Baker Street tube station
Encyclopedia
Baker Street tube station is a station on the London Underground
at the junction of Baker Street
and the Marylebone Road
. The station lies in Travelcard Zone 1
and is served by five different lines. It is one of the original stations of the Metropolitan Railway
(MR), the world's first underground railway, opened in 1863.
On the Circle and Hammersmith & City
lines it is between Great Portland Street
and Edgware Road
. On the Metropolitan line
it is between Great Portland Street and Finchley Road
. On the Bakerloo line
it is between Regent's Park
and Marylebone, and on the Jubilee line
it is between Bond Street
and St. John's Wood.
(Bakerloo and Jubilee), Chiltern Street (Circle and Hammersmith & City, ticket holders only, others may enter via Metropolitan station) and Marylebone Road
(Metropolitan) in Marylebone
, London
. Nearby attractions include Regents Park, Lord's Cricket Ground
, and Madame Tussauds
.
as a branch from its existing route. This line, serving the open-air platforms, was steadily extended to Willesden Green
and northwards, finally reaching Aylesbury Town
and Verney Junction
(some 50 miles/80 km from Baker Street) in 1892. The MR station mainly competed for traffic with Euston
, where the LNWR provided local services to Middlesex
and Watford
, and later with Marylebone
, where the GCR
provided expresses to Aylesbury and beyond on the same line.
Over the next few decades this section of the station was extensively rebuilt to provide four platforms. The current Metropolitan line layout largely dates from 1925, and the bulk of the surface buildings, designed by architect Charles Clark, also date from this period.
The Baker Street & Waterloo Railway (BS&WR, now the Bakerloo line) opened on 10 March 1906; Baker Street was the temporary northern terminus of the line until it was extended to Marylebone station
on 27 March 1907. The original station building stood on Baker Street and served the tube platforms with lifts, but these were supplemented with escalators in 1914, linking the Metropolitan line and the Bakerloo line platforms by a new concourse excavated under the Metropolitan line.
On 20 November 1939, following the construction of an additional southbound platform and connecting tube tunnels between Baker Street and Finchley Road
stations, the Bakerloo line took over the Metropolitan line's stopping services between Finchley Road and Wembley Park
and its Stanmore
branch. The current Bakerloo ticket hall and escalators to the lower concourse were provided in conjunction with the new service.
The Jubilee line added an extra northbound platform and replaced the Bakerloo line service to Stanmore from its opening on 1 May 1979.
On 23 August 1973, a bomb was found in a carrier bag in the ticket hall. The bomb was defused by the bomb squad. A week later, on 30 August, a member of staff found another bomb left on the overbridge. Again, it was defused without any injury.
The station layout is rather complex. The sub-surface station is connected to the open-air Metropolitan line station. This is a terminus for some Metropolitan line trains, but there is also a connecting curve that joins to the Circle line just beyond the platforms that allows Metropolitan line trains to run to Aldgate
in the City of London
.
Below this is a deep-level tube station for the Bakerloo and Jubilee lines. These are arranged in a cross-platform interchange
, and there are connections between the two lines just to the north of the station. With ten platforms overall, Baker Street has the most London Underground
platforms of any station on the network.
Outside the Marylebone Road
exits, a large statue of Sherlock Holmes
commemorates the fictional detective's association with 221B Baker Street
. A restoration in the 1980s on the oldest portion of the Baker Street station brought it back to something similar to its 1863 appearance.
The station is operated by the Metropolitan Line management team. Offices of the line are within the vicinity of the station.
trains, which started operating certain Metropolitan line services in August 2010, platforms 1 and 4 have been extended.
, 13
, 18
, 27
, 30
, 74
, 82
, 113
, 139
, 189, 205
, 274, 453
and night route N13, N18 and N74.
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...
at the junction of Baker Street
Baker Street
Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid the street out in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who lived at a fictional 221B...
and the Marylebone Road
Marylebone Road
Marylebone Road is an important thoroughfare in central London, within the City of Westminster. It runs east-west from the Euston Road at Regent's Park to the A40 Westway at Paddington...
. The station lies 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 is served by five different lines. It is one of the original stations of the Metropolitan Railway
Metropolitan railway
Metropolitan Railway can refer to:* Metropolitan line, part of the London Underground* Metropolitan Railway, the first underground railway to be built in London...
(MR), the world's first underground railway, opened in 1863.
On the Circle and 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 it is between Great Portland Street
Great Portland Street tube station
Great Portland Street is a London Underground station near Regent's Park. It is between and on the Hammersmith & City, Circle and Metropolitan lines...
and 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...
. On 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 between Great Portland Street and Finchley Road
Finchley Road tube station
Finchley Road tube station is a London Underground station at the corner of Finchley Road and Canfield Gardens in the London Borough of Camden, North London. It is on the Jubilee Line, between West Hampstead and Swiss Cottage and on the Metropolitan Line between Baker Street and Wembley Park. It is...
. On the Bakerloo line
Bakerloo Line
The Bakerloo line is a line of the London Underground, coloured brown on the Tube map. It runs partly on the surface and partly at deep level, from Elephant and Castle in the south-east to Harrow & Wealdstone in the north-west of London. The line serves 25 stations, of which 15 are underground...
it is between Regent's Park
Regent's Park tube station
Regent's Park tube station is a London Underground station by Regent's Park. It is on the Bakerloo line, between Baker Street and Oxford Circus...
and Marylebone, and on the Jubilee line
Jubilee Line
The Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections—initially to Charing Cross, in central London, and later extended, in 1999, to Stratford, in east London. The later stations are larger and have special safety features, both aspects...
it is between Bond Street
Bond Street tube station
Bond Street tube station is a London Underground station on Oxford Street, near the junction with New Bond Street. Note that the street-level entrances are approximately 200 metres west of New Bond Street itself...
and St. John's Wood.
Location
The station is located on Baker StreetBaker Street
Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid the street out in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who lived at a fictional 221B...
(Bakerloo and Jubilee), Chiltern Street (Circle and Hammersmith & City, ticket holders only, others may enter via Metropolitan station) and Marylebone Road
Marylebone Road
Marylebone Road is an important thoroughfare in central London, within the City of Westminster. It runs east-west from the Euston Road at Regent's Park to the A40 Westway at Paddington...
(Metropolitan) in Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Nearby attractions include Regents Park, Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
, and Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds is a wax museum in London with branches in a number of major cities. It was founded by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud and was formerly known as "Madame Tussaud's", but the apostrophe is no longer used...
.
History
Baker Street station was opened by the MR on 10 January 1863 (these platforms are now served by the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines). On 13 April 1868, the MR opened the first section of Metropolitan and St John's Wood RailwayMetropolitan and St John's Wood Railway
The Metropolitan & St. John's Wood Railway was a subsidiary holding company for the first northward branch extension from Baker Street of the Metropolitan Railway ....
as a branch from its existing route. This line, serving the open-air platforms, was steadily extended to Willesden Green
Willesden Green tube station
Willesden Green tube station is a London Underground station in Willesden. It is served by the Jubilee Line and is between Dollis Hill and Kilburn. Metropolitan Line trains also pass through the station, but do not usually stop...
and northwards, finally reaching Aylesbury Town
Aylesbury railway station
Aylesbury railway station is a railway station in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England and is a major stop on the London to Aylesbury Line from Marylebone station via Amersham. It is 37.75 miles from Aylesbury Station to Marylebone Station...
and Verney Junction
Verney Junction railway station
Verney Junction was a railway station at a junction serving four directions between 1868 and 1968 and from where excursions as far as Ramsgate could be booked...
(some 50 miles/80 km from Baker Street) in 1892. The MR station mainly competed for traffic with Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
, where the LNWR provided local services to Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
and Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
, and later with Marylebone
Marylebone station
Marylebone station , also known as London Marylebone, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It stands midway between the mainline stations at Euston and Paddington, about 1 mile from each...
, where the GCR
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
provided expresses to Aylesbury and beyond on the same line.
Over the next few decades this section of the station was extensively rebuilt to provide four platforms. The current Metropolitan line layout largely dates from 1925, and the bulk of the surface buildings, designed by architect Charles Clark, also date from this period.
The Baker Street & Waterloo Railway (BS&WR, now the Bakerloo line) opened on 10 March 1906; Baker Street was the temporary northern terminus of the line until it was extended to Marylebone station
Marylebone station
Marylebone station , also known as London Marylebone, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It stands midway between the mainline stations at Euston and Paddington, about 1 mile from each...
on 27 March 1907. The original station building stood on Baker Street and served the tube platforms with lifts, but these were supplemented with escalators in 1914, linking the Metropolitan line and the Bakerloo line platforms by a new concourse excavated under the Metropolitan line.
On 20 November 1939, following the construction of an additional southbound platform and connecting tube tunnels between Baker Street and Finchley Road
Finchley Road tube station
Finchley Road tube station is a London Underground station at the corner of Finchley Road and Canfield Gardens in the London Borough of Camden, North London. It is on the Jubilee Line, between West Hampstead and Swiss Cottage and on the Metropolitan Line between Baker Street and Wembley Park. It is...
stations, the Bakerloo line took over the Metropolitan line's stopping services between Finchley Road and Wembley Park
Wembley Park tube station
Wembley Park tube station is a London Underground station in Wembley Park, north west London. The station is served by the Underground's Metropolitan and Jubilee Lines and is in Travelcard Zone 4...
and its Stanmore
Stanmore tube station
Stanmore tube station is a London Underground station at Stanmore. It is the northern terminus of the Jubilee Line; the previous station is Canons Park. It is in Travelcard Zone 5...
branch. The current Bakerloo ticket hall and escalators to the lower concourse were provided in conjunction with the new service.
The Jubilee line added an extra northbound platform and replaced the Bakerloo line service to Stanmore from its opening on 1 May 1979.
On 23 August 1973, a bomb was found in a carrier bag in the ticket hall. The bomb was defused by the bomb squad. A week later, on 30 August, a member of staff found another bomb left on the overbridge. Again, it was defused without any injury.
Today
Of the MR's original stations, the sub-surface Circle and Hammersmith and City line platforms are the best preserved. Plaques along the platform show old plans and photographs of the station.The station layout is rather complex. The sub-surface station is connected to the open-air Metropolitan line station. This is a terminus for some Metropolitan line trains, but there is also a connecting curve that joins to the Circle line just beyond the platforms that allows Metropolitan line trains to run to 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...
.
Below this is a deep-level tube station for the Bakerloo and Jubilee lines. These are arranged in a cross-platform interchange
Cross-platform interchange
A cross-platform interchange is a type of interchange between different lines in a metro system. The term originates with the London Underground; such layouts exist in other networks but are not commonly so named...
, and there are connections between the two lines just to the north of the station. With ten platforms overall, Baker Street has the most 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...
platforms of any station on the network.
Outside the Marylebone Road
Marylebone Road
Marylebone Road is an important thoroughfare in central London, within the City of Westminster. It runs east-west from the Euston Road at Regent's Park to the A40 Westway at Paddington...
exits, a large statue of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock 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...
commemorates the fictional detective's association with 221B Baker Street
221B Baker Street
221B Baker Street is the London address of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, created by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the United Kingdom, postal addresses with a number followed by a letter may indicate a separate address within a larger, often residential building...
. A restoration in the 1980s on the oldest portion of the Baker Street station brought it back to something similar to its 1863 appearance.
The station is operated by the Metropolitan Line management team. Offices of the line are within the vicinity of the station.
Platform lengthening
In order to accommodate the new, longer S stockLondon Underground S Stock
The S Stock is a class of sub-surface train currently being delivered by Bombardier Transportation in Derby to the London Underground to replace 177 existing trains on the Metropolitan, District, Hammersmith & City, and Circle lines, with a new fleet of standardised car design, totalling 191 trains...
trains, which started operating certain Metropolitan line services in August 2010, platforms 1 and 4 have been extended.
Transport links
London bus routes 2London Buses route 2
London Buses route 2 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.-History:Route 2 was the last West End bus route that was operated by step-entrance buses other than Routemasters...
, 13
London Buses route 13
London Buses route 13 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to London Sovereign.-History:...
, 18
London Buses route 18
London Buses route 18 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to First Centrewest.-History:...
, 27
London Buses route 27
London Buses route 27 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
, 30
London Buses route 30
London Buses route 30 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to First Capital.-History:Route 30 commenced operation on 8 May 1911 between Kings Cross and Fulham Cross...
, 74
London Buses route 74
London Buses route 74 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
, 82
London Buses route 82
London Buses route 82 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline.-History:...
, 113
London Buses route 113
London Buses route 113 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. This service is currently contracted to Metroline.-History:...
, 139
London Buses route 139
London Buses route 139 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline for London Buses.-History:...
, 189, 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:...
, 274, 453
London Buses route 453
London Buses route 453 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
and night route N13, N18 and N74.
External links
- Oldest Portion of Baker Street Station
- Photograph of the Jubilee Line platform at Baker Street
