The next time you're waiting for the Tube in London, consider the secrets that lie beneath your feet – or right in front of your eyes. There are Roman remnants at Tower Hill, 1960s time capsules at Notting Hill Gate and beautiful-yet-abandoned station entrances, all with incredible stories worth knowing. Take a tour with us as we reveal the hidden secrets of London's Underground network, from Ice Age glaciers to its newest route, the Elizabeth Line.
With its distinct dome, Grade II-listed Kennington is relatively pretty to look at, but there’s more here than meets the eye. Southbound Northern Line trains terminate at Kennington but they don’t enter a depot; the driver simply does a giant loop to start the northbound journey. So, if you nod off and miss your stop, fear not. This accidental ghost ride will make a U-turn with its first stop at, you guessed it: Kennington.
Although the Waterloo & City line appeared on Underground maps from the 1930s, it didn’t receive Underground status until 1994. Running beneath the River Thames, the trains only serve two stations (Waterloo and Bank) and are hoisted in and out of the line at the depot when they need repairing. The Underground’s shortest line also bears the unfortunate nickname of ‘The Drain’ due to its notoriously leaky tunnels – best to pack an umbrella...
The now lost Mark Lane station can be seen on the right of this photograph, likely taken during the 1930s. The station opened in 1884 with two platforms and in September 1946 was re-named Tower Hill. But with increasing passenger numbers, it was abandoned in the 1960s and replaced with the Tower Hill we use today, close to the eponymous landmark. The old station entrance is now home to bar chain All Bar One.
Brompton Road station was abandoned in 1934, but the Piccadilly Line’s tracks still lead to it, wedged between Knightsbridge and South Kensington. During the Second World War it was the secret home of the Anti-Aircraft Division who protected London’s skies. Closed off to the public, it’s apparently like stepping into a time capsule with war rooms set in lift shafts and old maps still visible.
This trio of quaint stations in rural Essex started life as national rail stations and were partially integrated into the Central Line extension in 1949. They were never actually underground; Ongar was essentially a shuttle service between Epping. Dwindling passenger numbers led Blake Hall to close in 1981 (now a private house), followed by North Weald and Ongar in 1994. The latter two were restored to their pre-London Underground appearance and now operate as a heritage steam railway.
There’s a subterranean world beneath Notting Hill Gate. At the end of the 1950s and into the 1960s, lifts were replaced with escalators and passageways were sealed off as a result. But an enormous chamber beneath the street remains, lined with brightly coloured posters advertising the top movies and products of a bygone era, from Around the World in 80 Days to toothpaste. Routine work in 2010 revealed this long-lost world, although there’s currently no public access.
For nearly 200 years, Matthew Flinders – the first person to circumnavigate Australia – lay buried beneath platform 15 at Euston station. The Royal Naval captain was buried in St James' Churchyard in 1814, but the station expanded into the graveyard in the 19th century. In 2019 archaeologists finally located his coffin plate, and while his remains have since been relocated, there's a bronze statue of him (and his accompaniment, Trim the cat) outside the station.
The original Aldgate East is one of London’s least-known stations and was mostly demolished in 1938 to make way for construction for the current Aldgate East, some 500 feet (152m) down the road. In one night, 900 men lowered the track by 6.5 feet (2m)! There’s nothing on street level to suggest the old station exists, but deep underground are tracks that only Tube maintenance workers really know about.
With its fancy department stores and swish Georgian townhouses, Knightsbridge is home to many well-heeled residents. But did you know that it's said one Tube station steers away from a gruesome part of history? The route between South Kensington and Knightsbridge apparently curves away from the road above to avoid a large plague pit which lies beneath Hyde Park. Thousands of Great Plague victims were buried here between 1665 and 1666; the disease saw London lose roughly 15% of its population.
There's a heart-warming reason to listen to the 'Mind the Gap' announcement at Embankment. Oswald Laurence voiced the practical warning for the Northern Line from the late 1960s but after his death in 2007 his widow, Margaret McCollum, frequently visited the station to hear his voice again. In 2012 the announcement was replaced with a digital system; after Margaret asked for a CD recording (which Transport for London obliged), they reinstated his voiceover at the riverside station in 2013.
Have you noticed that Regent’s Park station doesn’t have a surface entrance? This could be due to an old parliamentary law, which originally declared that no station could be built here. As the network already ran through the site, the law was overturned in 1904 and the station opened in 1906. Passengers can only access it by subway, lifts or the 96-step staircase.
You can spot unique tiling at Stockwell station, and it all adds up. This platform motif features angular coloured blue lines (symbolising water); a slither of orange (to resemble a beak); and a black triangle for the head of a swan. The piece was created by Abram Game and references The Swan pub, directly opposite the station.
Clapham South station was a purpose-built air raid shelter for the Second World War, but once the war ended its deep shelters went on to provide temporary accommodation for over 200 Caribbean migrants who'd arrived on the Empire Windrush in June 1948. Today there are regular tours of its subterranean shelters where you can gain a deeper insight into the history of the station, 11 storeys beneath the surface; pictured is what one of the reconstructed bunkers would've looked like.
In November 1987 a tragic fire at King's Cross led to the death of 31 people; damaged tunnels are still used for maintenance while at the top of the escalators (in the ticket hall) you’ll spot a memorial commemorating those who lost their lives. The tragedy sparked major changes across the entire network, from replacing wooden escalators to a smoking ban across all station areas.
Hoping to catch a glimpse of Sherlock Holmes or Watson? While you’re hanging around Baker Street, uncover the secrets of this very old Underground station. There are 10 platforms (more than any other station on the network) and abandoned lifts last used on VE Day. There's also a footbridge that hasn’t been walked in over a century and, bizarrely, a staff shooting range – although nobody’s quite sure why...
You might exit Holborn station for the British Museum, but during the Second World War, one of the museum's current treasures, the classical Greek sculptures the Elgin Marbles, were held one stop away at Aldwych station to protect them from being damaged by potential air raids. While Aldwych station closed in 1994, you can still walk past its pretty glazed-tile entrance – – although confusingly it retains its original name, Strand Station – along Surrey Street. Tours of the old station are rare, but the London Transport Museum is currently running behind-the-scenes tours.
We’ve already covered the old Tower Hill station (then Mark Lane station), but the current one bears an ancient structure – and you only need to look up to spot it. On the eastern end of the westbound platform, you can see one of the longest stretches of the London Wall built by the Romans, near the ceiling. There are more prominent remains just outside the station entrance, as pictured here.
If you’ve ever marvelled at the beautiful design of Covent Garden (pictured) or Oxford Circus, we have one man to thank: Leslie Green. In 1903 the architect was commissioned to design 50 new stations, including Maida Vale, where Green was born. Green was known as 'the man who painted London red' thanks to his designs which feature glazed ox-blood red terracotta tiles, arched windows and flat roofs. A number of his stations are on the National Heritage List for England, including Gloucester Road, Russell Square and Caledonian Road.
Charing Cross was originally two separate stations called the Strand and Trafalgar Square, which united under one name in 1979, when Charing Cross became the Jubilee Line’s terminus (still confused? This goes into more detail). Yet the new line was re-routed in 1999, leaving Charing Cross's Jubilee platforms disused. These platforms might be locked away from the public, but they're now a top filming location; scenes from Skyfall were shot here.
While you're waiting for the Tube at Temple station, take a closer look at the column bases along the platform; it's no coincidence that the pattern matches the name of the station. Named after the nearby 12th-century Temple Church, the station opened in 1870. The roof also doubles as an observation platform where you can admire the view across the River Thames to South Bank.
Finchley Road's Underground station, in north London, marked the edge of a glacier dating back to the last Ice Age. The ice sheet once covered most of the country, with its southernmost point stopping where the Tube station would later open in June 1879.
Piccadilly Circus lies in the heart of the capital, and this Underground flagship was extensively remodelled in the 1920s and 1930s. The work involved incredible feats of engineering to ensure the Tube service and traffic above operated without any disruption. The station was a heavily used shelter during the Blitz in the Second World War – people even made their beds on the escalators. Pictured here are two men entertaining their fellow sheltered companions during an air raid.
In September 2021, Londoners celebrated the arrival of the brand-new Nine Elms station (pictured), but few know about a previous Nine Elms station that Queen Victoria used. It closed to the public in 1848 and was used exclusively by the former queen, royal family and important guests, but was demolished in the 1960s to make way for the New Covent Garden Market. The new Nine Elms station (which is actually an Underground stop) connects with Battersea Power Station to form the latest Northern Line extension.
The Elizabeth Line almost went by another name or two. Before the late Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the new line in May 2022, it was almost named Crossrail or the Churchill line (after the wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill), before settling on a fitting way to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee. This unique addition to the Underground network isn't technically considered a new Tube line, even though its central section runs beneath the ground and is included on the Underground map.