Belsize Park Tube Station
The Royal Free Hospital is located a short distance to the north of the station.
History
The station was opened on 22 June 1907 by the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway as an intermediate station on its line from Charing Cross to Golders Green. It is served by three lifts which descend 33.2 metres (109 ft) to the platforms. The platforms can also be reached by stairs; there are 219 steps according to the sign in the station, which is equivalent to a 15 story building.
The station was designed by Leslie Green in "Modern Style" and has his familiar facade of ox-blood faience with five round arched windows. It remained largely untouched until the late 1980s when the lifts were replaced and a new ticketing system installed.
It was previously the site of the Trewint Industrial Home for Girls.
Deep-level air-raid shelter
Belsize Park is one of eight London Underground stations which have deep-level air-raid shelters underneath them. The shelter was constructed in World War II to provide safe accommodation for service personnel. Entrances to the shelter are at the junction of Haverstock Hill and Downside Crescent and off Haverstock Hill.
Connections
London Buses routes 168 and C11 and night route N5 serve the station.
In Popular Culture
The staircase at Belsize Park tube station is the scene of the eponymous homicide in Mavis Doriel Hay's 1934 murder mystery novel Murder Underground. The station also appears in the Coldplay pop video for the song "Paradise".
References
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2023. Transport for London. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ Historic England. "Belsize Park Underground Station including forecourt walls, gatepiers, gates and railings (1401089)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ "16 London Underground Stations Listed at Grade II". English Heritage. 26 July 2011. Archived from the original on 14 September 2011.
- ^ "All Tube Stations Have Fifteen Floors". YouTube. 16 January 2018.
- ^ "London Underground By Design by Mark Ovenden – review". The Guardian. 3 February 2013.
- ^ "Trewint Industrial Home, London and Kent". www.childrenshomes.org.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
- ^ Emmerson, Andrew; Beard, Tony (2004). London's Secret Tubes. London: Capital Transport Publishing. ISBN 1-85414-283-6.
- ^ Hay, Mavis Doriel (1934). Murder Underground. London: British Library Crime Classics. ISBN 978-0-7123-5725-8.
Gallery
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Northbound platform looking north
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Southbound platform looking south
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Roundel on northbound platform
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Original tiling on northbound platform
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Standard design was also employed when an outside door was part of the build for access to the upper floor(s). A triangular pediment above the doorway and fanlight were the norm.
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The cartouche employed at Belsize Park as a decorative touch along the first floor level is an identical design to those at Hampstead.
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The complete design in the repeated platform frieze. As part of the station upgrade the platform tiling was replaced although the tone of the new tiles is darker than the originals.
External links
- "Photographic Archive". London Transport Museum. Archived from the original on 18 March 2008.
- "Visit to Belsize Park deep level shelter". Subterranea Britannica. Archived from the original on 5 June 2001.
Preceding station | London Underground | Following station | ||
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Hampstead towards Edgware
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Northern line Edgware branch
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Chalk Farm |