Marlborough Road tube station
Encyclopedia
Marlborough Road is a disused London Underground
station. It was opened in 1868 on the Metropolitan & St. John's Wood Railway, the first northward branch extension from Baker Street
of the Metropolitan Railway
(now the Metropolitan Line
). On contemporary maps the station name is shortened to Marlboro Road.
In the mid 1930s the Metropolitan line was suffering congestion at the south end of its main route where trains from its many branches were struggling to share the limited capacity of its tracks between Finchley Road
and Baker Street stations. To ease this congestion a new section of deep-level tunnel was constructed between Finchley Road and the Bakerloo line
tunnels at Baker Street station. The Metropolitan line's Stanmore
branch services were then transferred to the Bakerloo (now Jubilee) line on 20 November 1939 and diverted to run into Baker Street in the new tunnels, thus reducing the number of trains using the Metropolitan lines tracks.
Metropolitan Line stations between Finchley Road and Baker Street were closed and a new St. John's Wood station was opened nearby on what is now the Jubilee line.
Even before the closure it had been a little-used station apart from some peak days during cricket
season due to its proximity to Lord's tube station
.
The street that Marlborough Road station was named after has been renamed Marlborough Place.
The remains of the platforms and an outside shot of the station building and booking hall (an Aberdeen Angus Steak House) were included in a scene from Metro-land
, a 1973 BBC documentary presented by Sir John Betjeman. The building contained a Chinese Restaurant up to January 2009 but has now been vacated. It is planned to utilise the building as a new Substation as part of the Power Upgrade Programme for the Metropolitan Line to support the introduction of the new Rolling Stock Fleet.
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. It was opened in 1868 on the Metropolitan & St. John's Wood Railway, the first northward branch extension from Baker Street
Baker Street tube station
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...
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...
(now 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...
). On contemporary maps the station name is shortened to Marlboro Road.
In the mid 1930s the Metropolitan line was suffering congestion at the south end of its main route where trains from its many branches were struggling to share the limited capacity of its tracks between 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...
and Baker Street stations. To ease this congestion a new section of deep-level tunnel was constructed between Finchley Road and 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...
tunnels at Baker Street station. The Metropolitan line's 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 services were then transferred to the Bakerloo (now Jubilee) line on 20 November 1939 and diverted to run into Baker Street in the new tunnels, thus reducing the number of trains using the Metropolitan lines tracks.
Metropolitan Line stations between Finchley Road and Baker Street were closed and a new St. John's Wood station was opened nearby on what is now the Jubilee line.
Even before the closure it had been a little-used station apart from some peak days during cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
season due to its proximity to Lord's tube station
Lord's tube station
Lord's is a disused London Underground station. It was opened in 1868 as St. John's Wood Road on the Metropolitan & St. John's Wood Railway, the first northward branch extension from Baker Street of the Metropolitan Railway ....
.
The street that Marlborough Road station was named after has been renamed Marlborough Place.
The remains of the platforms and an outside shot of the station building and booking hall (an Aberdeen Angus Steak House) were included in a scene from Metro-land
Metro-land (TV)
Metro-land is a BBC documentary film written and narrated by the then Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman. It was directed by Edward Mirzoeff and first broadcast in colour on February 26, 1973...
, a 1973 BBC documentary presented by Sir John Betjeman. The building contained a Chinese Restaurant up to January 2009 but has now been vacated. It is planned to utilise the building as a new Substation as part of the Power Upgrade Programme for the Metropolitan Line to support the introduction of the new Rolling Stock Fleet.
See also
Other Metropolitan Line stations closed with the opening of the deep tunnel section:- Swiss CottageSwiss Cottage (Metropolitan Line) tube stationSwiss Cottage is a disused London Underground station. It was opened in 1868 as the northern terminus of the Metropolitan and St John's Wood Railway, the first northward branch extension from Baker Street of the Metropolitan Railway...
- Lord'sLord's tube stationLord's is a disused London Underground station. It was opened in 1868 as St. John's Wood Road on the Metropolitan & St. John's Wood Railway, the first northward branch extension from Baker Street of the Metropolitan Railway ....