LONDON UNDERGROUND HISTORY

Camden Town station history
Find out more at www.ltmuseum.co.uk

The Charing Cross, Euston, and Hampstead Railway - a forerunner of today’s Northern line - opened Camden Town station in 1907.

It was designed as an interchange from the start, serving as the point where customers going north could transfer between services. One branch went to Highgate (the current Archway station) and one branch went to Hampstead.

The station was designed by architect Leslie Green, and features the oxblood terracotta faience tile exterior and half-moon windows that are a trademark of his station designs.

In the early 1920s, services from the City and South London Railway began calling at the station, creating the shape of today’s Northern line. Customers heading south could change here for services on either the Charing Cross or Bank branches.

In October 1940, the station was damaged during the Blitz. While the station entrance was unscathed, one side of the station was destroyed.

There are some hidden gems in the station. At the Kentish Town Road entrance, you can see a triangular-shaped frame which is an original Edwardian advertising board, and above each entrance is a metal roundel silhouette. Original ’To Highgate’ tiling can be found on the way to the platforms.

In a typical year, more than 20 million journeys start or end at Camden Town station.

[Images]
c.1915: The Leslie Green-designed station was topped by a privately owned billiard club
1924: A signaller operates the levers controlling the complex Camden junction
1936: London Transport staff relax in the canteen above the station. Note the half-moon windows to the left
1940: This image shows the damage to the station following an air raid

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© TFL courtesy of the London Transport Museum

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A venture of the City of London, Transport For London, and the London’s Transport Museum. In this project, which is usually located in the subway stations, a sign is displayed on each platform with the history of the current train station, or a page in the history of the London Underground. The signs are next to the other signs with train line maps or advertisements.

The current sign is at Camden Town Station with a historical description of the station.

The number that appears on the sign frame is probably the serial number of the sign.