St. Paul's tube station

St. Paul's tube station is a London Underground station in the City of London on the Central Line, between Bank and Chancery Lane stations, and is in Travelcard Zone 1.

The station should not be confused with City Thameslink station which opened in 1990 as St Paul's Thameslink, but is some distance from the underground station. That station was subsequently renamed City Thameslink to avoid confusion for the emergency services, but for years afterwards many maps and guidebooks in circulation continued to carry the earlier name.

History
The station was opened by the Central London Railway (CLR) on 30 July 1900 with the name Post Office, after the headquarters of the General Post Office on St Martin's le Grand. The station name was possibly chosen instead of the more obvious St Paul's to differentiate it from a South Eastern Railway station of that name (now Blackfriars station).

The station entrance was originally located on the north side of Newgate Street, on the west side of the junction with King Edward Street, but was moved to the east when the station was modernised in the 1930s with a below ground ticket hall and escalators. A modern ventilation shaft in the centre of the traffic island at the junction indicates the location of the original lift shafts. Post Office received its present name after the other St Paul's station was renamed to Blackfriars in 1937.

At the end of the 19th century, Newgate Street was a narrow road with some of its mediaeval character remaining. To reduce land purchase and compensation payments, the CLR routed its tunnels directly under public roads. At St Paul's the narrowness of the road required the tunnels to be placed one above the other with the westbound tunnel uppermost. The lifts originally operated to a level between the two platforms, with stairs up or down to the platforms as necessary. A high-level access passage way is visible at the lowest level leading to the disused lift lobby.

During the Second World War the Electricity Grid Control Room, for London and the Southeast, was housed below ground in the lift shaft. It was here that the first step was taken towards linking the various separate power systems into the National Grid system as we know it today.

The station today
The station entrances are located around the junction of Newgate Street, Cheapside and St Martin's le Grand and takes its current name from nearby St Paul's Cathedral, a short distance to the south. Visitors should note that the main entrance to the Cathedral is at its west end, a few minutes' walk away. The station is the nearest one to the London Stock Exchange and the recently-opened One New Change shopping centre.

Transport connections
London Buses routes 4, 8, 25, 56, 100, 172, 242 and 521 serve the station.