Edgware tube station

Edgware tube station is a London Underground station in Edgware, in the London Borough of Barnet, in North London. The station is the terminus of the "Edgware branch" of the Northern Line and the next station towards central London is Burnt Oak. Edgware is in Travelcard Zone 5.

"(This station should not be confused with the two Edgware Road tube stations on the Bakerloo Line and the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City Lines.)"

Location

The station is in Station Road, Edgware (part of the A5100). This road runs north-east from the High Street (A5), and the station is about 500 metres from the A5 on the right (south-east) side. The building is set back from the road, and there is a circular service road between the building and the road to allow cars to pull in and pick up or set down.

Just to the right of the station, viewed from Station Road, is a road to the bus station and bus garage.

History

The station was opened on 18 August 1924 as the terminus of the second phase of the Underground Group's extension of the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway from Golders Green. It was designed by architect Stanley Heaps. There are three platforms, an island lying east of a single platform (platform 1). A trainshed (undergoing restoration as of summer 2008) covers the island platforms (2 and 3).

Despite having already had a railway station since 1867 (Edgware station on the London and North Eastern Railway), Edgware was, in 1924, still very much a village in character. The new Underground station was built on the north edge of the village in open fields and, as intended, the new line stimulated rapid suburban expansion along its length. By the end of the decade, what had formerly been fields was quickly being covered with new housing.

The site of the station is very close to the location intended for the unbuilt Watford and Edgware Railway's (W&ER's) station, which was intended to be built on a branch from the existing single-track LNER branch before the terminus and run through to Watford Junction via Bushey.

New Works Programme

In 1935 London Underground announced its New Works Programme. This had major implications for Edgware Underground station and the "Morden-Edgware Line" (as the Northern Line was then known):
* A group of LNER lines in north London (the "Northern Heights" lines) including the branch from Finchley to Edgware would be taken over by London Underground and amalgamated with the Morden-Edgware Line.
* The existing Underground line would be extended north-west from Edgware by 5 kilometres to a new terminus at Bushey Heath and a depot at Aldenham. The extension to Bushey Heath involved three new stations (from south-east to north-west):
** Brockley Hill
** Elstree South
** Bushey Heath

The powers to build a railway on this alignment had originally been obtained by the W&ER in the 19th century. The London Electric Railway had bought the W&ER in 1922 but had not previously used the right-of-way. The Underground's scheme modified the W&ER's plan to connect to the LNER branch by starting the extension from the Morden-Edgware Line station instead. The scheme involved the closure of the LNER station 200 metres south of the Underground station and retained the W&ER's connection to the LNER's single track line from where it passed over the Underground's tracks just to the east of the station and into new platforms to be built in the Underground station.

The new link at Edgware and others between LNER and Underground tracks near East Finchley station and at Finsbury Park station would have made it theoretically possible to travel south from Edgware to central London via three routes:
* the existing Underground line to Golders Green, Camden Town and beyond
* the former LNER line to Finchley Central and Highgate, then the other branch of the Morden-Edgware Line to Camden Town and beyond
* the former LNER line to Finchley Central, Highgate and Finsbury Park then the Northern City Line to Moorgate and beyond

Postponement and cancellation

Works to upgrade the existing LNER lines and construction on the new line to Bushey Heath began in the late 1930s but were halted by the outbreak of the Second World War. Additional platforms were started at Edgware and the LNER station and branch line was closed to passenger traffic in 1939 in preparation for the improvements. On the new extension, some earthworks and tunnelling had been undertaken and some structures had been constructed but no further work was done during the war.

After the war, Green Belt legislation was introduced to limit the outward expension of urban areas into the surrounding countryside. The area through which the new Bushey Heath extension was routed was designated as Green Belt meaning that the planned residential developments were prevented and the need for the stations serving them was removed.

Edgware LNER station was never reopened for passengers although freight traffic used the line until the 1960s. The improvements on the branch to Finchley were completed only between Mill Hill East and Finchley Central and only that short section was incorporated into the Northern Line (as it had been renamed in the late 1930s). The completion of the plans were formally cancelled in 1950.

ee also

* Edgware, Highgate and London Railway for a history of the Northern Heights lines.
* Mill Hill (The Hale) railway station the next station east on the closed LNER Edgware to Finchley branch line.

External links

* [http://photos.ltmcollection.org London Transport Museum Photographic Archive]
** ltmcollection|re/i0000ere.jpg|Site of Edgware station in 1922 before construction of station. Sign advertises the site of the future station.
** ltmcollection|20/9874620.jpg|Edgware station in September 1924, shortly after opening
** ltmcollection|2a/i0000e2a.jpg|Trackside view of Edgware station in 1925
** ltmcollection|27/i0000d27.jpg|Aerial view of Edgware station in 1926, looking south-east. Surrounded by fields. The single track line to Edgware LNER station is visible in the distance.
** ltmcollection|23/9861923.jpg|Edgware station ticket hall in 1927
* Images from FrancisFrith:
** [http://www.francisfrith.com/images/catalogue/c50/max/27/AF16515.jpgAerial view of Edgware station in 1926, looking north]
** [http://www.francisfrith.com/images/catalogue/c50/max/27/AF31554.jpgAerial view of Edgware station in 1930, looking south-east]
* [http://www.geocities.com/adzwoof/edgware.html Lost Lines] Images of plans for Edgware station

Gallery

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