Snaresbrook 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 on the Central line, located in the area of

Snaresbrook Snaresbrook is a district of East London in the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located 8 miles east of Charing Cross. The name derives from a corruption of Sayers brook, a tributary of the River Roding that flows through Wanstead to the Ea ...

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The station is in Zone 3/4, between

Leytonstone Leytonstone () is an area in east London, England, north-east of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, a local authority district of Greater London. It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, S ...

and

South Woodford South Woodford is an area of east London, England, within the London Borough of Redbridge. It adjoins Woodford Green to the north, Walthamstow to the west, Snaresbrook and Wanstead to the south and Redbridge to the east, and is north-east of ...

stations.

History

The station was opened by 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 ...

on 22 August 1856 as part of their branch 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 ...

which opened that day. Originally named ''Snaresbrook'', the station was renamed several times: ''Snaresbrook for Wanstead'' in 1857; ''Snaresbrook and Wanstead'' in November 1898; ''Snaresbrook for Wanstead'' in 1929; and ''Snaresbrook'' on 14 December 1947. The station formed part 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 ...

's system until that company amalgamated with other railways to create the

London & North Eastern Railway London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...

(LNER) in 1923. The station was subsequently transferred to form part of London Underground's Central line from 14 December 1947. This formed a part of the long planned, and delayed, Eastern Extension of the Central line that was part of the

London Passenger Transport Board The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for local public transport in London and its environs from 1933 to 1948. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and brand was Lond ...

's "

New Works Programme The New Works Programme of 1935–1940 was the major investment programme delivered by the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB), commonly known as London Transport, which had been created in 1933 to coordinate underground train, tram, trolley ...

" of 1935–1940. The station was partially reconstructed in 1893, the most notable feature being the provision of a

bay platform In the United Kingdom and in Australia, a bay platform is a dead-end railway platform at a railway station that has through lines. It is normal for bay platforms to be shorter than their associated through platforms. Overview Bay and islan ...

that remained in use until transfer to the Underground. The station is a fine survivor of a Victorian suburban station, with later additions, and includes a brick built station building as well as extensive cast iron and timber canopies to the platforms. A small secondary ticket office, serving the westbound platforms, was constructed in c.1948 but this is now unused. Also of note, dating from the same date, are the examples of the concrete roundels (some combined with lamp posts) found on the platforms. In 2018, it was announced that the station would gain step-free access by 2023–24, as part of a £200m investment to increase the number of accessible stations on the Tube.

The station today

In addition to the main building, an alternative exit open at morning peak hours is available directly on the south side of Wanstead High Street, with another open all day on the north side of the same road accessible via footbridge running parallel to the railway.

Connections

London Buses route W14 This is a list of Transport for London (TfL) contracted bus routes in London, England, as well as commercial services that enter the Greater London area (except coaches). Bus services in London are operated by Abellio London, Arriva London, G ...

serves the station.

Gallery

File:Snaresbrook tube station (1).jpg, Alternative entrance via footbridge File:Snaresbrook station look north.JPG, Looking north ("eastbound") File:Snaresbrook tube station (3).jpg, Looking south ("westbound") File:Snaresbrook stn roundel.JPG, Roundel on the westbound platform File:Snaresbrook station concrete roundel.jpg, Concrete roundel on the eastbound platform

References

*London Underground Stations; David Leboff; Ian Allan; London; 1994 {{Central line navbox Tube stations in the London Borough of Redbridge Former Great Eastern Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1856 Central line (London Underground) stations London Underground Night Tube stations Proposed Chelsea-Hackney Line stations