Metropolitan Railway Archives – LSPhotography Blog

Whitechapel Station (ZLW)

LSPhotography — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Whitechapel Station

Address: Whitechapel Road, London E1 1BY
Opened: 10th April 1876
Station Code: ZLW
Fare Zone: 2

London Overground Line(s) Served:

East London Line

Service Pattern(s):

8 trains per hour to Highbury & Islington
8 trains per hour to Dalston Junction
4 trains per hour to Clapham Junction
4 trains per hour to Crystal Palace
4 trains per hour to West Croydon
4 trains per hour to New Cross

Interchange(s)

District Line
Hammersmith & City Line
Elizabeth Line

The temporary Cross Street entrance used during the construction of the Elizabeth Line

Station History

This article refers to the London Overground Station. History of the London Underground station will be provided in a future article.

The East London Railway Company, a consortium of six other railway companies, opened Whitechapel Station on the extension of their line from Wapping to Liverpool Street on 10th April 1876. From the start, passenger services were operated by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, one of the consortium members.

Metropolitan Railway and Metropolitan District Railway services began to serve the station and the ELR line on 1st October 1884 thanks to a new connection from their lines via the St Marys curve.

The District Railway constructed a new Whitechapel (Mile End) station adjacent to the ELR as the terminus of their line from Mansion House opening on 6th October 1884, although the stations were not linked.

Following the electrification of their lines, the District Railway ceased its services on the ELR on 31st July 1905, with the Metropolitan Railway suspending their service on 2nd December 1906.

The consortium behind the East London Railway agreed to fund the line’s electrification in 1910, with the first electric service operated by the Metropolitan Railway running on 31st March 1913.

Ownership of the line and its stations passed to the Southern Railway in 1925, although the line was still leased to its operating consortium.

Upon the creation of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933, the line and its stations came under London Transport control, being operated as the East London Branch of the Metropolitan Line.

Nationalisation of the Railways in 1948 saw goods traffic on the line transfer to British Railways, although London Underground continued to provide the passenger service. Goods traffic continued until April 1966.

Due to the deteriorating state of the Thames Tunnel the line and its stations were closed between 1995 and 1998 to allow remedial works to be carried out.

With the desire to convert the line as part of the new London Overground network, it was closed in its entirety along with its stations on 22nd December 2007.

Following the conversion, the line and its stations were reopened as part of London Overground’s East London Line on 23rd May 2010 with services between Dalston Junction and Crystal Palace, New Cross and West Croydon.

The second phase of the new line, providing services to Clapham Junction was opened on 9th December 2012.

As part of construction for the Elizabeth Line, Whitechapel was found to be in need of a major rebuild to accommodate the new services. As part of these works, the station buildings were closed and a temporary station entrance provided in Court Street.

The rebuilding works were completed, and the original station entrance reopened on 23rd August 2021, with Elizabeth Line services commencing on 24th May 2022.

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Shadwell Station (SDE)

LSPhotography — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Shadwell Station

Address: Cable Street, Shadwell, London E1 2QF
Opened: 10th April 1876
Station Code: SDE
Fare Zone: 2

London Overground Line(s) Served:

East London Line

Service Pattern(s):

Interchange(s)

OSI: Docklands Light Railway from Shadwell (65 metres)

Station History

The East London Railway Company, a consortium of six other railway companies, opened Shadwell Station on the extension of their line from Wapping to Liverpool Street on 10th April 1876 . From the start, services were operated by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, one of the consortium members.

Two other consortium members, the Metropolitan and Metropolitan and District Railways began to serve the line and its stations on 1st October 1884 thanks to a new connection with their lines at Whitechapel. The station was renamed Shadwell & St. George-in-the-East on 1st July 1900.

Following the electrification of their lines, the District Railway ceased its services on the line on 31st July 1905, with the Metropolitan Railway suspending their service on 2nd December 1906.

The consortium behind the East London Railway agreed to fund the line’s electrification in 1910, with the first electric service operated by the Metropolitan Railway running on 31st March 1913.
The station name reverted to Shadwell in 1918.

Following the 1921 Railways Act, the grouping of the railways saw the Great Eastern absorbed into the London North Eastern Railway, which continued to operate the goods traffic on the line while the Metropolitan Railway continued the passenger service.

Ownership of the line and its stations passed to the Southern Railway in 1925, although the line was still leased to its operating consortium.

Upon the creation of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933, the line and its stations came under London Transport control, being operated as the East London Branch of the Metropolitan Line.

By the early 1980s, the station’s ticket hall in Watney Street had become beyond economical repair, so the current structure was built on Cable Street, opening in 1983.

Due to the deteriorating state of the Thames Tunnel the line and its stations were closed between 1995 and 1998 to allow remedial works to be carried out.

With the desire to convert the line as part of the new London Overground network, it was closed in its entirety along with its stations on 22nd December 2007.

The second phase of the new line, providing services to Clapham Junction was opened on 9th December 2012.

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Barbican Station

LSPhotography — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Barbican Station

Address: Aldersgate St, London
EC1A 4JA
Opened: 23rd December 1865
Station Code: BAB
Fare Zone: 1

London Underground Line(s) Served:

Circle Line
Hammersmith & City Line
Metropolitan Line

Service Pattern(s):

Circle Line
6 trains Per Hour clockwise to Edgware Road
6 Trains Per Hour anti-clockwise to Hammersmith

Hammersmith & City Line
6 Trains Per Hour eastbound to Barking
6 Trains Per Hour westbound to Hammersmith

Metropolitan Line
12 trains per hour eastbound to Aldgate
2 trains per hour westbound to Amersham (all stations)
2 trains per hour westbound to Chesham (all stations)
8 trains per hour westbound to Uxbridge (all stations)

Interchange(s)

None

Station History

Aldersgate Street Station was opened by the Metropolitan Railway on their extension from Farringdon to Moorgate on 23rd December 1865.

Becoming a victim of its own success, the Metropolitan Railway constructed another pair of tracks between King’s Cross and Moorgate known as the City Widened Lines to allow other railway companies to access the area without interrupting the passenger service.

The new lines opened, with the first trains run by the Great Northern Railway in 1868, followed by the Midland Railway.

The station name was simplified on 1st November 1910 when the station became Aldersgate, before being renamed to Aldersgate and Barbican Station on 24th October 1924.

Following the creation of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933, the Metropolitan Railway was absorbed by the new entity, becoming the Metropolitan Line. Mainline rail services remained under the ownership of their existing companies.

During World War II, the station and its surrounding area suffered severe bomb damage during German air raids, including one in December 1940 that caused most of the building above the station to collapse. This also caused a blockage of the line and severe disruption to train services.

The remains of the bomb-damaged building were removed and, in 1955 the remainder of the street-level building accessing the station was demolished.

As part of the planning for the Barbican Estate, 500 metres of the Metropolitan Line was relaid in tunnels between the station and Moorgate between 1963 and 1965.

The station was renamed for the final time on 1st December 1968 when to better fit the surrounding area, it was simplified to Barbican station.

Having passed to British Railways in 1948 and continued through privatisation, the final mainline rail services through the station ran in March 2009 when, as part of the Thameslink Programme, the line was severed at Farringdon to allow the platforms there to be lengthened.

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Wapping Station (WPE)

LSPhotography — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Wapping Station

Address: Wapping High Street, Wapping, London E1W 3PA
Opened: 7th December 1869
Station Code: WPE
Fare Zone: 2

London Overground Line(s) Served:

East London Line

Service Pattern(s):

Interchange(s)

None

Station History

The East London Railway Company, a consortium of six other railway companies, opened Wapping and Shadwell Station as the terminus of their new line to New Cross on 7th December 1869. From the start, services were operated by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, one of the consortium members.

The station remained as a terminus until the 10th April 1876 when the line was extended to Liverpool Street. At this time, the station was also renamed Wapping as a new station was provided to the north named Shadwell.

Following the electrification of their lines, the District Railway ceased its services on the line on 31st July 1905, with the Metropolitan Railway suspending their service on 2nd December 1906.

The consortium behind the East London Railway agreed to fund the line’s electrification in 1910, with the first electric service operated by the Metropolitan Railway running on 31st March 1913.

Ownership of the line and its stations passed to the Southern Railway in 1925, although the line was still leased to its operating consortium.

Upon the creation of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933, the line and its stations came under London Transport control, being operated as the East London Branch of the Metropolitan Line.

Due to the deteriorating state of the Thames Tunnel the line and its stations were closed in 1995 to allow remedial works to be carried out. Wapping station was extensively remodelled and refurbished during this time, with the works being completed and the station reopening with the line in 1998.

With the desire to convert the line as part of the new London Overground network, it was closed in its entirety along with its stations on 22nd December 2007.

The second phase of the new line, providing services to Clapham Junction was opened on 9th December 2012.

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Baker Street Station

LSPhotography — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Baker Street Station

Address: Marylebone Rd, London NW1 6UY
Opened: 10th January 1863
Station Code: BST
Fare Zone: 1

London Underground Line(s) Served:

Bakerloo Line
Circle Line
Hammersmith & City Line
Jubilee Line
Metropolitan Line

Service Pattern(s):

Bakerloo Line

6 Trains Per Hour to Harrow & Wealdstone

3 Trains Per Hour to Stonebridge Park

11 Train Per Hour tph to Queen’s Park

20 Trains Per Hour to Elephant & Castle

Circle Line

6 Trains Per Hour to Edgware Road (Clockwise)

6 Trains Per Hour to Hammersmith (Anti Clockwise)

Hammersmith & City Line

6 Trains Per Hour to Barking or Plaistow

6 Trains Per Hour to Hammersmith

Jubilee Line

24 Trains Per Hour to Stratford

12 Trains Per Hour to Stanmore

4 Trains Per Hour to West Hampstead

4 Trains Per Hour to Willesden Green

4 Trains Per Hour to Wembley Park

Metropolitan Line

12 Trains Per Hour to Aldgate

4 Trains Per Hour Terminate Here

2 Trains Per Hour to Amersham

2 Trains Per Hour to Chesham

4 Trains Per Hour to Watford

8 Trains Per Hour to Uxbridge

Interchange(s)

OSI: Marylebone (National Rail) – 550 Metres

Station History

Baker Street Station was constructed as part of the World’s first Underground railway between Paddington and Farringdon by the Metropolitan Railway in 1860, opening three years later on 10th January 1863.

Five years later, the Metropolitan & St John’s Wood Railway opened a line constructed in tunnels from Baker Street to Swiss Cottage, with the Metropolitan Railway providing all services.

Following extensions in the late 1870s and early 1880s the M&SJWR duplicated their existing tunnel from the station before being absorbed into the Metropolitan Railway.

November 1891 saw the presentation of a bill to Parliament for the construction of the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway. The new line would run from Marylebone to Elephant and Castle and the bill was approved in 1900.

Construction commenced in August 1900 and the line saw its first trains in 1905, albeit only for test purposes, with the official opening between Waterloo and Lambeth North occurring on 10th March 1906.

Baker Street served as the temporary terminus for this line until 27th March 1907, when the rest of the line to Marylebone was opened.

In 1914, the Leslie Green-designed BS&WR station building was supplemented by a new concourse constructed under the Metropolitan Railway, allowing direct connections via escalators instead of the original lifts supplied at opening.

With the formation of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933, the Metropolitan Railway and Baker Streeet & Waterloo Railway were amalgamated with other Underground Railway companies to form London Underground, with the lines becoming the Metropolitan and Bakerloo respectively.

Due to a bottleneck at Finchley Road created by the reduction of four tracks to two, the LPTB decided to extend the Bakerloo Line north from Baker Street as a branch line, taking over the existing Metropolitan Line stopping service from Finchley Road to Stanmore. Construction began in April 1936 and a new ticket hall adjacent to the existing facility was provided at the station before the new branch commenced service on 20th November 1939.

In the late 1960s, a proposal was made for the Bakerloo line branch to Stanmore to be included in a new line extending from Baker Street via Bond Street, Trafalgar Square and Cannon Street before heading to South London. The new ‘Fleet Line’ was approved as far as a new terminus at Charing Cross and construction commenced in early 1970.

A new northbound platform was constructed as part of the line at Baker Street and the now Jubilee Line opened along its entirety on 1st May 1979.

The station building, its sub-surface platforms and front retaining wall were granted Grade II Listed Status on 26th March 1987.

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New Cross Station (NWX)

LSPhotography — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 17:00:43 +0000

New Cross Station

Address: Amersham Vale, New Cross, London SE14 6LD
Opened: October 1850
Station Code: NWX
Fare Zone: 2

London Overground Line(s) Served:

East London Line

Service Pattern(s):

4 trains per hour to Dalston Junction

Interchange(s)

Southern

OSI

New Cross Gate – 700 metres

Station History

New Cross & Naval School station was opened by the South Eastern Railway in October 1850 to replace their original station located at North Kent Junction which opened on 30th July 1849. The station was renamed New Cross in 1854.

Although the East London Railway arrived in the area, serving the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway’s New Cross Station on 7th December 1869, it was not until 1st April 1880 that services running from Liverpool Street to Addiscombe provided by the company began to run through the SER station.

The East London Railway services were truncated to terminate here on 30th June 1911 before on 31st March 1913, the Metropolitan Railway (which had taken over the ELR) electrified the line and commenced services from here to Kensington Addison Road (Now Kensington Olympia).

With the passing of The Railways Act 1921, SER was amalgamated with the London, Brighton and South Coast, and other railways to form the Southern Railway on 1st January 1923. The new entity recognised the confusion between the two stations they owned in the area and renamed the former LB&SCR Station to New Cross Gate.

With the formation of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933, the East London Railway services now operated by the Metropolitan Railway were taken over and became part of London Underground’s Metropolitan Line.

The Transport Act 1947 saw railways in Britain become nationalised, with the Southern Railway becoming British Railways Southern Region on 1st January 1948.

In the early 1970s, the original station buildings on New Cross Road were closed and demolished, with a replacement wooden structure being constructed and opened on Amersham Vale in 1975. Also at this time, both the up and down fast platforms were demolished and a new track layout was introduced.

1982 saw the Southern Region of British Railways sectorised, becoming the London & South Eastern sector, and later renamed to Network Southeast on 10 June 1986. The wooden station buildings were demolished and replaced by the current structure in 1985.

Privatisation of the Railways following the Railways Act 1993 saw the station and its lines franchised to Connex, who operated them under their South Central subsidiary. A further management change occurred on 26th August 2001, when the new franchisee of the line Govia bought out the remaining two years of the Connex agreement to assume services early.

East London Line services on the London Underground ceased on the 22nd December 2007 to allow the line to be converted for use by London Overground. These works to both the line and stations was completed in early 2010 with a preview service between here and Dalston Junction commencing on the 27th April.

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New Cross Gate Station (NXG)

LSPhotography — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 17:00:00 +0000

New Cross Gate Station

Address: New Cross Road, London SE14 6AR
Opened: 5th June 1839
Station Code: NXG
Fare Zone: 2

London Overground Line(s) Served:

East London Line

Service Pattern(s):

8 trains per hour to Highbury & Islington
4 trains per hour to Crystal Palace
4 trains per hour to West Croydon

Interchange(s)

Southern

OSI

New Cross – 700 metres

Station History

Thanks to the major boom in railway construction of the 1830s, the London and Croydon Railway constructed a line from West Croydon to London Bridge and opened a station named New Cross here on 1st June 1839.

Two years later in 1841, the London & Brighton Railway began using the line but did not serve the station. Following a series of financial difficulties, the London and Croydon merged with the London and Brighton to form the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway in July 1846.

Following the merger, the new entity decided that the station at New Cross was not ideally located and therefore constructed a replacement approximately a quarter of a mile north to take advantage of the planned South Eastern Railway North Kent Line. However, the move was not well received locally and the LB&SCR rebuilt the original station and it reopened on 1st May 1849.

The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway had grand expansion plans and embarked on a project to quadruple its running lines, which led to the station being rebuilt again in 1858.

In this form, the station buildings lasted approximately eleven years before, thanks to the arrival of the East London Railway in 1869, a new station was built adjacent to the LB&SCR one. This led to the LB&SCR station buildings being demolished and rebuilt to a larger footprint to accommodate the new services.

East London Railway services, which had to this point been operated by the LB&SCR were taken over by the District Railway between here and Shoreditch in 1884. On 1st September 1886, the East London Railway platforms were closed with all services diverted into the LB&SCR Station. The ELR platforms were demolished in 1900 and the area became used for stabling sidings.

The passing of The Railways Act 1921 saw the LB&SCR amalgamated with other companies to form the Southern Railway, which began operating on 1st January 1923. Under the new company, the station was renamed New Cross Gate on July 9th 1923. Also at this time, a program of electrification began, with the lines through New Cross going live in 1928, although steam services continued to operate until 1932.

The Transport Act 1947 being passed enabled the Nationalisation of the Big Four railway companies, with the Southern becoming British Railways Southern Region on 1st January 1948. The former East London Railway services continued to be run by London Transport.

1982 saw the Southern Region of British Railways sectorised, becoming the London & South Eastern sector, and later renamed to Network Southeast on 10 June 1986.

Services toward West Croydon and Crystal Palace were added on 23rd May and at this time, London Overground took over full management of the station.

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Amersham Station

LSPhotography — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Amersham Station

Address: Station Approach, Amersham, Buckinghamshire HP6 5AZ
Opened: 1st September 1892
Station Code: AME
Fare Zone: 9

London Underground Line(s) Served:

Metropolitan Line

Service Pattern(s):

2 Trains Per Hour to Aldgate

Interchange(s)

National Rail (Chiltern Railways)

Station History

Amersham was opened by the Metropolitan Railway as one of the stations on their new extension from Chalfont Road to Aylesbury on 1st September 1892.

The station moved into joint ownership with the Great Central Railway when they opened their extension to Marylebone and began stopping here on 16th March 1899.

To better reflect the service provided to the local area, the station was renamed Amersham & Chesham Bois on 12th March 1922.

With the passing of the Railways Act 1921, the Great Central Railway was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway on 1st January 1923. This was followed on 1st July 1933 by the Metropolitan Railway becoming part of the London Passenger Transport Board. Under the LPTB, the station’s name reverted back to Amersham in 1937.

Nationalisation of the railways on 1st January 1948 saw the LNER come under the control of British Railways Eastern Region before transferring to the London Midland Region in 1958.

Electrification of the line from Rickmansworth to Amersham occurred on 12th September 1960, finally completing plans formulated over thirty years earlier. London Underground ordered new rolling stock to operate the new services which were named after Amersham, the A60 Stock.

National Rail services through the station were sectorised in 1982 and became part of the London & Southeast Sector, later becoming Network Southeast. Privatisation followed in the early 1990s and these services were assumed by Chiltern Railways.

Due to financial constraints Transport for London, who had become the new operator of London Underground, decided to stop work on a project to make Amersham (along with five other stations) step-free in 2009. Eight years later funding was granted for the scheme and the work, commencing in 2018 was completed in February 2021.

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Alperton Station

LSPhotography — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Alperton Station

Address: Ealing Rd, Wembley, Middlesex HA0 4LL
Opened: 28th June 1903
Station Code: ALP
Fare Zone: 4

London Underground Line(s) Served:

Piccadilly Line

Service Pattern(s):

Off-Peak

6 trains per hour to Cockfosters
3 trains per hour to Rayners Lane
3 trains per hour to Uxbridge

Peak

12 trains per hour to Cockfosters
6 trains per hour to Rayners Lane
6 trains per hour to Uxbridge

OSI:

N/A

Station History

With the desire of the District Railway to extend its network from Ealing to Harrow and Uxbridge, a route was surveyed to Roxeth (South Harrow) in 1892. Two years later, an Act of Parliament, namely the Ealing and South Harrow Railway Act 1894 was passed.

Construction of the new line commenced in 1897 and was completed, along with its stations by the end of 1899 although low traffic prospects meant that it remained unopened.

In fact, it was four years until the line, and ‘Perivale Alperton’ Station opened for traffic on 28th June 1903. From the start, services were provided by electric traction, the first non-deep level service to be operated this way.

On 7th October 1910, the station was renamed to Alperton.

Before the formation of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933, the decision was taken to withdraw District Railway services from the line and replace them with the Piccadilly Line via an extension from the original terminus at Hammersmith. As part of this extension, the original District Railway station buildings were demolished and a replacement, designed by Charles Holden and Stanley Heaps, was constructed between 1931-2 with Piccadilly Line services commencing on 4 July 1932

The night of 2nd March 1944 saw heavy bombing by the German Luftwaffe across the local area, and severe damage was caused to the line just west of Alperton resulting in services through the station being withdrawn for five days.

At the end of the Festival of Britain in September 1951, one of the wooden escalators from the Dome of Discovery was dismantled, relocated and installed at the station from the ticket hall up to the Eastbound platform, opening in 1955.

After the King’s Cross fire in 1987, several recommendations were made to improve safety and fire protection. As a result of these recommendations, the escalator at Alperton was taken out of use in 1988. However, due to the costs associated, and the amount of work required, the escalator remains in place to this day, although it was bricked in and is only accessible via locked doors at either end.

More information about the station and its escalator can be found in the excellent Hidden London Hangouts video below.

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Aldgate East Station

LSPhotography — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Aldgate East Station

Address: Whitechapel High St,
London E1 7PT
Opened: 31st October 1938
Station Code: ALE
Fare Zone: 1

London Underground Line(s) Served:

District Line, Hammersmith & City Line

Service Pattern(s):

District Line –

12 trains per hour to Upminster
3 trains per hour to Barking
6 trains per hour to Ealing Broadway
6 trains per hour to Richmond
3 trains per hour to Wimbledon

Hammersmith & City Line –

6 trains per hour to Barking
6 trains per hour to Hammersmith

OSI:

Aldgate (280 Metres) for Circle and Metropolitan Lines

London Underground Aldgate East Station

Station History

The original Aldgate East Station was opened jointly by the Metropolitan Railway and the District Railway on the new eastern extension of the latter on 6th October 1884.

Little of note occurred at the station in the following decades until the London Passenger Transport Board was formed in 1933.

The new entity conceived the 1935-1940 New Works Programme which detailed a large number of projects aimed at extending and improving the services it provided on the Underground.

One of these projects was to remedy an issue that had existed since the opening of the new District Line extension, that of the extremely tight track curve between it and the Metropolitan Railway.

To necessitate the enlargement of the curve, and to provide sufficient space for trains to be held on any leg of the triangle without fouling points or signals, it was determined that Aldgate East Station needed to be relocated.

In advance of construction being started, the next station along the line, St Mary’s (Whitechapel Road), was closed on 30th April 1938. The new Aldgate East was deemed close enough to make St Mary’s surplus to requirement.

The new station was designed to be completely underground, allowing for the construction of a much-needed pedestrian underpass below the local roads. To allow room for this, the tracks below needed to be lowered by 2 metres. For this to happen while keeping services running, the ground below the track was excavated and was placed on temporary wooden trestles.

Upon completion of the new station platforms and the associated infrastructure, over 900 workmen were assembled on the site and they completed the lowering of the entire track to the new level overnight.

The original station saw its last passenger service on the evening of 30th October 1938 and it was closed, with the new station, located 150 metres to the east, commencing operation at the start of service on 31st October.

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Aldgate Station

LSPhotography — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Aldgate Station

Address: Aldgate High St,
London EC3N 1AH
Opened: 18th November 1876
Station Code: ALD
Fare Zone: 1

London Underground Line(s) Served:

Circle Line, Metropolitan Line

Service Pattern(s):

Circle Line – 6 trains per hour in each direction

Metropolitan Line –

2 trains per hour to Amersham
2 trains per hour to Chesham
8 trains per hour to Uxbridge
12 trains terminating here

OSI:

Aldgate East (280 Metres) for District and Hammersmith & City Lines
Tower Gateway (500 Metres) for Docklands Light Railway
Fenchurch Street (400 Metres) for National Rail

Station History

Aldgate Station was opened as their new terminus by the Metropolitan Railway on 18th November 1876. The construction and opening of the station had been delayed due to the discovery of a plague pit during the excavation of the site, reportedly containing up to 1000 bodies.

The station itself only remained as a terminus for just under six years, when the Metropolitan extended their line to a temporary terminus at Tower Hill, opening on 25th September 1882.

Due to the resolution of a conflict between the Metropolitan and Metropolitan District Railways, a joint station was constructed at Tower Hill and the Inner Circle Line was completed. This led to an increase in services through Aldgate.

With this increase, the station facilities were found to be inadequate, and a new station building designed by the Metropolitan Railway’s chief architect, Charles Walter Clark was constructed and opened in 1926.

Following the formation of the London Passenger Transport Board on July 1st 1933, the new entity took control of all the stations and services of the London Underground. In 1941, Metropolitan Line services, which had until now run through to the East London Line, were truncated to terminate at Aldgate while Circle Line services continued to pass through.

Nothing of note occurred at the station in the following decades until, on 7th July 2005 a terrorist attack on London saw a device detonated on a train approaching Aldgate Station. Seven passengers lost their lives on that day and the damage caused led to all trains terminating at Moorgate until repairs were completed.

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