Barbican station

Barbican is a London Underground and mainline rail station serving the Barbican Centre in the City of London, England. It is on the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines between Farringdon and Moorgate, in Travelcard Zone 1. First Capital Connect trains on their way into Moorgate also stop there, but not when outbound from Moorgate (the platform which was used for this purpose is closed).

History

The station was first called "Aldersgate Street", this being the name of the street on which it stands. This changed to "Aldersgate" then "Aldersgate and Barbican" before settling on the present name.

The station replaced an earlier building at 134 Aldersgate Street which for many years had a sign claiming "This was Shakespeare's House" [cite book
last =Winter
first =William
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Seeing Europe with Famous Authors: Literary Shrines of London
publisher =Moffat, Yard & Co
date =1910
location =London
pages =
url =http://www.publishingcentral.com/library/europe-with-authors-1_16.html
doi =
id = ] . Although the building was very close to the nearby Fortune Playhouse, there is no documentary evidence to indicate that Shakespeare resided here; a subsidy roll from 1598 shows a "William Shakespeare" as owner of the property, but there is nothing to indicate that it is the playwright.

On the 14th of April 1914 the body of seven year old Margaret Nally was found in the ladies cloakroom at what was then Aldersgate Street Station, she had been sexually assaulted and suffocated with a cloth pushed down her throat. [ cite web |url= http://www.btp.police.uk/History%20Society/Publications/History%20Society/The%20history/A%20Time%20Line%20for%20Policing%20the%20Railways%201900%20-%201949.htm
accessdate= 2007-10-20 |title= A Time Line for Policing the Railways ]

A display on the history of the station, including text and photographs, is just inside the barriers, on the southern side of the main entrance corridor.

Layout

The station lies in an east-west aligned trench with cut-and-cover tunnels at either end. The modern entrance gives access from Aldersgate Street, through a 1990s building, to a much older footbridge that leads to the eastern end of the platforms. To the north are backs of buildings that face onto Charterhouse Street and Charterhouse Square. To the south are the backs of buildings that face onto Long Lane. To the west is Hayne Street.

The station is mostly open to the elements, though there are some short canopies. The remains of the supporting structure for a glass canopy over all four platforms (removed in the 1950s) may still clearly be seen.

At the western end of the central island there is a disused signal box. Also from this end of the platforms may be seen the beginnings of the complex of tunnels leading under Smithfield meat market. Livestock for the market was at one time delivered by rail and there was a substantial goods yard under the market.

Platform 1 is the most northerly, serving Eastbound LUL services, platforms 2 and 3 form an island platform and are on the westbound LUL line and the eastbound Network Rail line respectively. Platform 4 on the westbound NR line is out of use.

Future

As part of the Thameslink Programme, services on the First Capital Connect Line between Farringdon and Moorgate will cease operations in March 2009 to allow the platforms at Farringdon to be extended.

When Crossrail is built, the Farringdon Eastern Ticket Hall will be just to the west of Barbican station, and there will be an interchange built here. [ [http://www.crossrail.co.uk/80256B090053AF4C/Files/stationinformation-central/$FILE/5393_c20.r3.1_farringdon.pdf Crossrail: Farringdon] ] (which would probably involve removal of the signal box at the western end of the station).

External links

Gallery

References

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