London Buses route 7
Encyclopedia
London Buses route 7 is a Transport for London
contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline
.
and Liverpool Street Station
, was allocated the route number 7. On 14 August 1916 a supplementary Monday - Saturday route 7A was introduced between Wormwood Scrubs and London Bridge
. This route disappeared later in 1916 due to Wartime shortages, but re-appeared again on 30 April 1917. During the 1920s, route 7 was extended to Acton
and a 7B was introduced as a Waterloo
to London Bridge, Monday to Friday peak hours only service via Holborn.
On 1 December 1924, a new system of route numbering on London buses came into force under The London Traffic Act of 1924. This made the Metropolitan Police
responsible for bus operation and route numbering in London. Route 7 remained unchanged; the 7A was renumbered 107
, and the 7B to 166
. Short workings from Wormwood Scrubs were renumbered 7A. This situation remained until 3 October 1934, when the newly constituted London Transport Passenger Board instituted its own numbering system. The 7 continued, with an extension to Kew Green
until 22 August 1946, when the 7A was revived, running Acton - London Bridge on Mondays to Fridays (a Saturday service was included later).
The "Busmans Strike" of 1958 was responsible for the loss of very large numbers of passengers on London's buses. London Transport reacted to this situation by withdrawing many routes during 1958 and 1959. The 7 was one of many long-standing routes withdrawn on 19 August 1958. From 14 October 1959, the old route 7A had its suffix removed, becoming plain 7. The service ran between Acton
Old Tram Depot and London Bridge
(Oxford Circus on Mon-Sat evenings), via East Acton
, Ladbroke Grove
, Paddington
, Edgware Road, Marble Arch
, Oxford Street
, Holborn
and Bank.
On 9 October 1963 the Saturday service of route 7 was extended from Acton to Kew Green to replace the withdrawn route 265. On 31 December 1966 the Saturday section of route 7 between Acton and Kew was replaced by route 27A.
A Red Arrow route expansion in 1970 saw the re-routing of the 501 from Aldgate to London Bridge, introducing a route that mirrored the 7B/166 route withdrawn in 1939. The re-routing of the 501 resulted in the 7 being cut back to Bloomsbury
, near to Tottenham Court Road
, on 24 January 1970.
On 25 April 1981, the route enjoyed a Sundays-only westward extension to reach Richmond station
, via Acton Town
, Gunnersbury
and Kew
, while the Monday to Saturday terminus moved from the Old Tram Depot in Acton, firstly to Wormwood Scrubs
, near to the infamous prison
, then to East Acton station
.
In 1992, the decision was taken to extend the service to terminate at Russell Square
, which took the route past the gates of the British Museum
, while the (Sundays only) western end of the route was cut back to Kew Green. A further cut back in 1996 saw the Sunday service revert back to the Old Tram Depot in Acton and, with the introduction of midibus
route 70 four years later, the Sunday service was cut back to where the Monday to Saturday service terminated, at East Acton station.
In 2003 the service was extended slightly to the Brunel Road stand, which meant that no bus passed outside the station building at East Acton; passengers now had a 5-minute walk before they could continue their journey by bus.
In June 2007 First's
Westbourne Park Garage lost the contract for route 7 and night bus N7 to Metroline, with a peak vehicle requirement of 22 buses.
vehicles. It was the only route in London to use these vehicles regularly.
The route was run with crew-operated Routemaster
double-deckers for many years. These were replaced in July 2004 by new low-floor double-deckers.
On 30 July 1966, a Routemaster bus, which had been in service on route 7 but was running empty back to the depot, caught fire at Marble Arch
and was totally burnt out. This led to headlines in the London evening newspapers "The day a no 7 caught fire" and "End of the road for a no 7 bus".
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline
Metroline
Metroline, owned by ComfortDelGro Corporation of Singapore, is one of many companies operating bus services in London under the management of London Buses.-Company history:...
.
History
The 7 is a very long established route. It traces its history back to 1 November 1908, when an un-numbered daily route operating between Wormwood ScrubsWormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs, known locally as The Scrubs, is an open space located in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is the largest open space in the Borough, at 80 ha , and one of the largest areas of common land in London...
and Liverpool Street Station
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...
, was allocated the route number 7. On 14 August 1916 a supplementary Monday - Saturday route 7A was introduced between Wormwood Scrubs and London Bridge
London Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
. This route disappeared later in 1916 due to Wartime shortages, but re-appeared again on 30 April 1917. During the 1920s, route 7 was extended to Acton
Acton, London
Acton is a district of west London, England, located in the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross.At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people...
and a 7B was introduced as a Waterloo
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
to London Bridge, Monday to Friday peak hours only service via Holborn.
On 1 December 1924, a new system of route numbering on London buses came into force under The London Traffic Act of 1924. This made the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
responsible for bus operation and route numbering in London. Route 7 remained unchanged; the 7A was renumbered 107
London Buses route 107
London Buses route 107 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline.-History:...
, and the 7B to 166
London Buses route 166
London Buses route 166 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.-History:...
. Short workings from Wormwood Scrubs were renumbered 7A. This situation remained until 3 October 1934, when the newly constituted London Transport Passenger Board instituted its own numbering system. The 7 continued, with an extension to Kew Green
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
until 22 August 1946, when the 7A was revived, running Acton - London Bridge on Mondays to Fridays (a Saturday service was included later).
The "Busmans Strike" of 1958 was responsible for the loss of very large numbers of passengers on London's buses. London Transport reacted to this situation by withdrawing many routes during 1958 and 1959. The 7 was one of many long-standing routes withdrawn on 19 August 1958. From 14 October 1959, the old route 7A had its suffix removed, becoming plain 7. The service ran between Acton
Acton, London
Acton is a district of west London, England, located in the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross.At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people...
Old Tram Depot and London Bridge
London Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
(Oxford Circus on Mon-Sat evenings), via East Acton
East Acton
East Acton is a place in west London, England. It is partly in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and partly in the London Borough of Ealing...
, Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove is a road in west London, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is also sometimes the name given informally to the immediate area surrounding the road. Running from Notting Hill in the south to Kensal Green in the north, it is located in North Kensington and straddles...
, Paddington
Paddington station
Paddington railway station, also known as London Paddington, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex.The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates...
, Edgware Road, Marble Arch
Marble Arch
Marble Arch is a white Carrara marble monument that now stands on a large traffic island at the junction of Oxford Street, Park Lane, and Edgware Road, almost directly opposite Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park in London, England...
, Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
, Holborn
Holborn tube station
Holborn is a station of the London Underground in Holborn in London, located at the junction of High Holborn and Kingsway. Situated on the Piccadilly Line and on the Central Line , it is the only station common to the two lines, although the two lines cross each other three times elsewhere...
and Bank.
On 9 October 1963 the Saturday service of route 7 was extended from Acton to Kew Green to replace the withdrawn route 265. On 31 December 1966 the Saturday section of route 7 between Acton and Kew was replaced by route 27A.
A Red Arrow route expansion in 1970 saw the re-routing of the 501 from Aldgate to London Bridge, introducing a route that mirrored the 7B/166 route withdrawn in 1939. The re-routing of the 501 resulted in the 7 being cut back to Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
, near to Tottenham Court Road
Tottenham Court Road
Tottenham Court Road is a major road in central London, United Kingdom, running from St Giles Circus north to Euston Road, near the border of the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, a distance of about three-quarters of a mile...
, on 24 January 1970.
On 25 April 1981, the route enjoyed a Sundays-only westward extension to reach Richmond station
Richmond station (London)
Richmond station is a National Rail and London Underground station in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London which is managed by South West Trains....
, via Acton Town
Acton Town tube station
Acton Town is a London Underground station in Acton, west London, served by the Piccadilly and District lines. The station is at the junction of Gunnersbury Lane and Bollo Lane and is in Travelcard Zone 3.-Services:...
, Gunnersbury
Gunnersbury
Gunnersbury is a place in the London Borough of Hounslow, with its northern edge in the London Borough of Ealing, west London. It has an area of less than half a square kilometre and is within the west area of the Chiswick W4 postal district of London....
and Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
, while the Monday to Saturday terminus moved from the Old Tram Depot in Acton, firstly to Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs, known locally as The Scrubs, is an open space located in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is the largest open space in the Borough, at 80 ha , and one of the largest areas of common land in London...
, near to the infamous prison
Wormwood Scrubs (HM Prison)
HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs is a Category B men's prison, located in the Wormwood Scrubs area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, in inner west London, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service....
, then to East Acton station
East Acton tube station
East Acton is a London Underground station in East Acton in west London. The station is on the Central Line, between White City and North Acton stations, and in Travelcard Zone 2...
.
In 1992, the decision was taken to extend the service to terminate at Russell Square
Russell Square
Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. To the north is Woburn Place and to the south-east is Southampton Row...
, which took the route past the gates of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, while the (Sundays only) western end of the route was cut back to Kew Green. A further cut back in 1996 saw the Sunday service revert back to the Old Tram Depot in Acton and, with the introduction of midibus
Midibus
A midibus is a classification of single-decker minibuses which generally are larger than a traditional minibus but smaller than a full-size single decker and can be anywhere between and long...
route 70 four years later, the Sunday service was cut back to where the Monday to Saturday service terminated, at East Acton station.
In 2003 the service was extended slightly to the Brunel Road stand, which meant that no bus passed outside the station building at East Acton; passengers now had a 5-minute walk before they could continue their journey by bus.
In June 2007 First's
First London
.First London is one of many operators of London Buses and owned by First Group. They did also run the Tramlink network, in a partnership with Tramtrack Croydon before June 2008. Their registered office is at Paddington station in London...
Westbourne Park Garage lost the contract for route 7 and night bus N7 to Metroline, with a peak vehicle requirement of 22 buses.
Vehicles
Between 1910 and 1920, route 7 was operated entirely by X-typeLGOC X-type
-History:The X-type was the first bus built by London General Omnibus Co. Ltd . The manufacturing part of LGOC became AEC in June 1912.In 1908 LGOC merged with its two main rivals, London Motor Omnibus Co Ltd , and London Road Car Co. Ltd...
vehicles. It was the only route in London to use these vehicles regularly.
The route was run with crew-operated Routemaster
Routemaster
The AEC Routemaster is a model of double-decker bus that was built by Associated Equipment Company in 1954 and produced until 1968. Primarily front-engined, rear open-platform buses, a small number of variants were produced with doors and/or front entrances...
double-deckers for many years. These were replaced in July 2004 by new low-floor double-deckers.
Incidents
A serious incident occurred in June 1957, when a RTL-type bus on route 7A ran into a queue of waiting passengers on Oxford Street, killing eight people.On 30 July 1966, a Routemaster bus, which had been in service on route 7 but was running empty back to the depot, caught fire at Marble Arch
Marble Arch
Marble Arch is a white Carrara marble monument that now stands on a large traffic island at the junction of Oxford Street, Park Lane, and Edgware Road, almost directly opposite Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park in London, England...
and was totally burnt out. This led to headlines in the London evening newspapers "The day a no 7 caught fire" and "End of the road for a no 7 bus".
Current route
- Russell SquareRussell SquareRussell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. To the north is Woburn Place and to the south-east is Southampton Row...
North Side - Great Russell StreetGreat Russell StreetGreat Russell Street is a street in Bloomsbury, central London, England. It is the location of the main entrance of the British Museum to the north. The Congress Centre of the Trades Union Congress is located at number 28...
for British MuseumBritish MuseumThe British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its... - Tottenham Court Road StationTottenham Court Road tube stationTottenham Court Road is a London Underground station in central London. It is an interchange between the Central line and the branch of the Northern line.On the Central line it is between and , and on the Northern line it is between and...
- Oxford Circus StationOxford Circus tube station-External links:* ** ** * Plans of the station after the Victoria Line works , , *...
- Marble Arch StationMarble Arch tube stationMarble Arch is a London Underground station in the City of Westminster. The station is between Lancaster Gate and Bond Street stations on the Central line, and is in Travelcard Zone 1.-History:...
- Paddington StationPaddington stationPaddington railway station, also known as London Paddington, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex.The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates...
- Ladbroke Grove StationLadbroke Grove tube stationLadbroke Grove is a London Underground station on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines, between Latimer Road and Westbourne Park stations, and in Travelcard Zone 2 set in The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea ....
- Hammersmith HospitalHammersmith HospitalHammersmith Hospital is a major teaching hospital in West London. It is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and is associated with the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine...
- East Acton StationEast Acton tube stationEast Acton is a London Underground station in East Acton in west London. The station is on the Central Line, between White City and North Acton stations, and in Travelcard Zone 2...
- East ActonEast ActonEast Acton is a place in west London, England. It is partly in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and partly in the London Borough of Ealing...
Brunel Road