British Museum

Central Line

BRITISH MUSEUM

(1900-1933)

British Museum station was closed and a replacement opened a few hundred yards east at Holborn to provide a direct interchange with the Piccadilly Line station there. Previously, passengers would have to make the transfer between the stations at street level.

#1 = British Museum station #2 = Holborn station

The station building in the late 1970s, near the junction of High Holborn and New Oxford Street. This was demolished in 1989. A Nationwide Building Society office now stands in its place -photographed in 2009.

Station platform. Most of the disused tube stations have had their platforms removed.

The newer image is of Lancaster Gate station in April 2005, still showing the white tiles common to the line when it was built. If British Museum station had remained open, it presumably would have looked similar to this.

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Like most of the deep level abandoned tube stations, British Museum was used as an air raid shelter during the Second World War.

For another far more interesting poster from the same station, click here.

The eastbound platform with the former passenger exit bricked off. The descent to the replacement station at Holborn is (just) visible along the running tunnel.

The new platforms at Holborn were the scene of a collision between two Central Line trains on 9th July 1980 (one ran into the back of the other). No further information about it at present but a few photos of the surrounding area on the day of the crash are here.

British Museum's station building has gone but the former Chancery Lane station building, showing the distinctive original Central Line architecture, survives. The station lifts were replaced by escalators in 1934 and a new sub-surface ticket hall was opened. The original building was redeveloped to provide lift access to the war-time deep level shelter constructed at Chancery Lane (later converted into Kingway telephone exchange).

For full details on the Chancery Lane deep level shelter, visit www.subrit.org.uk

(photo: 2010)

The crossover/siding beyond the western end of the platforms. This view is looking west with the siding on the left and the eastbound running tunnel on the right.

The station's original white tiles are visible beneath the dirt that has built up.

Platform area.

Platform area.

Crossover passage.

These pages run in order i.e. you will be able to follow the links
through to the last page without having to return to the index.

All photos on this site taken between 1977 and 1981 unless stated.

Buckhurst Hill (Central Line)