We’ve heard so many stories about abandoned stations on the London Underground and continue to be fascinated by the subject. We’ve already blogged about Aldwych and York Road, both with fascinating stories. What’s interesting about Aldgate East is that the station remains, however it was once 170 yards to the west! The entire station was moved to allow expansion of a number of junctions on the underground network.
The original station opened in 1884 and served the Metropolitan District Railway. When a plan to join the Metropolitan Railway line from Liverpool Street was suggested, it was realised the curve of the track would be too tight and so the station would need relocation. The next station on the line, St Mary’s (Whitechapel Road) was now deemed too close and so it was closed. The new station was opened in 1938. Amazingly, the track needed to be lowered by 7 feet as the new station was completely subterranean. To achieve this without closing the line, the engineers dug under the existing tracks and kept them aloft with huge wooden tresses. Then 900 workmen used hooks to lower the entire track in one night. Remnants of the old station can still be seen however it’s hard to see in the dark of the underground tunnels as the trains pass by.
Location: London, England