London Underground's Ghost Stations

Aldwych (AKA Strand) 1907-1940, 1946-1994

Perhaps the most famous abandoned station on this list, Aldwych has been used as a shooting location for such recent horrors as CREEP and 28 WEEKS LATER, as well as Hammer's own WOMAN IN BLACK: ANGEL OF DEATH!

It is also notable for being host to London’s only shuttle train, which ran directly between Aldwych station and Holborn.

Opening in 1907 under the name Strand (after the road on which it was located) the station operated as a peak hours-only service until 1994, when renovation costs outweighed potential profits and the station was closed.

British Museum 1900-1933

Located just a stones’ throw from Holborn, with hindsight it’s easy to see that the British Museum station was ill-fated from the moment it opened in 1900.

Closed just 33 years later, the station was subsequently used until the 60s as a military administrative office and emergency command post.

According to reports in the 1920s, after the disappearance of two women in Holborn station strange, indecipherable marks were found on the tiled walls of the then-open British Museum station. A possible connection? Nothing was ever proved, and the women were never seen again...

Brompton Road 1906-1934

Situated nearby South Kensington tube, to the layman there would seem little need for Brompton Road station. Tube-travellers of the time agreed, with so few people using the station that trains eventually ceased to stop there. So, with their tail somewhat between their legs, London Transport shut the station down in 1934.

In 2013, after decades of dereliction, the Ministry of Defence announced that Brompton road was up for sale, with an anonymous Ukrainian buyer forking out £53million for the ownership. But what the buyer plans to do with the creeping subterranean passageways, nobody knows… Probably something nice.

Down Street 1907-1932

Thanks in part to being located just between Green Park and Hyde Park Corner, Down Street was opened in 1907 (by Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway) to little interest and low footfall. 27 years later and with no visible change, the station was closed indefinitely.

Down Street’s moment of glory was still to come, however, when in 1939 it was selected as a bunker for government operations during WWII.

Mark Lane 1884-1967

After the closure of the short-lived Tower of London Station, Mark Lane was opened in 1884 as a larger replacement to its predecessor.

But, with an ever-increasing number of passengers and little room for expansion, Mark Lane was in turn forced to shut its doors in 1967, to be relocated back to the original site under the new 'Tower Hill station' banner. And that succession of events is what's known in many circles as a 'flip flop'.

Today only one platform remains from what was once Mark Lane, with the rest of the station having been subject to redevelopment.

South Kentish Town 1907-1924

A familiar story for the South Kentish Town station, which was only open for 17 years before low passenger usage forced its doors closed in 1924.

Though plans have been made to reopen the station, to this day it remains abandoned... and creepy.

St Mary's (Whitechapel Road) 1884-1938

Opened in 1884 in the centre of a Whitechapel which would 4 years later be terrorised by the enigmatic Ripper murders, St Mary’s lasted 44 years before being closed due to the re-siting of the more popular Aldgate East.

Apparently the bricked up platforms are still accessible to TFL staff through an anonymous door on Whitechapel road. So keep your eyes peeled, urban adventurers…

York Road 1906-1932

Another misguided decision by our friends Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway, York Road station’s life lasted just 26 years before it was closed in September 1932 due to- would you believe it?- low passenger usage.

The maroon, Leslie Green-designed surface building is still visible today, with the original lettering adorning its façade.

King William Street 1890-1900

The first deep-level underground station in London, King William St station enjoyed ten years of life between 1890 and 1900 before poor station layout- which was ill-equipped to deal with growing footfall- forced the station to close its doors.

Today one can gain access to the station via a manhole in the basement of Regis House, which allows the traveller to descend the original cast iron staircase to platform level. Not that we're advising breaking into Regis House of course, heavens no.

North End (AKA Bull & Bush) [never opened]

Located between Hampstead and Golders Green, this station was planned to be the deepest ever during its planning in 1893. However, planning permission problems and low surface population conspired to prevent North End from ever opening.

The ever-resourceful London Transport managed to make use of the abandoned station, with its 221ft-deep platform rumoured to have been the company's emergency HQ in the event of a nuclear detonation in the 1950s. Thankfully, this has not yet been put to use.