Euston Square![]() | |
---|---|
![]() Southern entrance on Gower Street | |
Location | Euston Road |
Local authority | London Borough of Camden |
Managed by | London Underground |
Number of platforms | 2 |
Accessible | Yes (Westbound only)[1] |
Fare zone | 1 |
OSI | Euston![]() ![]() Euston ![]() Warren Street ![]() |
London Underground annual entry and exit | |
2019 | ![]() |
2020 | ![]() |
2021 | ![]() |
2022 | ![]() |
2023 | ![]() |
Key dates | |
10 January 1863 (1863-01-10) | Opened asGower Street |
1 November 1909 | RenamedEuston Square |
Other information | |
External links | |
Coordinates | 51°31′33″N0°08′09″W / 51.5258°N 0.1358°W /51.5258; -0.1358 |
![]() |
Euston Square (/ˈjuːstənˈskwɛər/) is aLondon Underground station at the corner ofEuston Road andGower Street, just north ofUniversity College London – its main (south) entrance faces the tower ofUniversity College Hospital. The multi-interchangeEuston station is beyondEuston Square Gardens, which is one street east. The station is betweenGreat Portland Street andKing's Cross St Pancras stations on theCircle,Hammersmith & City andMetropolitan lines inTravelcard Zone 1.
The station was opened asGower Street on 10 January 1863 by theMetropolitan Railway (MR), the world's first underground railway.[8] The line runs east–west under Euston Road at this point. The station originally had entrances in single-storey pavilions with stone-effectstucco render on each side of Euston Road with stairs to the platforms.[9]
The MR was constructed using thecut-and-cover method with the tunnel and station platforms directly under the road. The walls to the rear of the platforms were originally lined in buttressed brickwork supporting a brick arch 45 feet 1 inch (13.74 m) wide and 10 feet 4 inches (3.15 m) high composed of between six and twelve layers of brickwork. Ventilation shafts lined with glazed white tiling were spaced along the platforms to let in light from openings in the front gardens of the houses at street level.[10][11][12]
In 1864, Parliament authorised theNorth Western and Charing Cross Railway to construct a line to connect the mainline stations atEuston andCharing Cross. This would have connected to the MR to the west of Gower Street, but the company was unable to raise funds.[13] A revised scheme under the name of theLondon Central Railway (LCR) was approved in 1871. The proposals included an interchange at Gower Street with the LCR's platforms north of and parallel to the MR's.[14] LCR branches would have connected from east of Gower Street to Euston andSt Pancras stations. As before, the LCR was unable to raise funding and the scheme was abandoned in 1874.[15]
In 1890, the MR obtained parliamentary permission to construct a pedestrian subway under Euston Road from the station to the mainline station. This was never constructed.[16][17]
In 1906, the original timber platforms were reconstructed in concrete as a fire precaution related to theelectrification of the MR.[18] The station was given its present name on 1 November 1909.[8]
Between 1929 and 1931, the station buildings were reconstructed to a design by the MR's architectC. W. Clark.[19] A bridge was constructed above the tracks so that a single ticket office could be provided in place of the separate ones for each platform.[20] At the same time the station platforms were lengthened requiring the closure of Euston Road to enable the roadway and tunnels to be excavated as quickly as possible.[21] The brick arch of the tunnel roof and the side walls were removed and replaced with a flat roof on steel beams supported by concrete walls to the rear of the new platforms.[19]
During World War II, much of the southern side of Euston Road between Gower Street and Gordon Street was destroyed by bombing. When the site was reconstructed post-war the southern entrance was reconstructed again to incorporate it into the corner of the new building that occupied the site. The north entrance remained. In the 1960s, in conjunction with the construction of an underpass at the junction of Euston Road andTottenham Court Road, Euston Road was widened. At this time, the north entrance building was demolished and converted to a simple subway entrance.
In the 21st century, the buildings on the south side of Euston Road were again redeveloped and the station entrance was again reconstructed. Since late 2006, the south entrance is incorporated into the corner of the headquarters of theWellcome Trust with the entrance in Gower Street. A linking pedestriansubway connects under Euston Road from the north side. Since 2011, two lifts provide access between the main entrance and the westbound platform.[1]
In December 2005,Network Rail announced plans[22] to create a subway link between the station andEuston station as part of the re-development of Euston station. This will create a direct link for users of main line rail services which depart from Euston. These plans would also be pursued during a rebuilding forHigh Speed 2.[23]
The station is served by theMetropolitan,Hammersmith & City andCircle lines, betweenKing's Cross St Pancras to the east andGreat Portland Street to the west. All three lines share the same pair of tracks fromBaker Street Junction toAldgate Junction making this section of track one of the most intensely used on the London Underground network.
The typical service in trains per hour (tph) is:[24]
The typical service in trains per hour (tph) is:[24]
The Metropolitan line is the only line to operate express services, though currently this is only during peak times (Westbound 06:30-09:30 / Eastbound 16:00-19:00). Fast services run non-stop betweenWembley Park,Harrow-on-the-Hill andMoor Park, while semi-fast services run non-stop between Wembley Park and Harrow-On-The-Hill.[25]
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) is:[26]
Off-peak services to/from Watford terminate at Baker Street
The typical peak time service in trains per hour (tph) is:[26]
Preceding station | ![]() | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Great Portland Street towardsHammersmith | Circle line | King's Cross St Pancras towardsEdgware Road via Aldgate | ||
Hammersmith & City line | King's Cross St Pancras towardsBarking | |||
Great Portland Street | Metropolitan line | King's Cross St Pancras towardsAldgate | ||
Former services | ||||
Great Portland Street towardsHammersmith | Metropolitan line Hammersmith branch (1864–1990) | King's Cross St Pancras towardsBarking |
That station is served byLondon Buses day and night routes.