Stockwell tube station
Encyclopedia
Stockwell tube station is a London Underground
station in Stockwell
, in the London Borough of Lambeth
. It is located on the Northern Line
between Oval
and Clapham North
, and on the Victoria Line
between Brixton
and Vauxhall. It is the southernmost station on the London Undergound that serves more than one line. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2
.
(later King Edward VII
), as the most southerly station on the City & South London Railway
(C&SLR) - London's first deep level tube railway. Passenger services began just over one month later on 18 December 1890.
The station had a single island platform, with tracks on either side, an arrangement rarely used on the Underground network, and which still exists only at Clapham North
and Clapham Common
stations. Stockwell's original platform was slightly further north than the modern ones, and present day trains still pass through it. The other terminal of the C&SLR line was the King William Street tube station
, which was only open for 10 years (1890–1900) and is currently inaccessible following the rebuilding of Regis House above it and other alterations that were made during the extension of the Jubilee Line.
In 1900, Stockwell ceased to be a terminus, after the opening of an extension to Clapham Common. This involved the addition of a flight of stairs at the south end of the platform to take passengers to a subway that passed over the new northbound tunnel and joined the lift shaft at a higher level.
The original building at Stockwell was similar to – but larger than – the existing surface building at Kennington
with a domed roof to the original lift shaft. Between 1923 and 1924, the station was modernised in advance of the 1926 extension from Clapham Common
to Morden
(Morden Extension). A new surface building was constructed on the original site, but the platforms were rebuilt to a larger diameter – and with a single platform in each tunnel – south of the original station tunnel.
With the opening of the Victoria Line on 23 July 1971, parallel cross-platform interchange
s were provided between the two lines in both directions and the 1920s surface buildings were demolished and replaced by a rather nondescript structure dominated by a ventilation shaft. The surface buildings demolished in the 1920s were designed by T. P. Figgis
, and were topped by a large decorative dome inside which were a pair of small guide wheels for the wires which controlled the hydraulic lifts. The two lifts each carried 50 people to and from the platforms until their replacement by escalators in the mid-1920s.
Stockwell is one of eight London Underground stations with an adjacent deep-level air-raid shelter
, constructed during the Second World War
. The shelter is below the current station, and comprises two parallel tunnels, each approximately six times the length of the current platform. These tunnels are 16 feet 6 inches (5.3 m) in diameter (wider than the current platforms), split horizontally into upper and lower levels, with various connecting and branch tunnels used for medical posts, lavatories, and ventilation.
The total capacity of the shelter was around 1,600 people. Access was via the station as well as two further entrance shafts containing spiral staircases, one of which is located at the middle of the junction of South Lambeth Road and Clapham Road, and the other on Studley Road. The shelter was completed in September 1942, and was used by the Government until 1944 when it was opened to the public. It was used for one year as a shelter. After the war it was used for a period to billet military personnel. Like a number of other deep level shelters, it is presently being used for secure archiving.
During the 1920s, the line was closed for reconstruction and the depot was used as a working site for transporting spoil, equipment and works traffic in and out of the tunnels. The depot and lift were finally taken out of use at the end of 1924. The incline tunnel and the lift shaft were plugged on the surface and several blocks of flats were constructed on the old depot site by the LCC
. These flats still stand (as of 2011), as does one retaining wall of the old depot.
, a Brazilian electrician living in London, was shot dead by plainclothes police officers at Stockwell station. This incident came a day after the failed 21 July 2005 London bombings
occurred on Tube trains and a bus in London, however it later emerged that it was a case of mistaken identity on the part of the police and that Menezes had nothing to do with the attacks.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting a small shrine to Jean Charles de Menezes was created by mourners outside the station, this has since evolved into a permanent memorial mosaic.
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 Stockwell
Stockwell
Stockwell is a district in inner south west London, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth.It is situated south south-east of Charing Cross. Brixton, Clapham, Vauxhall and Kennington all border Stockwell...
, in the London Borough of Lambeth
London Borough of Lambeth
The London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in south London, England and forms part of Inner London. The local authority is Lambeth London Borough Council.-Origins:...
. It is located on 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...
between Oval
Oval tube station
Oval tube station in Kennington is a station on the Northern line of the London Underground between Stockwell and Kennington stations. It is the only station on the Morden branch of the Northern line whose name begins with a vowel and is one of only two stations on the London Underground with only...
and Clapham North
Clapham North tube station
Clapham North tube station is an Underground station in Clapham, London. It is on the Northern Line between Clapham Common and Stockwell. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2 and is close to Clapham High Street railway station, although there is no direct interchange link...
, and on the Victoria Line
Victoria Line
The Victoria line is a deep-level London Underground line running from the south to the north-east of London. It is coloured light blue on the Tube map...
between Brixton
Brixton tube station
Brixton tube station, a station on the London Underground opened on July 23, 1971, is the southern terminus of the Victoria line.It is located in Brixton Road, and is about 100m from Brixton railway station . From the ticket hall, three escalators take passengers to and from the platforms...
and Vauxhall. It is the southernmost station on the London Undergound that serves more than one line. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2
Travelcard Zone 2
Fare zone 2 is an inner 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.-Background:...
.
History
Stockwell station was ceremonially opened on 4 November 1890 by the Prince of WalesPrince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
(later King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
), as the most southerly station on the City & South London Railway
City & 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...
(C&SLR) - London's first deep level tube railway. Passenger services began just over one month later on 18 December 1890.
The station had a single island platform, with tracks on either side, an arrangement rarely used on the Underground network, and which still exists only at Clapham North
Clapham North tube station
Clapham North tube station is an Underground station in Clapham, London. It is on the Northern Line between Clapham Common and Stockwell. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2 and is close to Clapham High Street railway station, although there is no direct interchange link...
and Clapham Common
Clapham Common tube station
Clapham Common tube station is a station on London Underground's Northern Line. It lies between Clapham North and Clapham South stations and is in Travelcard Zone 2.-History:...
stations. Stockwell's original platform was slightly further north than the modern ones, and present day trains still pass through it. The other terminal of the C&SLR line was the King William Street tube station
King William Street tube station
King William Street was the original but short-lived northern terminus of the City & South London Railway , the first deep tube underground railway in London and one of the component parts of the London Underground's Northern Line. It was in the City of London, on King William Street, just south...
, which was only open for 10 years (1890–1900) and is currently inaccessible following the rebuilding of Regis House above it and other alterations that were made during the extension of the Jubilee Line.
In 1900, Stockwell ceased to be a terminus, after the opening of an extension to Clapham Common. This involved the addition of a flight of stairs at the south end of the platform to take passengers to a subway that passed over the new northbound tunnel and joined the lift shaft at a higher level.
The original building at Stockwell was similar to – but larger than – the existing surface building at Kennington
Kennington tube station
Kennington tube station is a London Underground station in Newington/ Walworth on Kennington Park Road, on both the Charing Cross and Bank branches of the Northern Line. Its neighbours to the north are Waterloo on the Charing Cross branch and Elephant & Castle on the Bank branch; the next station...
with a domed roof to the original lift shaft. Between 1923 and 1924, the station was modernised in advance of the 1926 extension from Clapham Common
Clapham Common tube station
Clapham Common tube station is a station on London Underground's Northern Line. It lies between Clapham North and Clapham South stations and is in Travelcard Zone 2.-History:...
to Morden
Morden tube station
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...
(Morden Extension). A new surface building was constructed on the original site, but the platforms were rebuilt to a larger diameter – and with a single platform in each tunnel – south of the original station tunnel.
With the opening of the Victoria Line on 23 July 1971, parallel cross-platform interchange
Cross-platform interchange
A cross-platform interchange is a type of interchange between different lines in a metro system. The term originates with the London Underground; such layouts exist in other networks but are not commonly so named...
s were provided between the two lines in both directions and the 1920s surface buildings were demolished and replaced by a rather nondescript structure dominated by a ventilation shaft. The surface buildings demolished in the 1920s were designed by T. P. Figgis
T. P. Figgis
T. P. Figgis was a British architect working in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work included private houses as well as public buildings.T...
, and were topped by a large decorative dome inside which were a pair of small guide wheels for the wires which controlled the hydraulic lifts. The two lifts each carried 50 people to and from the platforms until their replacement by escalators in the mid-1920s.
Air-raid shelter
London deep-level shelters
The London deep-level shelters are eight deep-level air-raid shelters that were built under London Underground stations during World War II.-Background:...
, constructed during the Second World War
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...
. The shelter is below the current station, and comprises two parallel tunnels, each approximately six times the length of the current platform. These tunnels are 16 feet 6 inches (5.3 m) in diameter (wider than the current platforms), split horizontally into upper and lower levels, with various connecting and branch tunnels used for medical posts, lavatories, and ventilation.
The total capacity of the shelter was around 1,600 people. Access was via the station as well as two further entrance shafts containing spiral staircases, one of which is located at the middle of the junction of South Lambeth Road and Clapham Road, and the other on Studley Road. The shelter was completed in September 1942, and was used by the Government until 1944 when it was opened to the public. It was used for one year as a shelter. After the war it was used for a period to billet military personnel. Like a number of other deep level shelters, it is presently being used for secure archiving.
Branch tunnel and depot
Just north of the station there is a branch tunnel which used to lead to a nearby generating station (closed 1915), depot and workshop located at the junction of Stockwell and Clapham Roads. The tunnel was very steep with an incline of 1:3.5, rolling stock was originally pulled up to the surface using a wire rope and a winch. This system was replaced in 1907 by a hydraulic lift, which could carry one locomotive or one carriage.During the 1920s, the line was closed for reconstruction and the depot was used as a working site for transporting spoil, equipment and works traffic in and out of the tunnels. The depot and lift were finally taken out of use at the end of 1924. The incline tunnel and the lift shaft were plugged on the surface and several blocks of flats were constructed on the old depot site by the LCC
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
. These flats still stand (as of 2011), as does one retaining wall of the old depot.
Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes
On 22 July 2005, Jean Charles de MenezesJean Charles de Menezes
Jean Charles de Menezes was a Brazilian man shot in the head seven times at Stockwell tube station on the London Underground by the London Metropolitan police, after he was misidentified as one of the fugitives involved in the previous day's failed bombing attempts...
, a Brazilian electrician living in London, was shot dead by plainclothes police officers at Stockwell station. This incident came a day after the failed 21 July 2005 London bombings
21 July 2005 London bombings
On 21 July 2005, four attempted bomb attacks disrupted part of London's public transport system two weeks after the 7 July 2005 London bombings. The explosions occurred around midday at Shepherd's Bush, Warren Street and Oval stations on London Underground, and on a bus in Shoreditch...
occurred on Tube trains and a bus in London, however it later emerged that it was a case of mistaken identity on the part of the police and that Menezes had nothing to do with the attacks.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting a small shrine to Jean Charles de Menezes was created by mourners outside the station, this has since evolved into a permanent memorial mosaic.