Gants Hill tube station

London stations| name = Gants Hill |

manager = London Underground | zone = 4 | locale = Gants Hill | borough = Redbridge | start=1947 | platforms= 2 |tubeexits05 = 3.799 | tubeexits07=4.527

Gants Hill tube station is a London Underground station in Gants Hill, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It is served by the Central Line and is in Zone 4.

Construction originally began in the 1930s but was suspended during the Second World War. During the war the station was used as an air raid shelter and the tunnels as a munitions factory for Plessey electronics. The station was finally completed and opened on 14 December 1947. Originally, it was to have been named "North Ilford".

The station, like many others on the same branch, was designed by notable Tube architect Charles Holden; the lower portions of the station were modeled after the Moscow Underground. [cite news | last = Martin | first = Andrew | title = London Lives: Twopenny Tube | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20030330/ai_n12737206 | work = The Independent on Sunday | date = 2003-03-30 | accessdate = 2007-09-30] It is underneath Gants Hill roundabout, and accessed via the pedestrian subway under the roundabout. It is thus almost invisible from ground level; the only visible traces are the London Transport signs at some of the entrances to the subway and (for the sharp-eyed) the ticket office windows on the roundabout.

There are three escalators from the ticket office to the platforms. The platform-level concourse, with its stone panelling and barrel vaulted ceiling, was inspired by similar station designs on the Moscow Metro.

Usage

Transport for London reports the station had 3.5 million entries and exits in 2004. The station is in a densely populated area and is served by several 'feeder' bus routes to the station, namely 66, 123, 128, 150, 167, 179, 296, 396 and 462.

Actual condition

One of the southeastern entrances (on the corner of the A12 Eastern Avenue and A123 Cranbrook Road) to the pedestrian subway is destroyed and therefore closed since a car crashed into this entrance on 23 March 2008. No repairs to allow a reopening of this entrance have been carried out so far.

In Summer 2007 the station was regularly closed because of flood. [http://barkingside21.blogspot.com/2007/07/gants-hill-tube-flood.html Gants Hill Tube Flood]

References

External links

* [http://www.charlesholden.com/html/charlesholden_gallery_pages/GantsHill.htm Gants Hill at CharlesHolden.com]
*ltmcollection|/4b/i0000d4b.jpg|London's Transport Museum Photographic Archive - Entrance to station in 1953, with low roof of ticket hall visible in background
* [http://tubephotos.dannycox.me.uk/gantshill.html More photographs of Gants Hill]

Gallery

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