UK Transport Wiki
Advertisement
Royal Oak
Template:R-I Template:R-I Template:R-I Template:R-I
File:Royal Oak tube station Entrance.jpg
LocationWestbourne Green
Local authorityCity of Westminster
Managed byLondon Underground
Number of platforms2
Fare zone2

London Underground annual entry and exit
20051.382 million[1]
20061.612 million[2]
20071.545 million[3]
20081.83 million[4]

1871Opened (GWR & H&C)
1934Ended (GWR)
1970Transferred to London Transport
2009Started (Circle line)

Lists of stations*DLR
Template:Portal-inlineCoordinates: 51°31′09″N 0°11′17″W / 51.519167°N 0.188056°W / 51.519167; -0.188056

Royal Oak tube station is a station of the London Underground, on the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines, between Westbourne Park and Paddington stations.[5] The station is on Lord Hills Bridge and is in Travelcard Zone 2 for the London Underground. Although not heavily used at other times, the station is extremely busy during the annual Notting Hill Carnival.

The station opened on 30 October 1871,[6] although the Metropolitan Railway extension to Hammersmith had opened in 1864. It is close to the elevated Westway section of the A40 road. The station may be named after a nearby public house, "The Royal Oak"[7] (later "The Railway Tap" and now "The Porchester").

History[]

File:Earls Court, Studland Road, Bishops Road, Addison Road, Hammersmith, Kensington, North Pole, South Kensington, Uxbridge Road & Westbourne Park RJD 39.jpg

A 1911 Railway Clearing House map, showing the GWR main line from Paddington to Acton (yellow), the Hammersmith & City Railway (yellow and blue), and other railways in the vicinity of Royal Oak (right of upper centre)

The station[]

When the Great Western Railway (GWR) main line was first opened in June 1838, the first stop out of Paddington was at West Drayton,[8] Template:Convert/mi from Paddington.[9] Intermediate stations were opened over the years, and the first stop became progressively closer to Paddington: a station at Ealing Broadway (Template:Convert/mi from Paddington)[10] was opened in December 1838,[11] and one at Acton Main Line (Template:Convert/mi from Paddington)[12] in 1868.[11] In the meantime, the Hammersmith and City Railway had opened from Green Lane Junction (near the present Westbourne Park tube station) to Hammersmith on 13 June 1864, with the first stop on that route originally at Ladbroke Grove,[13] Template:Convert/mi out,[14] although one opened at Westbourne Park (Template:Convert/mi out)[15] in 1866.[16][17]

An agreement between the GWR and the Metropolitan Railway (who had co-owned the Hammersmith & City with the GWR since 1867)[18] came into force on 1 July 1868, although it did not become legal until the following year. Under the agreement, various improvements were to be made; these included the provision of a station at Royal Oak, and the reconstruction of Westbourne Park.[19] On 30 October 1871 the station at Royal Oak opened,[6][17][20] Template:Convert/chain out;[14] it was situated between Ranelagh Bridge and Lord Hills Bridge, and access was from the latter.[21] As originally built, it had three platform faces; one for down trains and two, each side of an island, for up trains.[21] It was served by both main line and Hammersmith & City trains, and, for over sixty years, this was the first stop out of Paddington for main line trains; it remains the first stop for Hammersmith & City services.

During the quadrupling of the Great Western Main Line (GWML) in 1878, a dive-under, known as Subway Tunnel, was constructed between Royal Oak and Westbourne Park. This was for Hammersmith & City services, allowing them to cross the main line without interfering with the flow of traffic; it was brought into use on 12 May 1878.[17] To accommodate the additional track of the main line, it was necessary to reduce Royal Oak station to two platform faces; the former down platform was removed (its track becoming the up main), and the southern of the two former up platforms became the down platform.[22]

Trains along the GWML ceased to call at Royal Oak from 1 October 1934,[23] but the Hammersmith & City service remained.[24] Ownership of the station was not transferred to London Transport until 1 January 1970.[25] The first GWML stop out of Paddington is now Acton Main Line.

Ranelagh Bridge depot[]

There had been a locomotive depot at Westbourne Park since 1855, which was replaced by the Old Oak Common depot in 1906.[26] To avoid the need for locomotives to make the Template:Convert/mi round trip from Paddington just to be turned, coaled and watered, a small maintenance facility for locomotives was constructed on the southern side of the line, directly opposite Royal Oak station, which occupied part of the site of Westbourne Lodge and its grounds. It was known as Ranelagh Bridge depot, and opened in 1907.[27] There was a turntable, a water tower, a coaling stage and sidings where about 15 locomotives could be held awaiting their next trip west.[28] The turntable was removed in April 1964, and the depot facilities were altered to suit Diesel locomotives; the depot closed in 1980.[29]

Royal Oak Portal[]

Currently under construction to the North of the Hammersmith and City Line, immediately West of Royal Oak Underground Station, Royal Oak Portal is the Western tunnel entrance for the Crossrail scheme to link East and West London by main-line railway. The station itself is not part of the Crossrail scheme.

In popular culture[]

Template:Unreferenced section

  • The station appears in the 2006 film Kidulthood.
  • Lord Hills Bridge is mentioned in the song "Nature Springs" on the album The Good, The Bad & The Queen.

Gallery[]

Notes[]

  1. Template:Citation London Underground performance exits 2003 to 2011
  2. Template:Citation London Underground performance exits 2003 to 2011
  3. Template:Citation London Underground performance exits 2003 to 2011
  4. Template:Citation London Underground performance exits 2003 to 2011
  5. Template:Harvnb
  6. 6.0 6.1 Template:Harvnb
  7. Template:Harvnb
  8. Template:Harvnb
  9. Template:Harvnb
  10. Template:Harvnb
  11. 11.0 11.1 Template:Harvnb
  12. Template:Harvnb
  13. Template:Harvnb
  14. 14.0 14.1 Template:Harvnb
  15. Template:Harvnb
  16. Template:Harvnb
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 Template:Harvnb
  18. Template:Harvnb
  19. Template:Harvnb
  20. Template:Harvnb
  21. 21.0 21.1 Template:Harvnb
  22. Template:Harvnb
  23. Template:Harvnb
  24. Template:Harvnb
  25. Template:Harvnb
  26. Template:Harvnb
  27. Template:Harvnb
  28. Template:Harvnb
  29. Template:Harvnb

References[]

  • Baker, S.K. [1977] (April 2007). Rail Atlas Great Britain & Ireland, 11th, Hersham: Oxford Publishing Co. 0704/K. ISBN 978 0 86093 602 2. 
  • Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. R508. ISBN 1 85260 508 1. 
  • Croome, Desmond F. (2003). The Circle Line: An Illustrated History. Harrow Weald: Capital Transport. ISBN 1 85414 267 4. 
  • Harris, Cyril M. [1977] (2006). What's in a name?, 4th, Harrow Weald: Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-241-0. 
  • Lyons, E.T. [1972] (1974). An Historical Survey of Great Western Engine Sheds 1947. Headington: Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 0 902888 16 1. 
  • MacDermot, E.T. (1927). History of the Great Western Railway, vol. I: 1833-1863. Paddington: Great Western Railway. 
  • MacDermot, E.T. (1931). History of the Great Western Railway, vol. II: 1863-1921. Paddington: Great Western Railway. 
  • (January 2000) Paddington to Ealing, Western Main Lines. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 1 901706 37 0. 
  • (April 2002) Paddington to Princes Risborough, Western Main Lines. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 1 901706 81 8. 
  • Peacock, Thomas B. [1968] (1970). Great Western London Suburban Services, 2nd, Locomotion Papers, Oakwood Press. LP48. 

Transport links[]

London bus routes 18, 36 and night route N18.

External links[]

Terminus {{{{{system}}} lines|{{{line}}}}} Terminus
towards [[Template:S-line/LUL left/Circle tube station|Template:S-line/LUL left/Circle]]
Circle line
towards [[Template:S-line/LUL right/Circle tube station|Template:S-line/LUL right/Circle]]
Hammersmith & City line
towards [[Template:S-line/LUL right/Hammersmith & City tube station|Template:S-line/LUL right/Hammersmith & City]]


Template:Use dmy dates

ar:رويال أوك (محطة مترو أنفاق لندن) de:Royal Oak (London Underground) fr:Royal Oak (métro de Londres) gan:羅夭厄站 it:Royal Oak (Metropolitana di Londra) ka:როიალ ოუკი (მეტროსადგური) nl:Royal Oak (metrostation) no:Royal Oak undergrunnsstasjon ru:Ройал Оук (станция метро)

Advertisement