Aldgate tube station
Encyclopedia
Aldgate tube station is a London Underground
station located at Aldgate
in the City of London
.
The station is on the Circle Line between Tower Hill
and Liverpool Street
. It is also the eastern terminus of the Metropolitan Line
. It is in Travelcard Zone 1
, and its ticket office is part-time only.
Platforms 1 and 4 at Aldgate are the only two platforms on the network to be served exclusively by the Circle Line. There are 2 other platforms used mainly by Circle Line trains: platform 2 at Gloucester Road
and platform 2 at Edgware Road
, however these can be used by District
trains if required- i.e. during engineering work or disruption. All other Circle Line platforms are shared by the District
, Metropolitan
and/or Hammersmith & City
Lines.
The station was opened on 18 November 1876 with the southbound extension to Tower Hill
opening on 25 September 1882, completing the Circle. Services from Aldgate originally ran far further west than they do now, reaching as far as Richmond, and trains also used to run from Aldgate
to Hammersmith
(the Hammersmith & City Line
now bypasses the station). It became the terminus of the Metropolitan line
only in 1941. Before that, Metropolitan trains had continued on to the southern termini of the East London Line
. The station was badly damaged by German bombing during World War II
.
In 2005, one of the four bombs in the 7 July 2005 London bombings
was detonated by Shehzad Tanweer
on a Circle Line train that had left Liverpool Street and was close to Aldgate. Seven commuters were killed in the explosion: Anne Moffatt, 46, Lee Baisden, 34, Benedetta Ciaccia, 30, Richard Ellery, 22, Richard Gray, 41, Carrie Louise Taylor, 24, and Fiona Stevenson, 29. Of the tube stations affected by the bombings, Aldgate was the first to be reopened, once police had handed back control of the site to London Underground
following the extensive search for evidence. Once the damaged tunnel was repaired by Metronet
engineers, the line was reopened, also allowing the Metropolitan Line to be fully restored, since the closure had meant all trains had terminated two stations early at Moorgate
.
story The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans
(published in the anthology His Last Bow
).
In the story, the body of a junior clerk named Cadogan West is found on the tracks outside Aldgate station, with a number of stolen plans for the Bruce-Partington submarine in his pocket. It seems clear enough that "the man, dead or alive, either fell or was precipitated from a train." But why, wonders Holmes, did the dead man not have a ticket?
It turns out that the body was placed on top of a train carriage before it reached Aldgate, via a window in a house on a cutting overlooking the Metropolitan Line. Holmes realises that the body fell off the carriage roof only when the train was jolted by the dense concentration of points at Aldgate.
Aldgate tube station is also given mention in John Creasy's 1955 detective novel Gideon's Day.
, which is served by trains run by c2c
.
London bus routes 15
, 25
, 40, 42
, 67, 78
, 100, 115, 135
, 205
, 254
and night bus routes N15, N253, 550 and 551 all stop near the station.
In peak hours there are also Metropolitan line fast trains to Amersham and Watford.
At off-peak times these depart from Baker Street.
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 located at Aldgate
Aldgate
Aldgate was the eastern most gateway through London Wall leading from the City of London to Whitechapel and the east end of London. Aldgate gives its name to a ward of the City...
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...
.
The station is on the Circle Line between Tower Hill
Tower Hill tube station
Tower Hill is a London Underground station at Tower Hill in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.The station is in Travelcard Zone 1 and near the Tower of London...
and Liverpool Street
Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England...
. It is also the eastern terminus of 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...
. It 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...
, and its ticket office is part-time only.
Platforms 1 and 4 at Aldgate are the only two platforms on the network to be served exclusively by the Circle Line. There are 2 other platforms used mainly by Circle Line trains: platform 2 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...
and platform 2 at Edgware Road
Edgware Road tube station
Edgware Road station is a London Underground station on the corner of Chapel Street and Cabbell Street Road in Travelcard Zone 1 serving the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines. The separate Edgware Road tube station is about 150 metres away on the opposite side of the Marylebone Road...
, however these can be used by District
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...
trains if required- i.e. during engineering work or disruption. All other Circle Line platforms are shared by the District
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...
, Metropolitan
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...
and/or Hammersmith & City
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...
Lines.
History
Tower Hill
Tower Hill is an elevated spot northwest of the Tower of London, just outside the limits of the City of London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Formerly it was part of the Tower Liberty under the direct administrative control of Tower...
opening on 25 September 1882, completing the Circle. Services from Aldgate originally ran far further west than they do now, reaching as far as Richmond, and trains also used to run from Aldgate
Aldgate
Aldgate was the eastern most gateway through London Wall leading from the City of London to Whitechapel and the east end of London. Aldgate gives its name to a ward of the City...
to Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
(the Hammersmith & City Line
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...
now bypasses the station). It became the terminus of 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...
only in 1941. Before that, Metropolitan trains had continued on to the southern termini of the 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...
. The station was badly damaged by German bombing 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...
.
In 2005, one of the four bombs in the 7 July 2005 London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
was detonated by Shehzad Tanweer
Shehzad Tanweer
Shehzad Tanweer was one of four men who detonated explosives in three trains on the London Underground and one bus in central London during the 7 July 2005 London bombing...
on a Circle Line train that had left Liverpool Street and was close to Aldgate. Seven commuters were killed in the explosion: Anne Moffatt, 46, Lee Baisden, 34, Benedetta Ciaccia, 30, Richard Ellery, 22, Richard Gray, 41, Carrie Louise Taylor, 24, and Fiona Stevenson, 29. Of the tube stations affected by the bombings, Aldgate was the first to be reopened, once police had handed back control of the site to 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...
following the extensive search for evidence. Once the damaged tunnel was repaired by Metronet
Metronet
Metronet Rail was one of two companies in a public-private partnership with London Underground.Metronet was responsible for the maintenance, renewal, and upgrade of the infrastructure on nine London Underground lines from 2003 to 2008. This included track, trains, signals, civil work and stations...
engineers, the line was reopened, also allowing the Metropolitan Line to be fully restored, since the closure had meant all trains had terminated two stations early at 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...
.
In literature
Aldgate tube station plays an important role in the Sherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
story The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans
The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans
"The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is one of eight stories in the cycle collected as His Last Bow...
(published in the anthology His Last Bow
His Last Bow
His Last Bow is a collection of seven Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as the title of the last story in that collection...
).
In the story, the body of a junior clerk named Cadogan West is found on the tracks outside Aldgate station, with a number of stolen plans for the Bruce-Partington submarine in his pocket. It seems clear enough that "the man, dead or alive, either fell or was precipitated from a train." But why, wonders Holmes, did the dead man not have a ticket?
It turns out that the body was placed on top of a train carriage before it reached Aldgate, via a window in a house on a cutting overlooking the Metropolitan Line. Holmes realises that the body fell off the carriage roof only when the train was jolted by the dense concentration of points at Aldgate.
Aldgate tube station is also given mention in John Creasy's 1955 detective novel Gideon's Day.
Transport links
Aldgate station is a short walk from Fenchurch Street railway stationFenchurch Street railway station
Fenchurch Street railway station, also known as London Fenchurch Street, is a central London railway terminus in the south eastern corner of the City of London, England. The station is one of the smallest terminals in London in terms of platforms and one of the most intensively operated...
, which is served by trains run by c2c
C2c
c2c is a British train operating company that is part of the National Express Group. It provides passenger rail services on the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway line from Fenchurch Street railway station in the City of London to east London and the entire length of the northern Thames Gateway...
.
London bus routes 15
London Buses route 15
London Buses route 15 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The regular service on route 15 is currently contracted to Stagecoach London and operated with modern double-decker buses...
, 25
London Buses route 25
London Buses route 25 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to First Capital.-History:...
, 40, 42
London Buses route 42
London Buses route 42 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
, 67, 78
London Buses route 78
London buses route 78 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.-History:...
, 100, 115, 135
London Buses route 135
London Buses route 135 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London for London Buses.-History:Route 135 began operation on 24 May 2008...
, 205
London Buses route 205
London Buses route 205 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Stagecoach London.-History:...
, 254
London Buses route 254
London Buses route 254 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.-History:...
and night bus routes N15, N253, 550 and 551 all stop near the station.
Services
The off-peak service pattern is:- 6tph (trains per hour) to Uxbridge (Metropolitan Line)
- 6tph to Edgware Road via Embankment (Circle Line)
- 6tph to Hammersmith via Liverpool Street (Circle Line)
In peak hours there are also Metropolitan line fast trains to Amersham and Watford.
At off-peak times these depart from Baker Street.