Visting the former Aldwych tube station


I had read a lot about the secret side of ‘underground London’ for a while without tasting too much of the real thing: the odd surface remnant of a disused tube station being the height of it. So I was delighted then to stumble across news that London Transport Museum were again hosting visits inside the disused Aldwych station, which had closed to passengers in September 1994. The tours sold out sharpish but I managed to get a couple of tickets in time! There is definitely a sense of excitement about getting a glimpse of something that has been ‘hidden’, even in relatively recent history.

Even when in use, Aldwych (which opened as the Strand station in November 1907 on the site of a demolished theatre) had an aura of sadness about it, and not just because the ghost of a theatre actress allegedly haunts one of the platforms!. Despite bigger plans on several occasions, it only ever existed as a small branch line from Holborn and was under-used by passengers throughout its history. Only two platforms were ever used for trains, and one of these closed as far back as 1917. The recent tours included this platform on the itinerary, apparently not always the case on these official tours.

The decision was finally taken to close the station because the multi-million pound cost of refurbishing the lifts was deemed too expensive for the paltry number of passengers. This elaborate grille sits above one of the massive lifts:



Having descended the spiral staircase, we assembled in the corridor by the lift shafts. Here some signs of neglect and shabbiness were beginning to show:


 before we headed to platform 1:



This platform was used until 1994. In fact trains can still run from here to Holborn. Sitting in the photo is a 1970s Northern Line train used for training purposes.  


This platform was used as an air raid shelter during the Second World War. However period posters on the wall are recent additions for when the platform is used for filming, although they do add to the sense of nostalgia!



After an informative chat from one of the volunteers helping London Transport Museum with the tours, we head to the little-seen platform 2.



This platform closed in 1917 but has since been used for many purposes including museum storage (such as housing the Elgin marbles for a time!), and displaying experimental tile designs for other Tube stations. During our visit, someone used it to stage a planking photo!



In the photo above the original Strand name can be glimpsed behind the period posters. Below, the original rails are still in place:





As well as hosting tours for curiousity seekers, nowadays the station is used for training purposes, but also as a filming location (I think it might have doubled as Balham in Atonement).  I assume the restored Edwardian style ticket office is a result of a movie or TV production:


After about 45 minutes in total, including several talks from volunteers, it was time to make our way back out into daylight through the Surrey Street exit.


The ox-blood coloured tiles of the Leslie Green designed station are still of course visible on the surface of this and a few other closed stations (like Brompton Road and Down Street), a little reminder of their former life underground.


From here, it was off for an enjoyable visit to London Transport Museum in Covent Garden, all covered in the price of the Aldwych tour ticket. 

 Aldwych may not be a true relic like some of the long-buried ghost stations such as British Museum. It closed quite recently and has been maintained in some state of repair due to the activity that still goes on there. However, the visit was definitely a very interesting experience, one which only makes me want to learn more about the history and secrets of underground London!

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