Northern line history
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The Northern line is a vital north-south artery that carries more customers than any other Underground line.

The first section of the line opened in 1890. when the City & South London Railway began running services between King William Street (near Bank) and Stockwell. It was the first deep tube line, as well as the first to be powered by electricity.

In 1907, the competing Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway, known colloquially as the Hampstead Tube, opened its own deep tube service from Charing Cross through Camden to Golders Green and Archway.

In the 1920s, following the merger of these companies, the separate Bank and Charing Cross branches were joined at Camden. The line was extended in the north to Edgware and in the south to Morden. Further expansion was planned in the 1930s. with a proposed extension to East Finchley, Bushey Heath and Alexandra Palace. This project was interrupted by the Second World War. In the post-war period, services to High Barnet were taken over by the line, but other services were not extended beyond Mill Hill East.

The new extension of the Northern line, running to Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station, will bring the Underground to another area of south London.

[Images]
1907: Tufnell Park was one of the original stations on the Hampstead Tube. It still features the oxblood faience tile exterior associated with its architect, Leslie Green
1926: This poster was used to publicise the extension to Morden, featuring clippings of newspaper articles about the extension
2013: Eric Aumonier’s artwork The Archer, at East Finchley station. is an unofficial symbol of the Northern line
2020: A worker installs a roundel at the new Battersea Power Station Underground station

© TFL courtesy of the London Transport Museum

MAYOR OF LONDON
Logo of the Underground
TRANSPORT FOR LONDON - EVERY JOURNEY MATTERS

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 Goodge station with a historical description of the Northern line passing through the station.

The platform was photographed on the same day Click for a larger image

The photographs appearing on the sign are shown here at magnification Click for a larger image