Bayswater () is a London Underground station, located in the Bayswater area of the City of Westminster. It is on the Circle line and the Edgware Road branch of the District line, between Notting Hill Gate and Paddington stations. The station is less than away from Queensway station on the Central line. It is in London fare zone 1.

Location

The station is located on the busy Queensway tourist street and is only a few metres from Bayswater Road. It is a short walk from Portobello Market. Further north along the street is the site of the former Whiteleys shopping centre, which is currently under redevelopment. Also nearby is Westbourne Grove, Queens ice rink and bowling centre, Kensington Gardens and St Sophia's Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Construction of the railway line, through the already developed Bayswater area required the excavation of a tunnel using the cut and cover method: a trench deep was excavated between brick retaining walls which was then roofed-over with brick arches to allow building work above. Large compensation payments were made to landowners affected by the excavations and, in Leinster Gardens to the east, the frontages of two houses demolished to make way for the line were reconstructed to restore the appearance of a terrace of houses.

The platforms of Bayswater station were constructed in the trench and provided with a glazed roof. A short section of the trench was left unroofed to the west of the station to allow smoke and steam from the trains to escape from the tunnels. Even before the completion in 1884 of the continuous circuit of tracks which are now the Circle line, the MR and DR operated services through Bayswater as the Inner Circle.

Services

Bayswater station is on the Circle line and the Edgware Road branch of the District line between Notting Hill Gate and Paddington.

Circle line

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) is:

  • 6tph clockwise to Edgware Road via Paddington (Praed Street)
  • 6tph anti-clockwise to Hammersmith via High Street Kensington and Victoria

District line

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) is:

  • 6tph eastbound to Edgware Road
  • 6tph westbound to Wimbledon

There is also a morning service every day from Acton Town (Ealing Broadway on Saturdays) to Edgware Road and a late evening service from Edgware Road to Ealing Broadway on Sundays only.

Incidents

In November 2017, a 29-year-old man attempted to murder a 55-year-old man by pushing him in front of a District line train as it was pulling in to the platform. However, the victim survived by adopting a foetal position between the rails as the train passed over him.

Bayswater tube station is the subject of a painting by Walter Sickert dating from 1916, showing the platform-sign reading 'Queen's Road (Bayswater)' beside a big advertisement for Whiteley's department store. The station was later renamed Bayswater,