Aldwych Station London 1907 - 1994 RIP
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- Опубликовано: 30 мар 2007
- Aldwych station as seen shortly before closure.
This video includes internal and external views of the station. Internal views include trains, platforms, ticket hall / booking office, some passageways, a lift (plus ride inside).
Also seen is one of the dedicated Aldwych branch platforms at Holborn station.
More information about Aldwych station and its history can be found on this website.
underground-history.co.uk/aldw...
The bit at the start where you're alone on the station is amazing, how eerie. Crazy to think it's been like that now for 27 years, just silence.
Yes it was eerily quiet, but I was probably not alone - isn't this station haunted?? !!
btw, Essex Road station on the Great Northern Moorgate - Drayton Park section is often also very quiet like Aldwych was.
Fascinating video. I was only 4 when Aldwych closed so I never got to see it as a working station. It looked like a disused station even when it was open. I guess they didn't want to invest in it as there was no demand for it. If the line had been extended down to Waterloo it would probably still be open.
Indeed, had it not been for the high cost of replacing those lifts, or had they built the Waterloo extension or the jubilee line extension (the one planned in the 1970s, not the one built in the 1990s), it probably would still be open. It really was it's awkward service that was within easy walking distance
Finally got to see this station in 2019, after years of waiting and now finally of many years of waiting I am going to see the Aldwych platforms at Holborn! I was only 4 when it shut, but I do remember when I was younger, being able to see the Holborn Aldwych platform through a grill gate, long since gone.
It's a pity that Aldwych was closed. I think that, if it is ever re-opened, instead of completely gutting the shafts and starting again, they could keep the cars the same (i.e. same look and feel, mabey new fully electronic cars though, depending on health and safety) but add new lift gear. To be honest, the lifts were probably one of Aldwych's most historic features, being 101 years old!
Great Video! Thanks so much!
Superb video of a once glamorous station. Glad someone at the time was there to film Aldwych before she finally closed her doors. Nice to see her when open instead as a museum. Thank you for taking your time for posting this to RUclips
I recall knowing in advance that the station was going to close and feeling that this was a shame* ... so I went to 'get some memories'. In those days the Internet barely existed and RUclips would have been seen as futuristic science fiction! I was (still am) especially pleased to film that lift in action, this footage in itself acts as fantastic historic resource.
*I still feel that way, and would wish to see it reopened, complete with the planned Piccadilly line extension to Waterloo and DLR extension to the now disused platforms at Charing Cross via this station built.
My god, this is amazing footage. I love those old lifts now, although thinking back as a little boy I found the experience pantwettingly frightening. Looking at the eery cast-iron casing and the rattling and wobbling of those lifts was awful. They felt like the most insecure lifts in the world, hanging by a cotton thread. This was at the deep shaft Russel Square, an even longer ride!
But that's what made LU. Awesome. Brilliant posting.
Wonderful record of the past. Thank God this film was taken and posted. The Aldwych/Strand spur was really the terminus of The Great Northern and Strand railway, Joing this railway onto the Piccadilly around 1901 side lined the section,
Normally only to railway staff - but it is also used for filming, and special events where the public may be able to access it.
Simon
This film was made a few weeks before the station closed.
I love how the station is still used occasionally for filming purposes. As well as the Tomb Raider level the 2 most well known other filming s to be done at this station is the video of the group The Prodigy and there hit Firestarter (filmed in one of the tunnels) and also the movie The Da Vinci Code (scenes were filmed here too)
The seemingly pointless Aldwych branch of the Picadilly line finally closed in 1994. But maybe Aldwych will reopen in the next decade, not as a tube station but as a DLR one. The London Underground is by far the oldest subway system (1863) in the world and the most charming and soulful too. Mind the gap!!!
kzbxvz if you add, “mind the gap” at the end, you are American
Thanks for a lenghty and detailed video Simon! I have always had an interest in railways, especially for the history of them. And I like my video games, Tomb Raider 3 just happens to have a level in the abandoned Aldwych station. To see what it is really like is great :)
Cheers.
the thing outside the lift (which goes up and down at the same time as the lift) does indeed show where it is - and which way its moving.
The previous comments were about the cubicle inside the lift.
Thanks for that!
I think went to this station in 1992, its been a while and I didnt know that they closed it until a few years after, I was also lucky to ride the Waterloo and City line as British Rail before it got transfered to London Underground, if I recall it wasn't heavily used when it was Briitish rail, after the transfer it got really busy.
Actually it was very heavily used in BR days, but primarily in the rush hours.
@@CitytransportInfoplus Ah ok I was young at that time, as a tourist I don't usually take part in rush hours.
I went last year to Waterloo and City line for nostalgic reasons, I found it to be busy all the time regardless of rush hour or not.
London has changed a lot in character since I last went, English is heard less and foriegn language is spoken more.
London of 1990 is a different place from London in 2017.
Just come back from London last week and took the opportunity to visit the station as part of a tour, its pretty much as I remembered it, I'm amazed at how little it has changed, from other RUclips vdeos Holborn platform 5 has changed a lot and some of the iconic tiles is covered over with breeze block buildings.
Cheers!
Simon
Alas no. I was only able to visit areas which were open to the public as part of the (then) normal operation of the station.
Simon
fantastic video of days gone by. I just want to go down there now and take a look around..infact any of the abandoned stations would be a real treat to gain access to.
The day this comment was posted marks 25 years since this station closed.
Thanks. I am pleased you found this video to be of interest.
If you follow the 'underground history' link in the main text for this video you will find more information about Tomb Raider and this station.
sorry cant post link here as youtube do not allow links in their comments.
Simon
Wow truly incredible
my film is like a window on the past - a form of time travel. The station still exists and sometimes can even be visited, but the lifts no longer work, which is a shame as they really are something special.
The station is still there - its used for filming and special events.
simon
this station's been used alot in tv and film...i know london's burning used it about many years ago when they did the man with his leg crushed underneath the train while picking up his paperwork he'd knocked onto the tracks...great station!!!
I Was 1 Year Old When Aldwych Closed Permanently
you are welcome.
Simon
@LordHeath1972 Thanks.
The station is open between now and 9th July 2010 in connection with an exhibition about the future of the Underground and its stations. Included is a mock-up of how some station platforms will look after refurbishment.
I've only heard of it and plan to go during the coming week.
Simon
thank you.
@citytransportinfo Hi Simon, I have heard that there is about as much chance of being let down to the platform area at Aldwych as finding a kangeroo in your garden. No chance. I was fortunate enough to be passing by last year and saw the entrance slightly open and after a bit of begging a supervisor showed me around downstairs but under strict condition that I left my camera upstairs. Your video brings it all back and thanks to you I can sort of re-live that unique experience.
@PostTower sorry no.
Otis built some of the lifts on what is now the Northern Line, but I do not have any information about this station.
Simon
@kzbxvz yes I've heard this too, with the DLR also using the former Jubilee Line platforms at Charing Cross - although the tunnels might need enlarging to be suitable for the DLR's much larger trains.
At one time LT had the required legal powers to extend this line down to Waterloo; had they done this it would have made the line more useful. Whether such a short shuttle would have been commercially viable would have been a different thing?
Simon
Good video, I used it just before it closed, it had lots of character but hardley anyone used it. Glad someone caught it on film.
btw,
The videotape was called 'City Transport - The Way Forward', and nowadays there is a website looking at the same issues, albeit in greater detail.
The website looks at over 15 different transport solutions / possible solutions for urban and inter-urban travel.
Simon
The station has been immortalised in the game Tomb Raider III - The Adventures of Lara Croft. There is an entire eerie level devoted to the station. If you look for "TR3 Aldwych Walkthrough" you should find it!
I remember seeing clips from this video used in many mini documentaries that were made about Aldwytch station! :)
At least one person did ask first (and I said OK) but I suspect that many people have used my footage without even asking.
@@CitytransportInfoplus
Probably quite a few RUclipsrs who have done videos about the station have not asked for permission in that case as I’ve also seen footage from this video in quite a few videos about abandoned Underground stations in London! :)
What a great video. You must be one of the very few people who had the foresight to record something like this in action before it became a lost memory for all those who used it. Ironic now though isn't it that people would pay good money to revisit those platforms and take some pictures - money that could be invested back into the station to make it operational once more. And contrary to belief, the station was closed because it didn't meet the new health & safety rules that were introduced.
They used to have these type of lifts at Kennington and I remember the smell and the sounds of the pneumatic gates as if it was yesterday. I can remember riding the lift and thinking the lift was standing still and it was the wall moving outside an optical illusion. I was lucky enough to be allowed to drive this lift and you DID drive it as you had to stop the lift exactly level with the floor. It took me a few goes to line the lift up with the floor.
@Reddog785 The platform that was shut in 1917 was used to store treasures from the British Museum. The platform that was used to the end was used as an air raid shelter. The bit about "cold due to spirits" is
Excellent video. How many other London Underground stations still have lifts ? (if any)
i have never seen inside a tube station so this was fascinating for me.it looked very old,no escalators,and those cage lifts frighten the life out of me!i can see this station been used in films if it hasn't already
@citytransportinfo Many thanks for your information.
yes, there was was a ticket booth in the lift!
what do you mean about the ticket gates just being for decoration? they were reading people's tickets as they entered / left the station.
My dubious claim to fame on this branch is the last train of 1962 stock (and only for the Piccadilly Line as the rest was 1956/59 stock) ran on this line on my Birthday.. the 5th October 1975!
wow thats very impressive, thx
i like how the `to the trains' pointy hand has been given the heavy metal devil horns sign
i remeber using this station on a regualr basis in the early 1930s i used to as my connection to get to station masters office at kings cross
That sound you hear around the 0:23 mark is so haunting, do you know what I mean? I remember being down on that platform last year and talking and the one thing I noticed more than anything else was the echo of my voice. Eerie. I cannot remember where the stairwell begins from the ticket hall area - is it near the Strand entrance or it is nearer to the Surrey Street entrance? Unfortunately it is about the only part of the station not featured in your otherwise perfect video.
Confirmation is at 4:17 when a woman is seen coming in through the Surrey Street entrance, down the steps and then turning right (left on the video) and then walking down some more steps - this is where the stairwell was.
I dunno why but I am simply fascinated with this station.
@niallzi Aah, I take it replacing them would have been too expensive?
Are there many lift only underground stations still in operation?
Yes there are
@LordHeath1972
Hi there,
I went to the exhibition on Friday - alas it was only in the booking hall area and we were not able to visit the platforms.
The stairway was by the Surrey Street entrance. I asked someone...
Simon
Wanting to take a look around Aldwych station is a golddust ticket nowadays and is very difficult to get the opportunity. However, I was soooooo lucky...last June I just happen to be walking past it and saw the gate slightly open and a woman 'guard' sitting outside and I just started chatting to her about how desperate people were to see inside. She went and asked the supervisor and he just took me in! Showed me all downstairs, the platforms and all. Maybe you should try that!!
Hi again,
Well amazingly enough I have managed to get my hands on the actual floor plans for Aldwych station! I can see clearly now where they are - they are just as you go in the Surrey Street entrance on the right behind double doors. Don't ask where I got the plans from because you wouldn't believe me if I told you!!!
But I could send them to you via e-mail if you want to see them.
Dave
@citytransportinfo Have you opened your back side up recently to let Simon up it ?
I was fortunate enough to have visited Aldwych in 1985 when it was still open. Note the absence of the blue station canopy outside now. The lifts here were also still around in Caledonian Road at that time. Aldwych has always been my favourite station, and not just because George Formby played there. But what is that clacking sound from the tunnel?
one of many where people sheltered during the Blitz.
I think it was also used to store important treasures from one or more of the museums.
Simon
@richbdd01 as far as I am aware all the stations with lifts had emergency stairs too, but probably there were too many to expect passengers to use them - otherwise the lifts would not have been needed!
Simon
Depends on where they are going - they may walk or take a bus to Holborn, or use Temple.
Simon
one of many such stations - except that here the railway service was suspended for the war.
Some people also moved to the Chislehurst caves.
simon
@Cazkumali 'never say never', but with the present financial situation its hard to see this happening.
I've seen it said that maybe oneday the DLR might be extended from Bank to the disused Jubilee Line platforms at Charing Cross, and I suppose that it is possible that Aldwych could be used as an intyermediate station - especially the station building, as the platforms would be on a different alignment.
despite being closed British Museum still sees a regular train service - albeit nowadays running through without stopping!
Simon
The lift gear was made by Otis, it says this on the underground history website.
but on an east-west alignment, whilst this line is north-south.
At one time parliamentary approval was given to extend this line to Waterloo. I now doubt that such will ever happen.
btw, I have seen suggeston that the DLR could be extended from Bank to Charing Cross. As the station platfiorms are already there and stations are the most expensive parts of underground railways to build so the costs would be relatively modest.
Simon
What I mean is, check around 4:14, there it seems on the right of the barrieers (the elevated section) people could just "walk around". Maybe there's a third barrier that I didn't notice. Only curious. And was the lift ticket booth still in use by the time of this video? And I get the idea only one lift was in use.
~Ra'akone
Actually the reason Aldwych was closed in 94 was not to do with the low level of passengers, it was because nobody wanted to pick up the £5m bill to repair the lifts.
yes you are correct - although I suppose in theory they were supposed to be buying a ticket from the ticket office.
I do not remember if the lift operator (yes, it was driven by the member of staff) also checked my ticket. But at one time that cubicle was for checking tickets.
hey, what a job, up and down all day in a lift, like a yo-yo!
Simon
where did you hear that?
Its not impossible, but would be a very big surprise!
Simon
As they are the same distance as the lights are apart, and they move in a nice arc, I would've thought it would be a reflection. I have a video of the tube which makes it look like there is a "ghost" train going in the opposite direction which is just a reflection.
Hello,
Thanks for your interest - your English is much better than my German!
There used to be a station named 'Strand' - this might be it, I am not sure.
Simon
2:32 No way...haven't seen such an interesting lift in my life.
When was this video taken? It's a cool time capsule!
a short while before the station closed - yes, it had become a time capsule, partly caused by low passenger numbers making it not financially viable to invest in newer technologies. In the end the need to update the life-expired lifts caused its closure.
Thanks.
Quite a few - I am not exactly sure.
Simon
@Bignadim They only had one employee to operate the lift and collect tickets. So only one lift was used at a time.
well yes, I suppose because of its quiet branch line status this station does not have the same hustle and bustle as some very busy locations.
At least part of the station is supposed to be haunted, apparently; albeit perhaps at a different part of the station. Even in 1994 there were many disused (even 'never used') passageways plus a second platform too.
Simon
@f1baker
lucky you! It was sold out when I tried to buy a ticket for me.
Simon
when was it closed? I remember getting off here when I worked near Fleet street in the 80s. Doh! 1994 love this vid!!
Why?
Even now some outer suburban parts of the London Underground are very quiet, at times.
Simon
I went by that station like the 27 October 2015. They were Making a show, so I saw the entrance
(...continued) The exhibition will be open to the public until next Friday (July 9) from 10am to 7pm on weekdays, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday. ntrance to the station is on Surrey Street, WC2R 2NE, off The Strand and Temple place. Temple Tube is the nearest station.
tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/16011.aspx
Ha! I'll let you in on something which is not seen here - whilst filming this a future sister-in-law came through one of the passageways, on her way home.
She asked what I was doing, why, etc. Until then she had not known about my interest in transport, nor the videotape which I was making, and was later released in conjunction with Online Video.
Anyway, sorry but that bit of videotape was wiped / re-used.
Simon
Is there any plans to reopen this station in the near future?
@citytransportinfo I wonder what thing with windows is in the lift on 2:34
thats because it was refurbished and is now used as a film set!
Simon
@citytransportinfo I wonder if Aldwych station will reopen in the future
when was it closed? I remember getting off here when I worked near Fleet street in the 80s.
How did the elevators remain completely unchanged the whole time until they became the reason to close the station? What other stations still had manual elevators still up until relatively recently?
Aldwych didn't have enough passengers to carry it's own costs. Never had. In early 90:s the elevators where deemed no longer compliant with the safteyregulations back then. L:U decided to run the elevators 'till they broke down and then shut down the station. In the summer of 1994 the lifts broke down, a few years after the safteyinspection, and in late september 1994 Aldwych shut down.
@citytransportinfo I was in London in 1992, and I'm still today haunted by the fact that I never visited the still operating Aldwych underground station :(
these old lifts are just wonderful. Do you know which company built them?
Otis
That be replaced with stupid generic accord lifts if it didn't shut
This was also in the recent Narnia, as well.
Thats a great vid. great history of this branch - How many names Aldwich had?^ in the video is a name "...RAND" shown
very interesting - thank you for the video- sorry about my english i´m german 5*
you are not the only one who would 'lose it' in the darkness. The train is there for use when filming, I understand.
Simon
I really love abandoned ghost stations, and you people in the UK have A Lot of them, in Sweden we have only the newer fully completed Kymlinge underground station (in the 70's) station in the north of Stockholm.
Since the 80's I have had an obsession with the film "An American Werewolf in London" fimed in 1981. I eventually found out that Adwych station was used with false Tottenham court road signs.
But when I tried to go there I was too late because it had closed. Ironically all the years I spent visiting other stations trying to find the one used it was open, when I found out, it was closed.
I really regret not making the effort to use that branch line at least once, especially now I've seen it had the old trapezoid lifts right to the end.
@LordHeath1972 hmm, I hope its the lifts, or a door opening - but it could be ghostly! LOL
The hard surfaces within the station make it very echo-ee. I suspect that at quiet times other stations are like that too!
Sorry, I do not recall where the stairway began.
Simon
-------------------------
I hope you saw both my messages of a short while ago regarding the special event exhibition at the station - only 6 days left!
good video
apparently yes!
Or it's cold due to cold air from the surface rushing down the shafts to equalize the pressure difference caused when trains leave tube stations and the lack of heating in underground stations.
Im not sure if there is a train sat there as I am fairly sure that trains still use the line and if you look out the window you see the station as you pass through. I might be getting my lines crossed (pun not intended) and thinking if a different station...im no expert.
Wardy
I have used those type of lifts before just can't remember which station it was! can't be too many left! would have been in early 2000's sure wasn't Aldwych though. Next time this staion is opne would love to do the tour.
As far as I recall, the last few stations with the 1906/1907-style lifts left in use was Aldwych, Mornington Crescent, and Edgware Road (Bakerloo).
It's been years since I've been on the London underground. Accoring to Tomb Raider 3, Aldwich station is now where the dammed live, a group of people who offered to take part in a science experiment which ultimatly ended up with them living down thare with no faces.
I think they should reopen this station again I would defo love to visit it though. I’ve visited two so far
I've seen this discussed, the people who know more than me were saying that it would be very expensive as the station would need new lives and making fully accessible.