| Wood Lane | |
|---|---|
  Wood Lane Location of Wood Lane in Greater London | |
| Location | Shepherd's Bush |
| Local authority | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Owner | |
| Number of platforms | 2 |
| Key dates | |
| 1 May 1908 | Opened asWood Lane (Exhibition) |
| 31 October 1914 | Closed |
| 5 November 1920 | Reopened onad hoc basis asWood Lane (White City) |
| 23 November 1947 | RenamedWhite City |
| 24 October 1959 | Closed |
| Replaced by | Wood Lane |
| Other information | |
| Coordinates | 51°30′32.37″N0°13′30.11″W / 51.5089917°N 0.2250306°W /51.5089917; -0.2250306 |
 London transport portal | |
Wood Lane was a station on theLondon Underground that was located inShepherd's Bush, west London. It was opened in 1908 on the Hammersmith branch of theMetropolitan Railway (now theHammersmith & City line), on the viaduct adjacent to the bridge overWood Lane and close to astation of the same name but on theCentral London Railway (now theCentral line).
It was closed temporarily in 1914, reopened in 1920 and eventually closed permanently in 1959 at which time it was served by theMetropolitan line.
The two Wood Lane stations were opened in 1908 to serve theFranco-British Exhibition and the1908 Olympic Games in the area that was to become known asWhite City. TheMetropolitan Railway's Wood Lane opened with the nameWood Lane (Exhibition) on 1 May 1908 and theCentral London Railway's Wood Lane station opened on 14 May 1908. Both were intended to be temporary and to be closed after the exhibition and the Games. Wood Lane (Exhibition) station was closed on 31 October 1914, shortly after the outbreak of theFirst World War. The other Wood Lane became the permanent western terminus of the Central London Railway.
The station was brought back into use on 5 November 1920,[1] with the nameWood Lane (White City), but was open only when an exhibition or event was being staged.
It was served by theMetropolitan line and was betweenShepherd's Bush andLatimer Road.
TheCentral line's Wood Lane closed, and was replaced byWhite City station situated just to the north, on 23 November 1947. The Metropolitan line station changed its name toWhite City on the same date. It retained this name for the remainder of its existence.
Following a fire in which one of the wooden platforms was destroyed, the Metropolitan line White City station was permanently closed. It was last used on 24 October 1959, and theTelevision Centre complex now runs on both sides of the railway. The station at viaduct level was largely demolished; the ticket office at ground level remains and has been repainted, though is not visible from the street.
The entrance from Wood Lane (and a main entrance to the exhibitions) was situated along a road which no longer exists that ran approximately along the line of the entrance to the Television Centremulti-storey car park. The centre point of the platforms was approximately opposite the largest of the BBC satellite dishes to the west of the line.
As part of the plans for theredevelopment of White City, a newWood Lane station was built on theHammersmith & City line. Opened on 12 October 2008, it is on the east side of Wood Lane about 100 metres (330 ft) north-east of the former Metropolitan line station.
TheLatimer Road & Acton Railway (LR&AR), a nominally independent company, proposed a line linking theHammersmith & City Railway at Wood Lane with theGreat Western Railway east of theirActon station. The H&CR initially insisted that the LR&AR built a separateexchange station at Wood Lane, rather than using the existing platforms. The GWR wanted the LR&AR to also build a separate Acton station, and a house was demolished at Friar's Place for this.[2][3]
The railway was authorised by an act of Parliament[which?] in 1882, but between 1885 and 1893 four acts of Parliament for extensions of time were needed, as the LR&A Company could not reach agreement with the Great Western and the Metropolitan for joint-working of the line. When this was finally achieved (confirmed by an act of Parliament[which?] in 1895), capital could not be raised. The line was abandoned by act in 1900, after only small parts had been built, including an iron bridge (later demolished) over theNorth & South Western Junction Railway near the currentWestway road bridge. The laterEaling & Shepherd's Bush Railway followed a similar route to the proposed LR&AR line,[3] the Metropolitan ironically promoting a bill in 1912 to connect the Hammersmith & City to this line, which failed on opposition from the Great Western, theCentral London Railway, and theDistrict Railway.[2]
The station was one of the filming locations featured in the first episode of the 1964Doctor Who serial “The Dalek Invasion of Earth”, its undergrowth-filled appearance underscoring the episode’s concept of a seemingly abandoned future London.
| Preceding station |  London Underground | Following station | ||
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| Shepherd's Bush towardsHammersmith | Metropolitan line | Latimer Road towardsBarking | ||
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