Goodge Street tube station

Location

The station is on the western side of Tottenham Court Road, a short distance north of the junction with Goodge Street. It is one of three stations that directly serve the Fitzrovia area, the others being Warren Street and Great Portland Street.

History

It was opened on 22 June 1907 as Tottenham Court Road by the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway, but changed to the present name on 9 March 1908 before an interchange was built between the previously separate (and differently named) Northern line and Central line stations at the present Tottenham Court Road station. Goodge Street is named after John Goodge, who developed the land in the early 18th-century.

Deep-level air-raid shelter

Goodge Street has a Second World War deep-level air-raid shelter underneath it, and is one of eight such stations.{{cite book From August 1943 until the end of the Second World War the Goodge Street shelter was used by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) as an alternative headquarters to Norfolk House and the offices on Grosvenor Square, to be used in the event of successful bombing or rocket attack on those locations. The shelter has two entrances, one on Chenies Street (pictured below) and the other on Tottenham Court Road next to the American International Church.

In the invasion preparations, Goodge Street station was used only as a signals installation by the United States Army Signal Corps. It was one of a number of signals installations for communications in and around London. Among these installations were SHAEF headquarters at 20 Grosvenor Square and the basement of the Selfridges department store on Oxford Street; both buildings exist today.

After the war the shelters were used as a hostel that could accommodate up to 8,000 troops. Goodge Street continued in use as an army transit centre until it was damaged by fire on the night of 21 May 1956. The fire coincided with Parliamentary consideration of a Government Bill seeking power to take over the shelters (The Underground Works [London] Bill) and the Minister of Works assured the Commons they would not again be used for human occupation in peacetime (although no one was killed, the fire had caused some alarm and proved difficult to put out). Another fire, on 21 June 1981, caused by burning rubbish, killed a man and injured 16 people, and resulted in a recommendation of a smoking ban on the Underground. There was a tardy response with London Transport finally introducing a one-year trial smoking ban on 9 July 1984. Almost halfway through the trial a major fire occurred at Oxford Circus, resulting in a full smoking ban on all subterranean stations and Underground trains.

Design

It is one of the few tube stations that still rely on lifts rather than escalators to transport passengers to and from street level. In addition, it is one of the few such tube stations that still use the original scheme of separate exit and entrance areas. Alternatively, passengers can use the 138-step staircase to get down to the platforms. The surface building was designed by the Underground Electric Railways Company of London's (UERL's) architect Leslie Green.

Services

Goodge Street station is on the Charing Cross branch of the Northern line in London fare zone 1. It is between Warren Street to the north and Tottenham Court Road to the south. Train frequencies vary throughout the day, but generally operate every 3–7 minutes in both directions.

Connections

Day and nighttime London Buses routes serve the station.

In popular culture

The station appeared in the 1942 feature film Gert and Daisy's Weekend. The former shelter is the setting for much of the 1968 Doctor Who serial The Web of Fear.

The station is the setting of the song "Sunny Goodge Street", from the 1965 album Fairytale by singer-songwriter Donovan. The station exterior also appeared in the 2005 music video for "Believe" by The Chemical Brothers.

Gallery

image:Goodge Street stn northbound.JPG|Northbound platform looking south before refurbishment image:Goodge Street stn southbound.JPG|Southbound platform looking north before refurbishment image:Goodge Street Northbound platform.jpg|Northbound platform looking north after refurbishment image:Goodge Street stn roundel.JPG|Station roundel Image:GoodgeStreetDeepLevelShelter.jpg|One entrance to Goodge Street deep-level shelter Image:Goodge Street ticket area.jpg|Ticket hall

References

References

1. {{cite map/Standard Tube Map
2. Forgotten Stations of Greater Londonby J.E.Connor and B.Halford
3. Chronology of London Railways by H.V.Borley
4. (1949). "Survey of London: Volume 21, the Parish of St Pancras Part 3: Tottenham Court Road and Neighbourhood". London County Council.
5. (2012). "Underground: How the Tube shaped London". Allen Lane.
6. "Tube Facts – Tube Stations that have no escalators and use lifts to get down to the platforms & Tube Stations with steps".
7. "Northern line timetable: From Goodge Street Underground Station to Warren Street Underground Station".
8. "Northern line timetable: From Goodge Street Underground Station to Tottenham Court Road Underground Station".
9. (June 2022). "Buses from Goodge Street".
10. (June 2022). "Night buses from Goodge Street".
11. [http://www.nickcooper.org.uk/subterra/lu/lufilmtv/lufandtv.htm The London Underground in Films and Televisions (Real Stations – Portrayals)]
12. Dialogue in the story mentions the shelter's former use in the Second World War, and the exit in Chenies Street.[http://www.nickcooper.org.uk/subterra/lu/lufilmtv/dwtwof.htm Doctor Who – The Web of Fear (03/02-09/03/68 BBC1)]