Originally opened as Strand station in 1907, and renamed Aldwych in 1915, this station served as a terminus for a short branch of the Piccadilly line. The station had two platforms but low passenger numbers led to the closure of one of these back in 1914 and that platform was subsequently used to store 300 paintings from the National Gallery during the First World War.
In 1940, the station was completely closed and used as an air-raid shelter during the Blitz, with the tunnels up to Holborn also used as storage for artefacts from the British Museum. The station reopened in 1946 but continuing low usage led to the service being curtailed in 1958, with trains only running during peak hours and on Saturdays (although the latter was discontinued four years later).
Plans to extend the Piccadilly line from Aldwych down to Waterloo were considered several times, most recently in the 1960s, alongside plans for the as-yet unbuilt Jubilee line (known as the Fleet line at that time) to extend from Charing Cross to Aldwych, and then in to the City. Altough tunnels were constructed almost all the way from Charing Cross to Aldwych in the 1970s, the Jubilee line was eventually extended in a different direction, as we can see on today’s Underground map.
With all of the potential extensions now off the table, and the lifts having reached the end of their service lives (with a £3m price tag on their replacements), Aldwych station closed on 30 September 1994.
Entering the station
I am visiting the station today as part of an open weekend organised by the London Transport Museum. They are enforcing a strict ban on DSLRs, so I’m shooting with my compact camera instead.
The tour starts in the booking hall, which has been elegantly restored for filming purposes. In fact, ticket counters have not been used here since 1922, when lift operators were charged with selling tickets during the descent to platform level.
The historic lifts
The two original lifts date from 1907 and were in use for 87 years. They are each approximately semi-circular and share one of three shafts that were built with the intention of accommodating six lifts in total (the two adjacent shafts have never been used).
Down to platform level
With the lifts now decommissioned (which, as mentioned above, led to the closure of the station), we’ve taken the emergency staircase down to platform level. The corridor is in very good condition and leads to another short staircase to the two platforms. Let’s take a look at the platform which closed in 1914 first.
The tunnel is sealed at both ends of this platform and the track, which lacks the anti-suicide pit found at most other deep-level stations, dates back to the station’s opening in 1907. Having been out of use for 97 years, the tunnel structure is exposed along most of this platform, while prototype designs have been trialled in some areas.
The track on the other platform, which was in use up until the station’s closure, is still connected to the Piccadilly line at Holborn, and trains can therefore be brought in to Aldwych on this platform for training or filming purposes (a 1972 Northern line train is stabled here today).
This platform, and the station as a whole, have featured in dozens of films (e.g. 28 Weeks Later), television shows (Sherlock) and music videos (Firestarter by The Prodigy), often masquerading as other stations.
Due to the peak-only service pattern since 1962, the station had already become a common filming location even prior to its closure (Superman stops the “Metro City” train here in 1987’s The Quest for Peace).
Vintage posters
Vintage posters and notices are displayed along both of the platforms, although most of these are replica prints that have been installed for filming. Nonetheless, they offer a nostalgic look back through bygone decades.
Video tour
I captured a little footage from my visit as well, which you can watch in this short video.