the extension of Piccadilly Line services to South Harrow and was located further south to provide access from the Western Avenue (A40)
A40 road
The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...
road constructed in the 1920s. Nothing of the old station remains.
Unusually, whilst the site of Park Royal & Twyford Abbey station is on the route of the modern Piccadilly Line, it was never served by Piccadilly Line trains as these did not begin to operate to South Harrow until July 1932, a year after the station closed.