Aldwych Station Information

[Hope27]

Hi everyone,
I am new to learning about the London Underground system so excuse any incorrect info. I am a masters student looking to base a project in the disused Aldwych Station, and wondering if anyone could help me clear up a few queries.
Information says there are two platforms; one was closed a long time ago and the other relatively more recently. These were both on the Picadilly line, seemingly both to and from Holborn?
However I have found a map that indicates an operational picadilly line running what i think is beneath the tunnels of Aldwych?
Is this correct? And if it is, why would they not have used the tunnels through Aldwych and simply bypassed the station, if it is on the Picadilly line.
I have attached some of the maps i have used to inform these questions.
Thank you to anyone kind enough to help!

 

[Chris Butler]

The Piccadilly line passed underneath the platforms that are on the Aldwych branch. That is correct. But those platforms are at Holborn, not at Aldwych.

 

[trebor79]

When the line was singled in 1917, do we know why they followed the crossover into the western platform instead of just running a "straight" track to the eastern platform> It looks like that could also have allowed a lot of passageways to be closed off that otherwise had to remain open.
Where was the access to the Aldwych branch at Holborn? Obviously all signage is now gone. There is a set of doors I pass which are permanently closed, and feel like they would "fit" as an approximate entry to that part of the station. They have temporary signage stating "You are now entering the Balfour Beatty briefing area" if anyone knows the doors I'm talking about.

 

[CyrusWuff]

When the line was singled in 1917, do we know why they followed the crossover into the western platform instead of just running a "straight" track to the eastern platform> It looks like that could also have allowed a lot of passageways to be closed off that otherwise had to remain open.
Where was the access to the Aldwych branch at Holborn?

Access was possible from all of the cross passages on Platform 4 (North/Eastbound Piccadilly Line), so anyone interchanging to/from the Central Line or South/Westbound Piccadilly Line had to use the under track subways to reach it.

 

[AlbertBeale]

Access was possible from all of the cross passages on Platform 4 (North/Eastbound Piccadilly Line), so anyone interchanging to/from the Central Line or South/Westbound Piccadilly Line had to use the under track subways to reach it.

Yes, a stairway up to the eastbound Picc platform [up because you'd just walked under the route of the branch line, which is on the same level as the eastbound Picc] led to a t-junction - turn right for Kings Cross etc, turn left for the Aldwych shuttle. The left turn is currently sealed off with heavy doors.

 

[edwin_m]

Talk of a tunnel beneath Aldwych may refer to the overrun tunnels of the original Jubilee Line terminus at Charing Cross, which were intended for an eastward extension and continue as far as the vicinity of Aldwych. In the end the Jubilee was extended from Green Park via Waterloo instead, but the tracks through Charing Cross remain useable.

It always surprises me that there are so many underground transport relics (the Holborn tram subway too) in such a small area.

 

[norbitonflyer]

When the line was singled in 1917, do we know why they followed the crossover into the western platform instead of just running a "straight" track to the eastern platform> It looks like that could also have allowed a lot of passageways to be closed off that otherwise had to remain open.
Where was the access to the Aldwych branch at Holborn? Obviously all signage is now gone. There is a set of doors I pass which are permanently closed, and feel like they would "fit" as an approximate entry to that part of the station. They have temporary signage stating "You are now entering the Balfour Beatty briefing area" if anyone knows the doors I'm talking about.

The platform that remained in use at Holborn was the one whose track connected to the main line, which had to remain open for the weekly stock transfer to and from Northfields depot (a regular Friday evening sight on the Piccadilly Line was the three car set going "home" after its week on the branch. As to why the western running tunnel, and platform at Aldwych, were used, I would surmise that it was because that platfrom was closer to the lifts.

 

[90sWereBetter]

I will never understand why the Aldwych branch was only accessible from the northbound/eastbound line. It limited whatever limited potential the line had from the get go.

Strictly into the realms of fantasy, but had the branch had a proper connection from the southbound/westbound line, it could have formed the basis of a new Piccadilly branch heading south towards Waterloo, Walworth and Camberwell had there been capital available in the interwar period. Of course, that would have a knock-on effect with the future west extensions to Uxbridge and Hounslow.

There were some excellent clandestine photos of the branch from some urban explorers back in the day, however they appear to have disappeared from the interwebs.

 

[ScottGallagher]

I will never understand why the Aldwych branch was only accessible from the northbound/eastbound line. It limited whatever limited potential the line had from the get go.

Strictly into the realms of fantasy, but had the branch had a proper connection from the southbound/westbound line, it could have formed the basis of a new Piccadilly branch heading south towards Waterloo, Walworth and Camberwell had there been capital available in the interwar period. Of course, that would have a knock-on effect with the future west extensions to Uxbridge and Hounslow.

There were some excellent clandestine photos of the branch from some urban explorers back in the day, however they appear to have disappeared from the interwebs.

From what I recall reading, and as the piccadilly was the amalgamation of 2 schemes one of which would have had Aldwych as the southern terminus, when this happened the Aldwych bit wasn't needed and UERL tried to wriggle out of it but the Parliamentary powers required it to be built hence its relegation to branch status which was probably the cheapest way to comply.

 

[astock5000]

I will never understand why the Aldwych branch was only accessible from the northbound/eastbound line. It limited whatever limited potential the line had from the get go.

Strictly into the realms of fantasy, but had the branch had a proper connection from the southbound/westbound line, it could have formed the basis of a new Piccadilly branch heading south towards Waterloo, Walworth and Camberwell had there been capital available in the interwar period. Of course, that would have a knock-on effect with the future west extensions to Uxbridge and Hounslow.

Earlier plans would have had a full connection at Holborn but, as you mention, the knock-on effect of running through trains to Aldwych would have been reducing capacity on the whole line to the west. This may not have been so much of an issue had other plans come to fruition too, however.

The Piccadilly as built was originally planned as three separate schemes, these being the Great Northern & Strand, the Brompton & Piccadilly Circus and the Deep Level District. The latter was to have been an express tube line continuing east under the District from South Kensington through to Mansion House, and later became unnecessary due to the Piccadilly relieving the District, which was also electrified at the same time. The Deep Level District accounts for the split level of the Piccadilly's platforms at South Kensington, and part of a third platform there was built but never completed.

There were also proposals for a branch from the Piccadilly Circus area, either connecting back to the Deep Level District near Embankment or continuing under Strand and Fleet Street into the City (the Wikipedia article on the GNP&BR has diagrams of these, along with several unbuilt western branches). This would have had interchange at Aldwych and, along with the proposed extension to Waterloo, is part of the reason why the station was built with three lift shafts - most stations on the UERL's main lines only had two.

So presumably as it became clearer that Holborn - Aldwych would most likely always be a branch service (whether or not a Waterloo extension was built), there was no need to build a link from the westbound line at Holborn. The platforms on the branch were also shorter (250ft instead of 350), which would also have needed major work to extend had it become a 'main' line, but had a need later developed neither should have been impossible to reconstruct.

 

[trebor79]

The Deep Level District accounts for the split level of the Piccadilly's platforms at South Kensington, and part of a third platform there was built but never completed.

This is interesting, where can I learn more?

 

[Busaholic]

Earlier plans would have had a full connection at Holborn but, as you mention, the knock-on effect of running through trains to Aldwych would have been reducing capacity on the whole line to the west. This may not have been so much of an issue had other plans come to fruition too, however.

The Piccadilly as built was originally planned as three separate schemes, these being the Great Northern & Strand, the Brompton & Piccadilly Circus and the Deep Level District. The latter was to have been an express tube line continuing east under the District from South Kensington through to Mansion House, and later became unnecessary due to the Piccadilly relieving the District, which was also electrified at the same time. The Deep Level District accounts for the split level of the Piccadilly's platforms at South Kensington, and part of a third platform there was built but never completed.

There were also proposals for a branch from the Piccadilly Circus area, either connecting back to the Deep Level District near Embankment or continuing under Strand and Fleet Street into the City (the Wikipedia article on the GNP&BR has diagrams of these, along with several unbuilt western branches). This would have had interchange at Aldwych and, along with the proposed extension to Waterloo, is part of the reason why the station was built with three lift shafts - most stations on the UERL's main lines only had two.

So presumably as it became clearer that Holborn - Aldwych would most likely always be a branch service (whether or not a Waterloo extension was built), there was no need to build a link from the westbound line at Holborn. The platforms on the branch were also shorter (250ft instead of 350), which would also have needed major work to extend had it become a 'main' line, but had a need later developed neither should have been impossible to reconstruct.

My grandfather worked for the Inland Revenue at Somerset House from before the First World War until the 1950s and told my father that his employers had successfully permanently thwarted any plans to tunnel beyond Aldwych. As he was a reticent and very discreet man I have no doubt it was true, because he was apparently required to co-ordinate all the arguments to be presented by the Revenue. I suspect this was in the 1930s.

 

[thomalex]

As others have said the Aldwych branch was always intended, by the time they got around to building the project at least, to operate as a separate shuttle from Holborn initially to Temple and later Waterloo.

The parliamentary powers for the extensions, along with various other branches of the Piccadilly that were planned, were ultimately never pursued again after the session to approve them in 1905 ran out of time. No doubt this was in part due to financial difficulties the company had after opening and so as a result it got left as it was.

It is a shame though. We could have had a Waterloo and Holborn line today if they had built it as intended.



Diagram by DavidCane from Wikipedia article on Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway

 

[3141]

As I recall it, there were three cross-passages from platform 4 at Holborn (eastbound Piccadilly Line) to Platform 5 (for Aldwych). Two of these are where the entry and exit stairs come up. The third is where the passageway which post #5 refers to came up. This passageway led from Platform 3 (Westbound) and, as the post says, you reached a point where it diverged, up to the right for platforms 4 and 5, and left (gated off by the time I became aware of it) to the the dead end platform at Holborn.

At the extreme west end of platform 4 there was another passageway, which also led to the dead end platform. I don't know what you can see of it now, since the platforms in use were refurbished several years ago, but when I used Holborn daily in the 1950s it was obvious that there had been another entrance/exit at that point, because it had the same shape as the first three cross-passages that I've described.

More than thirty years ago I went on a special visit to the Aldwych branch. We walked along the eastern tunnel to the site of the crossover just before Holborn. We also explored the dead end platform, which had been converted into two-storey accommodation.

Afterwards, we were able to travel in the 3-car train on its return to Northfields. After joining the main line it ran to Wood Green siding on a "rusty rail" trip. It then returned westwards and was supposed to do another "rusty rail" move into Down Street siding. But there was a fault with the points and they couldn't be set for the siding. After a delay of at least ten minutes the train continued to Hyde Park Corner where it used the crossover to get back on the eastbound line. It wouldn't surprise me if the crew on this turn regularly missed out one or more of the rusty rail moves in order to get back to Northfields and finish early. On this occasion we returned to Wood Green and did the siding a second time. I stayed on board as far as Acton Town but got off there as I was living in East London at the time and wanted to get home.