Lancaster Gate 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 located on the Central line near

Lancaster Gate Lancaster Gate is a mid-19th century development in the Bayswater district of central London, immediately to the north of Kensington Gardens. It consists of two long terraces of houses overlooking the park, with a wide gap between them openi ...

Bayswater Road Bayswater Road is the main road running along the northern edge of Hyde Park in London. Originally part of the A40 road, it is now designated part of the A402 road. Route In the east, Bayswater Road originates at Marble Arch roadway at ...

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...

(

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and London boroughs, borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of cent ...

), to the north of

Kensington Gardens Kensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, are among the Royal Parks of London. The gardens are shared by the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and sit immediately to the west of Hyde P ...

. It is between Queensway and

Marble Arch The Marble Arch is a 19th-century white marble-faced triumphal arch in London, England. The structure was designed by John Nash (architect), John Nash in 1827 to be the state entrance to the cour d'honneur of Buckingham Palace; it stood near th ...

on the Central line and is in

Travelcard Zone 1 Fare zone 1 is the central zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used by the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and National Rail. For most tickets, travel through Zone 1 is more expensive than journeys ...

History

Lancaster Gate station was opened on 30 July 1900 by the

Central London Railway The Central London Railway (CLR), also known as the Twopenny Tube, was a deep-level, underground "tube" railwayA "tube" railway is an underground railway constructed in a cylindrical tunnel by the use of a tunnelling shield, usually deep below gr ...

(now the Central line). The original station building was typical of the work of the line's original architect

Harry Bell Measures Harry Bell Measures (1862–1940) was an English architect. Career He had a varied career. In 1884 to 1892 he was in-house architect for William Willett, producing high-quality housing for the wealthy in London and South East England; these wer ...

. It was demolished and a new surface building constructed as part of the development above in 1968. The development was designed by T P Bennett & Son as an office block but converted soon after into a hotel. In 2004–05 the lower floors of the hotel were re-clad in white stone to a design by Eric Parry Architects. The hotel received planning permission for the re-cladding to include the station façade.

Refurbishment

Lancaster Gate was closed from July to November 2006 so that the lifts and other parts of the station could be refurbished. The station's chronic lift failures were considered by Transport for London to be a safety hazard and an inconvenience to passengers. Patronage has increased over the years and as a result the station's small ticket hall area is often congested, especially at weekends. Lancaster Gate station was also closed from January to June 2017 for complete replacement of the lifts. Due to the small size of the station, it was not feasible to do one lift at a time, so it was deemed necessary to close the entire station.

Location

Despite its name, the station is close to the Marlborough Gate entrance to Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens, about 300m to the east of the Lancaster Gate entrance. The station is within walking distance of

Paddington station Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by the Great We ...

, providing a convenient interchange between the Central line and the main line station, although this is not highlighted on the Underground map. Transport for London's September 2011 report "Central London Rail Termini: Analysing passengers' onward travel patterns" did not include using Lancaster Gate as a means of getting from Paddington to the Central line.

Connections

London Buses London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) that manages most bus services in London, England. It was formed following the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that transferred control of London Regional Transport (LRT) bus se ...

routes 94,

148 148 may refer to: *148 (number), a natural number *AD 148, a year in the 2nd century AD *148 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *148 (album), an album by C418 *148 (Meiktila) Battery Royal Artillery *148 (New Jersey bus) 148 may refer to: *148 (numb ...

, 274 and night route N207 serve the station

Gallery

Image:91081 92 tube stock Lancaster Gate.jpg, 1992 stock on a westbound service Image:Lancaster Gate stn eastbound look west.JPG, Eastbound platform Image:Lancaster Gate stn westbound look east.JPG, Westbound platform Image:Lancaster Gate stn roundel.JPG, Roundel on platform

References

External links

*: ** ** {{Central line navbox Central line (London Underground) stations London Underground Night Tube stations Tube stations in the City of Westminster Former Central London Railway stations London Underground stations located underground Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1900