Stockwell is a London Underground station in Stockwell in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is served by the Northern and Victoria lines, and is in London fare zone 2.
right|thumb|Northern line northbound station platform, July 2024
right|thumb|Stockwell station roundel, July 2024
right|thumb|A 1995 stock on the Northern line arrives at the northbound platform, <br/>July 2024
The station opened on 4 November 1890 as the southern terminus of the City and South London Railway, the first successful deep-level tube in London. The Victoria interchange opened on 23 July 1971 when that line was extended south from Victoria towards Brixton. The station is known for its World War II air-raid shelters, and for being the location of the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.
History
Original station
Stockwell station was ceremonially opened on 4 November 1890 by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), as the most southerly station on the City and South London Railway (C&SLR) – London's first successful deep-level tube railway. Passenger services began just over one month later on 18 December.
The station was built with a single island platform with tracks on either side, an arrangement that today is rarely used underground on the network but which still exists at Clapham North and Clapham Common. Stockwell's original platform was further north than the new ones, and trains pass it today. The other terminus of the C&SLR line was King William Street in the City of London. On 3 June 1900, when an extension to Clapham Common was opened, Stockwell ceased to be a terminus. A flight of stairs at the south end of the platform was also added to take passengers to a subway that passed over the new northbound tunnel and joined the lift shaft at a higher level.
The original building, designed by T. P. Figgis, was similar to – but larger than – the existing surface building at Kennington with a domed roof to the original lift shaft. The two lifts each carried 50 people to and from the platforms until their replacement by escalators in 1924. The station was modernised in advance of the 1926 extension from Clapham Common to Morden. A new surface building was constructed by Charles Holden on the original site. The original station platforms were closed on 29 November 1923 and platforms sited to the south of the original were opened on 1 December 1924. At the same time the platforms were rebuilt to a larger diameter – and with a single platform in each tunnel – south of the original station tunnel.
New station
left|thumb|Abstract swan design by Abram Games in the platform recess, photographed in 2014.
The station was expanded to accommodate the Victoria line, whose extension from Victoria to Brixton opened on 23 July 1971. Parallel cross-platform interchanges were provided between the two lines in both directions and the 1920s surface buildings were replaced by a modern structure. A third escalator was added to the existing pair, by constructing an additional shaft. Some construction work disturbed shelter tunnels constructed during war, that had to be re-sited. A British Transport Police (BTP) station was later built above the station in 1985, as part of a BTP initiative to increase police presence across the Underground. As with all Victoria line stations, the platforms feature tiled murals in the seat recesses – the work at Stockwell designed by Abram Games shows a swan, a reference to the nearby Swan public house.
The station has ticket halls, three escalators, seven gates, 13 payphones, a Wi-Fi service, 9 vending machines and a photo booth. The ticket hall has electronic departure boards.
The total capacity of the shelter was around 4,000 people. Access was via the station as well as two further entrance shafts containing spiral staircases, one of which is located at the middle of the junction of South Lambeth Road and Clapham Road, and the other on Studley Road. The shelter was completed in September 1942, and was used by the Government until 1944 when it was opened to the public. It was used for one year as a shelter. After the war it was used for a period to billet military personnel. One of the entrances has been brightly decorated and is a recognisable local landmark. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting a small shrine to de Menezes was created by mourners outside the station. This evolved into a permanent memorial mosaic which was unveiled on 7 January 2010 at the station on what would have been his 32nd birthday. It was made by local artist, Mary Edwards, with the help of Menezes' cousin, Vivian Figueiredo, as well as Chrysoula Vardaxi.
Services
Stockwell station is on the Northern and Victoria lines in London fare zone 2. On the Morden branch of the Northern line, the station is between Oval and Clapham North. On the Victoria line, it is between Brixton and Vauxhall. Train frequencies vary throughout the day. However, Northern line trains generally operate every 4–6 minutes between 06:06 and 00:12 in both directions while Victoria line trains generally operate every 3–5 minutes between 06:02 and 00:20 in both directions. There is also 24-hour Night Tube service on both lines on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Connections
The station is served by day and nighttime London Bus routes.
Notes and references
Notes
References
Bibliography
External links
- London Transport Museum Photographic Archive