St Mary's tube station
Encyclopedia
St Mary's was a station on London Underground
's District line
located between the present-day stations at Whitechapel
and Aldgate East
.
and Aldgate East
stations, just before the junction to the East London line.
In 1938, Aldgate East was moved further eastwards and given a new entrance only a few hundred yards from St Mary's (Whitechapel Road
), immediately rendering St Mary's surplus to requirements. It closed on 30 April 1938.
, the station was re-opened for use as an air raid shelter. The edges of the platforms were bricked up to separate the shelter areas from the still-used tracks. However, on 22 October 1940 the surface building was hit by a bomb and severely damaged. It was subsequently demolished and little evidence of the station's existence appears above ground today. The bricked-up platforms are still accessible to London Underground staff via an anonymous door off Whitechapel Road
. Below ground, it is still possible to make out where the station was, as the barrel-vaulted roof and bricked-off platforms are still just visible from passing trains.
in 2010, the old East London Line
no longer shares rolling stock with the Metropolitan line. As such, St Mary's Curve is no longer used, but the tunnel remains. The pointwork at St. Mary's Curve was plain-lined in 2009.
Image:St marys station 1916.jpg|St. Mary's (Whitechapel Road) station, 1916
Image:St marys station 1938.jpg|St. Mary's (Whitechapel Road) station, 1938, shortly after its closure
Image:Closed tube station.jpg|Notice of Closure
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...
's 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...
located between the present-day stations at Whitechapel
Whitechapel tube station
Whitechapel is a London Underground and London Overground station on Whitechapel Road in the Whitechapel neighbourhood of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in east London, England. The station is located on the east–west tracks shared by the District line and Hammersmith and City line and is on...
and Aldgate East
Aldgate East tube station
Aldgate East is a London Underground station located between Aldgate and Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.The station is in Travelcard Zone 1...
.
History
Opened on 3 March 1884 as St Mary's (Whitechapel), the station was initially used by South Eastern Railway trains from the East London Line but from 1 October 1884 it was used by Metropolitan Railway and Metropolitan District Railway trains. The station was always very small and cramped and was located very close to both WhitechapelWhitechapel tube station
Whitechapel is a London Underground and London Overground station on Whitechapel Road in the Whitechapel neighbourhood of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in east London, England. The station is located on the east–west tracks shared by the District line and Hammersmith and City line and is on...
and Aldgate East
Aldgate East tube station
Aldgate East is a London Underground station located between Aldgate and Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.The station is in Travelcard Zone 1...
stations, just before the junction to the East London line.
In 1938, Aldgate East was moved further eastwards and given a new entrance only a few hundred yards from St Mary's (Whitechapel Road
Whitechapel Road
Whitechapel Road is a major arterial road in the East End of London, England. It connects Whitechapel High Street to the west with Mile End Road to the east and forms part of the A11 road. It is a main shopping street in the Whitechapel area of Tower Hamlets and has a street market...
), immediately rendering St Mary's surplus to requirements. It closed on 30 April 1938.
World War II
During World War IIWorld 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...
, the station was re-opened for use as an air raid shelter. The edges of the platforms were bricked up to separate the shelter areas from the still-used tracks. However, on 22 October 1940 the surface building was hit by a bomb and severely damaged. It was subsequently demolished and little evidence of the station's existence appears above ground today. The bricked-up platforms are still accessible to London Underground staff via an anonymous door off Whitechapel Road
Whitechapel Road
Whitechapel Road is a major arterial road in the East End of London, England. It connects Whitechapel High Street to the west with Mile End Road to the east and forms part of the A11 road. It is a main shopping street in the Whitechapel area of Tower Hamlets and has a street market...
. Below ground, it is still possible to make out where the station was, as the barrel-vaulted roof and bricked-off platforms are still just visible from passing trains.
St Mary's Curve
The connecting line leading to the old East London line is still called St Mary's Curve. For many years the line was used only to transfer stock between the East London and Metropolitan lines (i.e. not for passenger use). Loading gauge restrictions for the then current stock meant that even though the curve was double tracked, stock could only pass in one direction at a time . When lit, it could easily be seen from the left-hand side of East London line trains entering Whitechapel from the south and can still be seen from the right-hand side of District line trains entering the station from the west. Since re-opening as part of the London OvergroundLondon Overground
London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
in 2010, the old East London Line
East London Line
The East London Line is a London Overground line which runs north to south through the East End, Docklands and South areas of London.Built in 1869 by the East London Railway Company, which reused the Thames Tunnel, originally intended for horse-drawn carriages, the line became part of the London...
no longer shares rolling stock with the Metropolitan line. As such, St Mary's Curve is no longer used, but the tunnel remains. The pointwork at St. Mary's Curve was plain-lined in 2009.
Gallery
Image:St marys station 1916.jpg|St. Mary's (Whitechapel Road) station, 1916
Image:St marys station 1938.jpg|St. Mary's (Whitechapel Road) station, 1938, shortly after its closure
Image:Closed tube station.jpg|Notice of Closure
External links
- London's Abandoned Tube Stations - St.Mary's — Bomb damage at St Mary's, 22 April 1941
- BBC News - Rare tour inside an abandoned tube station