Harefield Road tube station
Encyclopedia
Harefield Road tube station was a proposed London Underground
station on the western extension of the Central line
beyond its current terminus at West Ruislip
.
Under the London Passenger Transport Board
's 1935-1940 New Works programme, the station would have been built on the existing Great Western
& Great Central
Joint Railway (GW&GCJR) line between West Ruislip and Denham
, the extension's intended terminus.
Like many other new stations built by London Underground in rural areas around the capital, the construction of the station was intended to stimulate new housing developments in what was a rural part of Middlesex
. Works on the extension were postponed during World War II
and, after the war, green belt legislation was introduced to limit the expansion of urban areas. The area beyond West Ruislip was within the designated Metropolitan Green Belt
and the intended developments were no longer allowed. Consequently the extension was cut back to West Ruislip, and opened in stages in 1947 and 1948.
. However, the station lay two miles south of Harefield
village and the building boom for which the later Central Line extension was intended to cater had not occurred; traffic was so thin that the Halt closed again on 1 October 1931. The small goods yard closed at the end of 1952, and the site is now occupied by a commercial company: it has no rail access. The location of Denham East Junction lies immediately to the west of the old goods yard. No trace remains of the 1928 halt.
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 on the western extension of the Central line
Central Line
The Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and, at , has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...
beyond its current terminus at West Ruislip
West Ruislip station
West Ruislip is a Network Rail station located on Ickenham Road between Ickenham and Ruislip in western Greater London; it is served by both London Underground and National Rail trains on independent platforms....
.
Under the London Passenger Transport Board
London Passenger Transport Board
The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for public transport in London, UK, and its environs from 1933 to 1948...
's 1935-1940 New Works programme, the station would have been built on the existing Great Western
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
& Great Central
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...
Joint Railway (GW&GCJR) line between West Ruislip and Denham
Denham railway station
Denham railway station is in Buckinghamshire, England, on the Chiltern Main Line north west of Marylebone towards High Wycombe.-History:The station was built just to the north of Denham village as part of the Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway from Grendon Underwood junction to...
, the extension's intended terminus.
Like many other new stations built by London Underground in rural areas around the capital, the construction of the station was intended to stimulate new housing developments in what was a rural part of 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...
. Works on the extension were postponed 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...
and, after the war, green belt legislation was introduced to limit the expansion of urban areas. The area beyond West Ruislip was within the designated 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...
and the intended developments were no longer allowed. Consequently the extension was cut back to West Ruislip, and opened in stages in 1947 and 1948.
Earlier station
The Central Line station site - immediately west of the Harvil Road overbridge - was that of an earlier station on the GW&GCJR line. That station opened on 24 September 1928 as "Harefield Halt" and was renamed "South Harefield Halt" in May 1929. It was served by shuttle trains forming the main line local service between Uxbridge High Street, Denham and Gerrards CrossGerrards Cross
Gerrards Cross is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the south of the county, near the border with Greater London, south of Chalfont St Peter. Gerrards Cross is also a civil parish within South Bucks district, which was known as the Beaconsfield district from 1974 to 1980...
. However, the station lay two miles south of Harefield
Harefield
Harefield is a village in the London Borough of Hillingdon in northwest London, England. It is situated on top of a hill, northwest of Charing Cross, near the Greater London boundary with Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the north...
village and the building boom for which the later Central Line extension was intended to cater had not occurred; traffic was so thin that the Halt closed again on 1 October 1931. The small goods yard closed at the end of 1952, and the site is now occupied by a commercial company: it has no rail access. The location of Denham East Junction lies immediately to the west of the old goods yard. No trace remains of the 1928 halt.