LONDON UNDERGROUND HISTORY

Baker Street station history
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Baker Street station opened in 1863, one of the original stations on the world’s first metro line. It was designed by Sir John Fowler, engineer for the Metropolitan Railway.

The station was built using a ’cut-and-cover’ system. Workers dug a trench, laid down the track and platforms, and then covered over the station. Because the trains were powered by steam, there were frequent open-air sections along the track. Platforms 5 and 6, now used for the Circle and Hammersmith & City Lines, were renovated in the 1980s to reflect the appearance of the station when it originally opened.

In 1868, a single-track branch line station opened next to the existing station. Constructed by the Midland and Southwest Junction Railway, here trains ran between Moorgate and Swiss Cottage. The station, known as ’Baker Street East’, was situated next to Madame Tussauds.

In 1906, the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway opened a deep tube line - now known as the Bakerloo line - that ran from Baker Street to Lambeth North. A footbridge was built to facilitate transfers between the Bakerloo, Metropolitan and Circle lines.

In the 1930s, part of the Metropolitan Railway was transferred to the Bakerloo line. This meant that the Bakerloo line now ran north from Baker Street in two directions: one branch heading to Harrow & Wealdstone, and the other to Stanmore.

[Images]
1860: Image showing a cross-section of the proposed station c.
1863: Once the station had opened, this illustration was used to demonstrate its workings. Note the shallowness of the tracks
1974: This image shows the condition of the platforms before they were restored in the 1980s to their original appearance
1993: A memorial to Metropolitan Railway staff killed in the First World War is adjacent to the Hammersmith & City line platforms. An ’MR’ monogram can be seen top right
2015: This image shows the extent of the work done in the 1980s to restore Baker Street to its original appearance

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© TFL courtesy of the London Transport Museum

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 located at Baker Street Station with a historical description of the station.

The station where the sign was located was photographed that day Click for a larger image

The station docks are decorated with illustrations from the Sherlock Holmes books or other motifs of the detective whose imaginary address was Baker Street as can be seen in the following pages Click for sign's details, Click for sign's details, Click for sign's details, Click for sign's details, Click for sign's details

Another sign with another description of the station is on another platform Click for sign's details