High Street Kensington is a London Underground station on Kensington High Street, Kensington. It is served by the Circle and District lines, and is in London fare zone 1. On the Circle line, the station is between Gloucester Road and Notting Hill Gate stations. On the Edgware Road branch of the District line, it is between Earl's Court and Notting Hill Gate stations. Kensington Arcade forms the entrance to the station.

History

thumb|The station's platforms in 1892|left

The station was originally built by the Metropolitan Railway after parliament passed the Metropolitan Railway's and Metropolitan District Railway's Bill in 1864. Work started in 1865, and in 1867 a barrel roof enclosed the station designed by the Metropolitan Railway's engineer Sir John Fowler. The station, originally titled Kensington Station, had four lines, two for the Metropolitan Railway and two for the Metropolitan District Railway. The station was further redeveloped under the plans of the Metropolitan Railway's consultant architect, George Campbell Sherrin, between 1906 and 1907. Sherrin's designs saw the barrel roof taken off with the platforms covered by plain wooden shelters on iron columns. The north end of the platforms saw a new superstructure built over them, which contained a new octagonal booking hall, and an arcade that led to the High Street. The space in the arcade was taken by neighbouring department stores Pontings and Derry & Toms. The octagonal booking hall was rebuilt by London Transport in 19371938 to increase its capacity.

Just south of the station is the junction where the Circle and District lines diverge.

Services

High Street Kensington station is on the Circle and District lines in London fare zone 1. On the Circle line, the station is between Gloucester Road and Notting Hill Gate. On the Edgware Road branch of the District line, it is between Earl's Court and Notting Hill Gate.

The typical off-peak service from this station is:

  • 12 tph (trains per hour) to Edgware Road via Paddington (6 tph District line, 6 tph Circle line)
  • 6 tph to Wimbledon via Earl's Court (District line)
  • 6 tph anticlockwise on the Circle line via Victoria and Embankment to Hammersmith

Weekends and Special Events only:

  • 3 tph to Kensington (Olympia) via Earl's Court (District line)

Connections

London Buses day and nighttime routes serve the station.

See also

  • Cromwell Curve

References