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Quiz about Ghost Stations on the London Underground
Quiz about Ghost Stations on the London Underground

'Ghost' Stations on the London Underground Quiz


All aboard for a whistle-stop tour of some of the 'ghost' or abandoned stations on the London Underground ('Tube') network. Remember to keep your eyes peeled!

A multiple-choice quiz by crazy baby. Estimated time: 8 mins.
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Author
crazy baby
Time
8 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
350,570
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
414
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. One of the most prominent and well preserved closed Tube stations is Aldwych, near the famous Royal Courts of Justice. The station opened in 1907 on a branch line from nearby Holborn station. However, low passenger numbers jeopardised the future of Aldwych Station as early as 1917. It was closed for good in 1994 - and only a lucky few have been inside since.

Bearing in mind that this was the only station on a branch line from Holborn, which London Underground line served Aldwych Station?
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Unfortunately, not all former Tube stations remain so wonderfully intact: some simply have new uses, others have had their surface-level buildings demolished, and some have had all the evidence they ever existed removed.

One such station is King William Street. Opened in 1890, King William Street Station was served by the Northern line, and was the first 'deep level' station on the network. However, it failed to remain open for long: by February 1900, the station was closed. The surface building was demolished in 1930, although parts of its underground premises were used as air-raid shelters in World War 2. Today, there is no evidence it ever existed at ground level, and nothing can be seen from a passing train.

But why was King William Street Station, close to the present Monument Station, closed so soon after opening?
Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Some 'abandoned' stations have not altogether disappeared from use. Some names, such as Stockwell, Shepherd's Bush, and Aldgate East still appear on the Tube map today, but are not the original stations. Some stations are merely resited, the new station is called the same name, and the original station is demolished.

One other such station is Swiss Cottage. It opened as a Metropolitan line station in 1868, but due to increasing congestion a second Swiss Cottage station, on the Bakerloo line, was opened alongside it in 1939. They operated as one station until 1940, when the original Metropolitan line Swiss Cottage Station was closed due to wartime economising efforts, and eventually demolished.

Services continued at the new Swiss Cottage on the Bakerloo until 1979, when services transferred to which Underground line?

Answer: (One Word - the Royal line?)
Question 4 of 10
4. British Museum Station (1900-1933) closed when Central line platforms opened nearby at Holborn. Its surface building remained, however, until 1989, when it was demolished to make way for a new bank building. Like many other deep-level stations it was put to use as a wartime shelter, but the platforms were removed and little remains to be seen today.

It has always had a reputation for being haunted; some sources claim that a newspaper offered a reward for anyone willing to spend the night there, shortly before its closure. No-one took them up on their offer. What exactly was the station said to be haunted by?
Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The London Underground network once reached as far as Windsor, Aylesbury, Slough and Southend.


Question 6 of 10
6. When going about London, keep your eyes peeled - there are still plenty of former Tube stations to be seen! Easily the most recognisable of these were designed by Leslie Green in the early 20th century, and have a distinctive ox-blood red glazed terracotta brick facade. Many stations of his design remain fully functioning, such as Russell Square Station. Three of the following Green stations are now defunct but can still be seen on the street, but one is still open - which one? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Occasionally, if you are lucky, you may catch a glimpse of an abandoned station as you pass by in a speeding train. They are not easy to spot in the darkness, but they are there if you know where to look. Travelling between Tottenham Court Road and Holborn on the Central line, you may see patches of dirty, graffiti-covered white tiles. Which former station have you just seen the remains of?

Answer: (Two Words - also a nearby attraction)
Question 8 of 10
8. It may seem wasteful that so much space underground (and sometimes overground too) is left empty when a station reaches the end of its career. Some closed stations are put to other uses once they are no longer open as stations. Which of the following statements is incorrect about station 'reincarnations'? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Occasionally stations are built, or partially completed, and never open even for a day. North End Station is one such station. Construction began in 1903 as the Northern Line was extended beyond Hampstead. However, ecological concerns, as well as concerns over low nearby populations of train users, caused building to halt in 1906. The tunnels had been bored, the lift shafts sunk, and stairs built, but no platforms or surface building were in existence.

Though officially known as North End, it soon gained a nickname from London Underground staff after a nearby pub. What was the station known as?
Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Whilst complete station closures are relatively rare, station name changes have occurred frequently in Tube history. Hampstead, Archway, Barbican, and Arsenal stations are all example of stations previously known by other names. In some cases these former names are still visible in the platform tiling - Arsenal Station still very clearly says "Gillespie Road" on its platform walls.

Bond Street Station has always been known as such, but in 1909 a proposition to link it to a nearby department store via a subway and rename it after the store was made. Local opposition soon quashed the proposition, but if the plans had been followed through, what would Bond Street Station have been renamed?

Answer: (one word, no punctuation. Think Oxford Streets most famous store)

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. One of the most prominent and well preserved closed Tube stations is Aldwych, near the famous Royal Courts of Justice. The station opened in 1907 on a branch line from nearby Holborn station. However, low passenger numbers jeopardised the future of Aldwych Station as early as 1917. It was closed for good in 1994 - and only a lucky few have been inside since. Bearing in mind that this was the only station on a branch line from Holborn, which London Underground line served Aldwych Station?

Answer: Piccadilly

The Aldwych station started life in 1907 with 2 platforms. However, by 1917 one platform had been taken out of use due to low passenger numbers (Temple station is very close by), effectively reducing the Aldwych-Holborn branch line to a shuttle service. In 1994 the station was permanently closed, as passenger numbers dwindled further and the cost of replacing the lifts was deemed not cost effective.

Since its closure, Aldwych Station has hosted several movie and music video filmings, including The Prodigy's 'Firestarter' video. Interestingly the station was originally called 'Strand', but changed its name to Aldwych when Charing Cross Station was renamed 'Strand'.
2. Unfortunately, not all former Tube stations remain so wonderfully intact: some simply have new uses, others have had their surface-level buildings demolished, and some have had all the evidence they ever existed removed. One such station is King William Street. Opened in 1890, King William Street Station was served by the Northern line, and was the first 'deep level' station on the network. However, it failed to remain open for long: by February 1900, the station was closed. The surface building was demolished in 1930, although parts of its underground premises were used as air-raid shelters in World War 2. Today, there is no evidence it ever existed at ground level, and nothing can be seen from a passing train. But why was King William Street Station, close to the present Monument Station, closed so soon after opening?

Answer: The Northern line was re-routed in order to be extended

King William Street Station was the original northern terminus of the Northern line, which extended south to Stockwell. However, increasing usage of the Underground soon meant that this short line needed extending up to Bank, Moorgate, and beyond.

When the original Northern line had been built, construction was not allowed to take place underneath buildings, and so the tracks had to follow the course of the roads above. This of course caused there to be several sharp corners in the track, which the cumbersome early trains struggled to cope with; additionally, the original track from Borough station to King William Street meant any extension north would not be in alignment with King William Street. To solve this, the station was closed and a new track laid from Borough to Monument, Bank and beyond. London Bridge station was created at this point, and King William Street was obliterated from the streets of London shortly after.
3. Some 'abandoned' stations have not altogether disappeared from use. Some names, such as Stockwell, Shepherd's Bush, and Aldgate East still appear on the Tube map today, but are not the original stations. Some stations are merely resited, the new station is called the same name, and the original station is demolished. One other such station is Swiss Cottage. It opened as a Metropolitan line station in 1868, but due to increasing congestion a second Swiss Cottage station, on the Bakerloo line, was opened alongside it in 1939. They operated as one station until 1940, when the original Metropolitan line Swiss Cottage Station was closed due to wartime economising efforts, and eventually demolished. Services continued at the new Swiss Cottage on the Bakerloo until 1979, when services transferred to which Underground line?

Answer: Jubilee

The Jubilee line opened in 1979, following the Silver Jubilee of 1977. The Jubilee line services took over the Stanmore branch of the Bakerloo line, including serving Swiss Cottage station, and continues to do so until this day.

Interestingly, Swiss Cottage Station was so called after a nearby Alpine-themed pub called the Swiss Cottage. It (or a replacement) still stands, sticking out like a sore thumb against its urban surroundings!
4. British Museum Station (1900-1933) closed when Central line platforms opened nearby at Holborn. Its surface building remained, however, until 1989, when it was demolished to make way for a new bank building. Like many other deep-level stations it was put to use as a wartime shelter, but the platforms were removed and little remains to be seen today. It has always had a reputation for being haunted; some sources claim that a newspaper offered a reward for anyone willing to spend the night there, shortly before its closure. No-one took them up on their offer. What exactly was the station said to be haunted by?

Answer: An Egyptian mummy

It was said that the Egyptian princess Amen-Ra could be heard screaming down the tunnels of the station, as she was associated with a mummies curse allegedly surrounding the British Museum. A film called Bulldog Jack was released in 1935 and is loosely based on these 'hauntings'.
5. The London Underground network once reached as far as Windsor, Aylesbury, Slough and Southend.

Answer: True

It's true, the London Underground lines (as they are now known, but were once owned by individual companies) once stretched as far as the coast, and well in to the surrounding counties. They were shortlived, though - the Windsor service ceased in 1885 due to low usage, whilst others were cut back as war time measures took hold, only to never be restarted.

Many of these lines are now covered by National Rail services, with little to show of their former lives. Even so, the current Tube network still reaches into Middlesex, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Essex.
6. When going about London, keep your eyes peeled - there are still plenty of former Tube stations to be seen! Easily the most recognisable of these were designed by Leslie Green in the early 20th century, and have a distinctive ox-blood red glazed terracotta brick facade. Many stations of his design remain fully functioning, such as Russell Square Station. Three of the following Green stations are now defunct but can still be seen on the street, but one is still open - which one?

Answer: Lambeth North

Though once called Kennington Road, Lambeth North is still a fully functioning, original Leslie Green station. The other three have long been closed, but the surface buildings remain instantly recognisable as Tube stations.

There are still plenty more examples of Green's fine architecture around London: look at Elephant & Castle Station, the old entrance to Hyde Park Corner Station, and Covent Garden Station too.
7. Occasionally, if you are lucky, you may catch a glimpse of an abandoned station as you pass by in a speeding train. They are not easy to spot in the darkness, but they are there if you know where to look. Travelling between Tottenham Court Road and Holborn on the Central line, you may see patches of dirty, graffiti-covered white tiles. Which former station have you just seen the remains of?

Answer: British Museum

Because most of the abandoned stations have had their platforms and tiles removed, their tunnels bricked up, and well...it's pretty dark down there - you rarely see much at all. However, as I said, if you know where to look...
8. It may seem wasteful that so much space underground (and sometimes overground too) is left empty when a station reaches the end of its career. Some closed stations are put to other uses once they are no longer open as stations. Which of the following statements is incorrect about station 'reincarnations'?

Answer: St Mary's (Whitechapel Road) became an art gallery

The Whitechapel Gallery is next door to the current Whitechapel Station - St Mary's (Whitechapel Road) was further down the road towards Aldgate East. The station was closed in 1938 and was used as a wartime shelter. However, bomb damage in 1940 subsequently called for its demolition entirely.

The former East London Underground line has now been taken over by extensions to the London Overground network. After over 100 years in service, the line was shut in 2007, upgrades and repairs made, and was reopened as part of the Overground network in 2010. Today, it continues to follow the route made by the world's first underwater tunnel, the Thames Tunnel, engineered by the wonderful Isambard Kingdom Brunel - it was meant for horse carriages, not trains!

Many stations were converted to wartime shelters, but Down Street was the location of choice for Churchill and his Cabinet. Similarly, treasures from the British Museum,, such as the Elgin marbles, were indeed stored in the Aldwych tunnels during the war. Today, nothing more exciting than traffic cones and road signs are stored down there.
9. Occasionally stations are built, or partially completed, and never open even for a day. North End Station is one such station. Construction began in 1903 as the Northern Line was extended beyond Hampstead. However, ecological concerns, as well as concerns over low nearby populations of train users, caused building to halt in 1906. The tunnels had been bored, the lift shafts sunk, and stairs built, but no platforms or surface building were in existence. Though officially known as North End, it soon gained a nickname from London Underground staff after a nearby pub. What was the station known as?

Answer: Bull & Bush

Secret documents were stored here during the war, and later became an integral part of the City's civil and flood defences. A surface building was added in the 1950's to provide access to the underground structures, but no passenger ever visited here.

The line extension continued without the Bull & Bush station. If it had survived, it would stand between Hampstead and Golders Green Stations today.
10. Whilst complete station closures are relatively rare, station name changes have occurred frequently in Tube history. Hampstead, Archway, Barbican, and Arsenal stations are all example of stations previously known by other names. In some cases these former names are still visible in the platform tiling - Arsenal Station still very clearly says "Gillespie Road" on its platform walls. Bond Street Station has always been known as such, but in 1909 a proposition to link it to a nearby department store via a subway and rename it after the store was made. Local opposition soon quashed the proposition, but if the plans had been followed through, what would Bond Street Station have been renamed?

Answer: Selfridges

Harry Selfridge wanted to link Bond Street Station to his famous department store, and rename the station. The original Charles Holden architecture is sadly no longer seen here: instead, the station is situated inside the West One shopping centre on Oxford Street.
Source: Author crazy baby

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