Morden tube station
Encyclopedia
Morden is a London Underground
station in Morden
in the London Borough of Merton
. The station is the southern terminus for the Northern line
and is the most southerly station on the Underground network. The next station north is . The station is located on London Road (A24
), and is in Travelcard Zone 4
.
from . Morden in 1926 was a rural area and the station was built on open farmland giving its designer, Charles Holden
, more space than had been available for the majority of the stations on the new extension. A parade of shops was incorporated into the design each side of the imposing station entrance and the structure was designed from the beginning with the intention of enabling upward development, however this did not come until the 1960s when an office building was added.
As the southern most point on the system, Morden station served from its beginning as the collection and departure point for numerous bus
routes heading further into the depths of suburban south London
and northern Surrey
. In its early days it was a main starting point for buses heading to Epsom
on Derby
Day excursions and today many bus services start from the bus station in front of the station.
For a time before the extension to Morden was constructed, the Underground Group
wanted to continue the line to Sutton
using part of a surface route from Wimbledon
to Sutton that had been planned by the Wimbledon and Sutton Railway
(W&SR) in 1910. One of the supporters of the scheme was the Metropolitan District Railway
(MDR, now London Underground
's District Line
) which held shares in the company and had rights to run trains over the line when built. A plot of land at North Cheam was even bought for a proposed station, but when it was never built the land instead was used for a sports facility for London Transport employees. The land was later sold and used for a new Sainsburys superstore.
World War I
had prevented any work taking place and by the early 1920s continuing financial support from the MDR meant that it had effectively taken control of the company. Through its ownership of the MDR, the London Electric Railway (LER, precursor of London Underground) was able to obtain approval to use part of the route for its C&SLR extension. The route would have seen Underground Northern Line trains running on surface tracks from Morden past the nearby Underground depot and on to the Network Rail
alignment close to Morden South
station. Under these proposals the station would have been named North Morden and Morden South would have been called "South Morden".
The Southern Railway (SR) objected to this encroachment into its area of operation and the loss of its passenger traffic to a more direct route. The LER and SR reached an agreement that enabled the C&SLR to extend as far as Morden in exchange for the LER giving up its rights over the W&SR route. The SR subsequently built the line, one of the last mainline routes to be built in the London area. It opened on 5 January 1930.
It has been said that there was originally an arrow here to complement Eric Aumonier
's Archer statue at station, and that this was stolen shortly after the station opened; however, East Finchley was not served by the Underground until 1939 and the statue was not erected until 1940.
, but is in a wide cutting with the tunnel portals a short distance to the north. Three tracks run through the station to the depot, and the station has three platforms, two of which are island platforms with tracks on each side. The platforms are accessed by steps down from the ticket hall and are numbered 1 to 5 from east to west; the island platforms have different numbers for each face (2/3 and 4/5). To indicate departures, the platforms are usually referred to as 2, 4 and 5. The tunnel portals north of Morden station have the distinction of being one end of one of the longest tunnel
s in the world (17.25 miles - about 28 km) running via the Bank branch between Morden and East Finchley.
London Buses
routes 80, 93
, 118
, 154, 157
, 163, 164, 201, 293
, 413, 470 and K5 and Night bus route N155 serve the station.
} The first roads have been laid out but the area is still mostly fields.
}
} showing stations at North Morden and South Morden (now Morden and Morden South)
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 Morden
Morden
Morden is a district in the London Borough of Merton. It is located approximately South-southwest of central London between Merton Park , Mitcham , Sutton and Worcester Park .- Origin of name :...
in the London Borough of Merton
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
. The station is the southern terminus for the Northern line
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...
and is the most southerly station on the Underground network. The next station north is . The station is located on London Road (A24
A24 road (Great Britain)
The A24 is a major road in England. It runs south from Clapham in southwest London through Morden before entering Surrey and heading through Ewell, Epsom, Ashtead, Leatherhead and Dorking...
), and is in Travelcard Zone 4
Travelcard Zone 4
Fare zone 4 is a 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...
.
History and structure
Morden station was opened on 13 September 1926 with the opening of the new extension of the City & South London RailwayCity & South London Railway
The City and South London Railway was the first deep-level underground "tube" railway in the world, and the first major railway to use electric traction...
from . Morden in 1926 was a rural area and the station was built on open farmland giving its designer, Charles Holden
Charles Holden
Charles Henry Holden, Litt. D., FRIBA, MRTPI, RDI was a Bolton-born English architect best known for designing many London Underground stations during the 1920s and 1930s, for Bristol Central Library, the Underground Electric Railways Company of London's headquarters at 55 Broadway and for the...
, more space than had been available for the majority of the stations on the new extension. A parade of shops was incorporated into the design each side of the imposing station entrance and the structure was designed from the beginning with the intention of enabling upward development, however this did not come until the 1960s when an office building was added.
As the southern most point on the system, Morden station served from its beginning as the collection and departure point for numerous bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
routes heading further into the depths of suburban south 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...
and northern Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. In its early days it was a main starting point for buses heading to Epsom
Epsom
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. Small parts of Epsom are in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The town is located south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland of Epsom Downs.-History:Epsom lies...
on Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
Day excursions and today many bus services start from the bus station in front of the station.
For a time before the extension to Morden was constructed, the Underground Group
Underground Electric Railways Company of London
The Underground Electric Railways Company of London Limited , known operationally as The Underground for much of its existence, was established in 1902. It was the holding company for the three deep-level "tube"A "tube" railway is an underground railway constructed in a circular tunnel by the use...
wanted to continue the line to Sutton
Sutton, London
Sutton is a large suburban town in southwest London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Sutton. It is located south-southwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. The town was connected to central London by...
using part of a surface route from Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
to Sutton that had been planned by the Wimbledon and Sutton Railway
Wimbledon and Sutton Railway
The Wimbledon and Sutton Railway was a railway company established by an Act of Parliament in 1910 to build a railway line in Surrey from Wimbledon to Sutton via Merton and Morden in the United Kingdom. The railway was promoted by local landowners hoping to increase the value of their land...
(W&SR) in 1910. One of the supporters of the scheme was the Metropolitan District Railway
Metropolitan District Railway
The Metropolitan District Railway was the predecessor of the District line of the London Underground. Set up on 29 July 1864, at first to complete the "Inner Circle" railway around central London, it was gradually extended into the suburbs...
(MDR, now 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...
's District Line
District Line
The District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels. It is the busiest of the sub-surface lines. Out of the 60 stations served, 25 are underground...
) which held shares in the company and had rights to run trains over the line when built. A plot of land at North Cheam was even bought for a proposed station, but when it was never built the land instead was used for a sports facility for London Transport employees. The land was later sold and used for a new Sainsburys superstore.
World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
had prevented any work taking place and by the early 1920s continuing financial support from the MDR meant that it had effectively taken control of the company. Through its ownership of the MDR, the London Electric Railway (LER, precursor of London Underground) was able to obtain approval to use part of the route for its C&SLR extension. The route would have seen Underground Northern Line trains running on surface tracks from Morden past the nearby Underground depot and on to the Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
alignment close to Morden South
Morden South railway station
Morden South railway station is in Morden in the London Borough of Merton. The station is served by First Capital Connect trains, and is on the Thameslink loop...
station. Under these proposals the station would have been named North Morden and Morden South would have been called "South Morden".
The Southern Railway (SR) objected to this encroachment into its area of operation and the loss of its passenger traffic to a more direct route. The LER and SR reached an agreement that enabled the C&SLR to extend as far as Morden in exchange for the LER giving up its rights over the W&SR route. The SR subsequently built the line, one of the last mainline routes to be built in the London area. It opened on 5 January 1930.
It has been said that there was originally an arrow here to complement Eric Aumonier
Eric Aumonier
-Life:Aumonier was born in Northwood, Middlesex . his family name is Huguenot . Eric's grandfather, William, founded the Aumonier Studios in 1876, an architectural sculpture firm in London, initially located at New Inn Yard off Tottenham Court Road, then at 84 Charlotte Street. His son, also called...
's Archer statue at station, and that this was stolen shortly after the station opened; however, East Finchley was not served by the Underground until 1939 and the statue was not erected until 1940.
Layout
Unlike other stations on the southern branch of the Northern Line, Morden station is not in a tunnelTunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
, but is in a wide cutting with the tunnel portals a short distance to the north. Three tracks run through the station to the depot, and the station has three platforms, two of which are island platforms with tracks on each side. The platforms are accessed by steps down from the ticket hall and are numbered 1 to 5 from east to west; the island platforms have different numbers for each face (2/3 and 4/5). To indicate departures, the platforms are usually referred to as 2, 4 and 5. The tunnel portals north of Morden station have the distinction of being one end of one of the longest tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s in the world (17.25 miles - about 28 km) running via the Bank branch between Morden and East Finchley.
Transport connections
London Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
routes 80, 93
London Buses route 93
London Buses route 93 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
, 118
London Buses route 118
London Buses route 118 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
, 154, 157
London Buses route 157
London Buses route 157 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Abellio London.-History:...
, 163, 164, 201, 293
London Buses route 293
London Buses route 293 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metrobus.-History:Route 293 was begun in April 1970, replacing route 93 between North Cheam and Epsom...
, 413, 470 and K5 and Night bus route N155 serve the station.
External links
- Morden Station at CharlesHolden.com Early photograph of the station.
- London Transport Museum Photographic Archive
} The first roads have been laid out but the area is still mostly fields.
}
} showing stations at North Morden and South Morden (now Morden and Morden South)
- http://www.britishpathe.com/product_display.php?canisternumber=G+1329&sortnumber=&filmid=634.16&szin=&group=&decade=&date1=&date2=&date3=&datefrom=&dateto=&choice=all&description=Enter+search+word%28s%29+here&searchword=&choice1=all&title=Enter+a+film+title+here&choice2=all&keywords=Enter+key+words+here&choice3=all&summary=Enter+a+summary+search+here&advanced.x=23&advanced.y=23British Pathe News Archive] - 1926 silent newsreelNewsreelA newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
footage of Lt-Col. John Moore-Brabazon junior Transport MinisterSecretary of State for TransportThe Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
opening the Morden extension (download - select low resolution free preview) - Alternative views of the station building