Buckhurst Hill is a
London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...
station, in the
Epping Forest
Epping Forest is a area of ancient woodland, and other established habitats, which straddles the border between Greater London and Essex. The main body of the forest stretches from Epping in the north, to Chingford on the edge of the London ...
district of
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
. It is served by the
Central line and is between
Woodford Woodford may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Woodford, New South Wales
*Woodford, Queensland, a town in the Moreton Bay Region
*Woodford, Victoria
Canada
* Woodford, Ontario
England
*Woodford, Cornwall
* Woodford, Gloucestershire
*Woodford, Greate ...
and
Loughton
Loughton () is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex. Part of the metropolitan and urban area of London, the town borders Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill, and is northeast of Chari ...
. It is the larger of the two Underground stations in the town of
Buckhurst Hill
Buckhurst Hill is an affluent suburban town in the Epping Forest District, Epping Forest district of Essex, England. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and adjacent to the northern boundary of the London Borough of Redbridge. The area de ...
, with
Roding Valley station being the smaller. It is the only London Underground station located in zone 5 but not in a London Borough.
History
The station opened on 22 August 1856 as part of the
Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) was an English Rail transport, railway company incorporated in 1836 intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then extend to Norwich and Great Yarmouth, Yarmouth.
Construction began in 1837 on t ...
branch from London to
Loughton
Loughton () is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex. Part of the metropolitan and urban area of London, the town borders Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill, and is northeast of Chari ...
. It originally had staggered platforms, with the main buildings on the
down side (tracks heading away from London). The 1856 station house survives to the south of the present platforms, but most of the present station dates from 1892, when the entrance was moved to Victoria Road. The building is similar to that at
Billericay
Billericay ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Basildon, Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin and constitutes a commuter town east of Central London. The town has three secondary schools and a variety of open spaces. It is ...
. Both were designed by
W. N. Ashbee
William Neville Ashbee (1852 – 30 April 1919) was an English railway architect notable for railway station, stations on the Great Eastern Railway, including the London terminus at Liverpool Street Station.
Career
The son of John Ashbee, w ...
, the chief architect of the
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway (GER) was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia. The company was grouped into the London and North Eastern R ...
,
of which the station was a part, which was, from 1923, to become part of the
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after LMS) of the " Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At th ...
.
The station was transferred to
London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...
ownership as part of the
New Works Programme, 1935-1940 scheme that saw the electrification of the branch to form part of the Central line. This occurred on 21 November 1948. The station maintains its late
Victorian ambiance to a surprising extent.
When the line was electrified a pedestrian underpass was built in order to connect the two parts of Queens Road previously joined by a level crossing. At the same time a pair of exit/entrances to the south of the station were built giving direct access to Lower Queens Road and Queens Road via the new underpass. These exits were closed in 1982, but reopened in May 2018 in order to provide access to the station for mobility impaired passengers.
For the purposes of fare charging it is in
Zone 5. As of 2007 it is the only station on the eastern portion of the Central line in that zone. Passengers travelling from the station leaving in either direction must cross a zone boundary.
Gallery
File:Buckhurst Hill stn south.JPG, The station today
File:Buckhurst Hill stn look north.JPG, Looking north
File:Buckhurst Hill stn look south2.JPG, Looking south
File:Buckhurst Hill stn high westbound.JPG, Looking south from the footbridge
File:Buckhurst Hill stn high eastbound.JPG, Looking north from the footbridge
File:Buckhurst hill tube.jpg, Roundel
References
External links
http://citytransport.info/BuckhurstHill.htm– Photographs of the Victorian era station platforms, shelters and waiting rooms.
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Central line (London Underground) stations
London Underground Night Tube stations
Proposed Chelsea-Hackney Line stations
London Underground stations located above ground
Tube stations in Essex
Transport in Epping Forest District
Former Great Eastern Railway stations
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1856
William Neville Ashbee railway stations