Bushey Heath tube station
Encyclopedia
Bushey Heath tube station was an unbuilt London Underground
station in Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire
. The planned location of the station was at the junction of the A41
and A411 roads.
The station was the last of three planned by London Underground in 1935 for an extension of the Northern Line
from Edgware
. It would have served as the new terminus of the line. The proposed station was at first to be called Aldenham, and there was considerable debate before the various parties agreed on 'Bushey Heath'.
The previous station on the route would have been Elstree South
to the east.
The extension was part of the Northern Heights project which was intended to electrify a number of steam-operated London and North Eastern Railway
(LNER) branch lines and to incorporate them into the Northern Line. The powers to build the extension came from the purchase in 1922 of the unbuilt Watford and Edgware Railway
which had planned an extension of the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway
to Watford Junction via Bushey, but had never been able to raise the capital required for construction to start.
Construction works on the Northern Heights project began in the late 1930s but were suspended by the outbreak of the Second World War. Most of the work undertaken to that date had been carried out on the existing LNER branch tracks. The land required for the new route had been purchased and some construction work between Edgware and Elstree had taken place.
Construction of Bushey Heath station had not started when the Second World War began so the land was used temporarily as allotments or farming use.
The sites of all three new stations were in semi-rural locations and, as had happened elsewhere, it was intended that the opening of the new section of Underground line would stimulate the construction of new residential estates that the stations would then serve. After the war, however, new legislation was introduced with the intention of limiting the continuing expansion of urban areas into the surrounding countryside. This legislation created the Metropolitan Green Belt
around London and the area designated included the area covered by the new Northern Line extension. Without the possibility of constructing the new housing estates, the new line had no purpose and the plans for the extension were cancelled in 1950.
During the war, the depot buildings were used for the construction of Halifax
bombers and the land owned by London Underground at Bushey was used for farming. After the abandonment of the extension plans, the depot buildings became Aldenham bus overhaul works
.
As a result of the breakup of London Transport Buses and the devolving of maintenance functions to the depots of individual bus companies, the overhaul works ceased operation in 1986. They stood derelict until 1997 when they were demolished and replaced with the Millennium Business Park.
Footage of the overhaul works in operation can be seen in the film Summer Holiday.
Abandoned Works
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 in Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. The planned location of the station was at the junction of the A41
A41 road
The A41 is a formerly-major trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although it has now largely been superseded by motorways. It passes through or near various towns and cities including Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton,...
and A411 roads.
History
Northern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
from Edgware
Edgware
Edgware is an area in London, situated north-northwest of Charing Cross. It forms part of both the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of Harrow. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
. It would have served as the new terminus of the line. The proposed station was at first to be called Aldenham, and there was considerable debate before the various parties agreed on 'Bushey Heath'.
The previous station on the route would have been Elstree South
Elstree South tube station
Elstree South tube station was an unbuilt London Underground station in Elstree, Hertfordshire. It was designed by Charles Holden...
to the east.
The extension was part of the Northern Heights project which was intended to electrify a number of steam-operated London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
(LNER) branch lines and to incorporate them into the Northern Line. The powers to build the extension came from the purchase in 1922 of the unbuilt Watford and Edgware Railway
Watford and Edgware Railway
The Watford and Edgware Railway was a railway company established in the 1860s that intended to build a railway that would run between Edgware and Watford, via Bushey...
which had planned an extension of the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway
Edgware, Highgate and London Railway
The Edgware, Highgate and London Railway was a railway in north London. The railway was a precursor of parts of London Underground's Northern Line and was, in the 1930s the core of an ambitious expansion plan for that line which was thwarted by the Second World War...
to Watford Junction via Bushey, but had never been able to raise the capital required for construction to start.
Construction of Bushey Heath station had not started when the Second World War began so the land was used temporarily as allotments or farming use.
The sites of all three new stations were in semi-rural locations and, as had happened elsewhere, it was intended that the opening of the new section of Underground line would stimulate the construction of new residential estates that the stations would then serve. After the war, however, new legislation was introduced with the intention of limiting the continuing expansion of urban areas into the surrounding countryside. This legislation created the Metropolitan Green Belt
Metropolitan Green Belt
The Metropolitan Green Belt is a statutory green belt around London, England. It includes designated parts of Greater London and the surrounding counties of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey in the South East and East of England regions.-History:The...
around London and the area designated included the area covered by the new Northern Line extension. Without the possibility of constructing the new housing estates, the new line had no purpose and the plans for the extension were cancelled in 1950.
During the war, the depot buildings were used for the construction of Halifax
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
bombers and the land owned by London Underground at Bushey was used for farming. After the abandonment of the extension plans, the depot buildings became Aldenham bus overhaul works
Aldenham Works
The Aldenham Works, or Aldenham Bus Overhaul Works, was the main London Transport Bus overhaul works. It was located on the edge of the Hertfordshire village of Elstree and not Aldenham despite being officially called Aldenham Works. In its heyday, 50 buses a week were overhauled there, and it was...
.
As a result of the breakup of London Transport Buses and the devolving of maintenance functions to the depots of individual bus companies, the overhaul works ceased operation in 1986. They stood derelict until 1997 when they were demolished and replaced with the Millennium Business Park.
Footage of the overhaul works in operation can be seen in the film Summer Holiday.
See also
- Edgware, Highgate and London RailwayEdgware, Highgate and London RailwayThe Edgware, Highgate and London Railway was a railway in north London. The railway was a precursor of parts of London Underground's Northern Line and was, in the 1930s the core of an ambitious expansion plan for that line which was thwarted by the Second World War...
- LNER branch line taken over by London Underground as part of the Northern Heights project - Brockley Hill tube stationBrockley Hill tube stationBrockley Hill tube station is an unbuilt London Underground station in the Brockley Hill area of north London. The planned location was close to Edgwarebury Park and the north side of the junction of the A41 and the A410 roads.-History:...
- first station on the new extension
External links
- London's Transport Museum Photographic Archive