h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hey, this is interesting! What interests me most though is the interest human beings take in the various abandoned rail- and tube-stations, just like you mention in your opening paragraph.
Which people do take an interest in what station for what reason?
Are they to be visited, are they used for house parties, or for playing squash by sportsmen, or are they squatted, beautified by graffiti-artists? Can you see them through the windows when passing by crossing the city by tube or train?

Your link http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/dna/h2g2/classic/A6028067/ext/_auto/-/http://www.starfury.demon.co.uk/uground/index.html is now out of date, Alex. Ironic somehow that your link has been abandoned too

The page you're linking to is now at http://underground-history.co.uk/

Must be a recent change

Krabatt - I'll see if I can add some more facts on whether you can see the stations from the trains etc, but I've never heard of Underground squash courts...

You mean to say people don't use the abandoned Londen Underground Stations or you don't want to write about it?

I mean I can't find any sources about it

(Squash courts that is - I've added bits about films and rifle ranges)

You don't visit them yourself? Can they be visited?

King William Street - "However, the tunnels can be seen dircetly above the Northern line platforms at Bank" Typo in that line...

Apparently there was a Tower of London station that was open between 1882 and 1884. I've got a book that lists a lot more stations that no longer exist, or have been been replaced by a newer version with the same name. Do you want the names to list for completeness?

I was hoping to find out some more info for you, but I've got to nip out to the library now. I'll have another look at the entry when I get home if I can. I keep scrolling up and down reading different station sections, but haven't been able to get through it all in one go yet!

that would be very useful - I'm sure there's still some missing...

Sorry to spoil the fun but I've already got "Tower of London station opened in 1882 on the Metropolitan line, but was replaced two years later by Mark Lane station" under Mark Lane - do you think I should put a seperate header "Tower of London - see Mark Lane"?

Alex

By the way, I have no idea how to arrange a visit to a station - it would seem that those who get to visit them know a lot of people etc

I had hopes there is a lot of 'underground' activity going on in the abandoned stations and I wanted to hear more about it. It must be great if these buildings can be accessed by people and used for various reasons. I understand now that your interest and Mina's is purely academic.
Yeah, would be great to visit them. Perhaps if you phoned the public transport department of the city of London. You can say you're writing an article about Abandoned London Underground Stations and you would like to speak to an expert, he or she might take you for a tour. Or ... I'm sure that for safety measures there are maintenance people who quite reguarly visit them. Perhaps if you could get in contact with one of them ...

I'll drop a list in when I get some time later. I'd missed that mention - I did say I hadn't read the whole entry! I personally think it could do with it's own heading, as we have some info on it, but let me read the whole thing first, I might change my mind!

I think London Transport arrange visits, but there's nothing on the museum page. Perhaps all the bombs have put people off. Here's a site that's got some good pictures. http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk/

'Lords Rendezvous and Peking Cuisine'. Wow. These photographs are wonderful. Mina, you're a peach.

A visit would be a good idea, if hard to arrange - the people who make these sites never mention how they arrange them (except for the Kingsway Underpass [tram, not tube] on the http://underground-history.co.uk/ website, where thanks are given to the council and to Subterranea Britannica.


Sorry Mina - it *is* a bit much to read in one go, and it's getting bigger all the time - I've added Euston and Heathrow T5 to the list...

That website is useful though
*adds many more details...*

And I still haven't been able to find time to read it properly.

Don't worry - it's not going anywhere in a huge hurry.

"Holloway Road

Although an open station, Holloway Road does in fact have a rather strange history involving a now abandoned part of the station. Behind the lift shafts currently in use lies a disused shaft which originally housed the world's first spiral escalator, which was removed in the 1950s due to the fact that it was a complete failure. The shaft may reopen soon to provide a second staircase to improve the station's capacity for the Arsenal stadium at Ashburton Grove."

The spiral esalator is now in the Acton Depot - in pieces. They'd dearly love someone which the now-how to come along and stick it back together again.

Hounslow Town
I've got 1883 as the date this opened, and that it was on the District Line.


"Wood Lane and White City
There are actually two separate abandoned Wood Lane stations, one on the Hammersmith & City line and one on the Central line. Both of these were opened to serve the Franco-British Exhibition of 1908, but stayed open afterwards until they closed."

That sounds a bit weird, because everything that's open with stay that way until it's closed - perhaps this would be better - "These stations were intended to serve the Franco-British Exhibition of 1908 and then close, but instead stayed open for many years."

"For more information about disused tube stations, visit this website. "
It would be better to phrase this: "For more information about disused tube stations, visit the Underground History website."

Chancery Lane was also apparently closed down and reopened nearby, but this might be some confusion as the name was changed, and an exit moved. It's mentioned in a list of stations that were closed then reopened nearby, but I can't find anything else about that in my books.

I've added all of those bits except Chancery Lane - I'll do some research into it though