Belsize Park tube station

London Underground station

Belsize Park is located in Greater London
Belsize Park
Belsize Park
Location of Belsize Park in Greater London
LocationBelsize ParkLocal authorityLondon Borough of CamdenManaged byLondon UndergroundNumber of platforms2Fare zone2London Underground annual entry and exit2018Decrease 5.78 million[1]2019Decrease 5.68 million[2]2020Decrease 2.77 million[3]2021Decrease 2.61 million[4]2022Increase 4.59 million[5]Railway companiesOriginal companyCharing Cross, Euston and Hampstead RailwayKey dates22 June 1907Station openedListed statusListing gradeIIEntry number1401089[6]Added to list20 July 2011; 12 years ago (2011-07-20)Other informationExternal links
  • TfL station info page
Coordinates51°33′01″N 0°09′52″W / 51.55028°N 0.16444°W / 51.55028; -0.16444 London transport portal

Belsize Park is a London Underground station in Belsize Park, north-west London. It is on the Edgware branch of the Northern line, between Hampstead and Chalk Farm stations, and is in Travelcard Zone 2. It stands at the northern end of Haverstock Hill. In July 2011 it became a Grade II listed building.[7]

The Royal Free Hospital is located a short distance to the north of the station.

It is the only London Underground station with the letter ‘z’ in its name.

History

Station entrance in 1960

The station was opened on 22 June 1907 by the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway as an intermediate station on its line from Charing Cross to Golders Green. It is served by three lifts which descend 33.2 metres (109 ft) to the platforms. The platforms can also be reached by stairs; there are 219 steps according to the sign in the station.

The station was designed by Leslie Green in "Modern Style" and has his familiar facade of ox-blood faience with five round arched windows.[8] It remained largely untouched until the late 1980s when the lifts were replaced and a new ticketing system installed.

It was previously the site of the Trewint Industrial Home for Girls.[9]

Deep-level air-raid shelter

Belsize Park deep level shelter

Belsize Park is one of eight London Underground stations which have deep-level air-raid shelters underneath them.[10] The shelter was constructed in World War II to provide safe accommodation for service personnel. Entrances to the shelter are at the junction of Haverstock Hill and Downside Crescent and off Haverstock Hill.

Connections

London Buses routes 168 and C11 and night route N5 serve the station.

In Popular Culture

The staircase at Belsize Park tube station is the scene of the eponymous homicide in Mavis Doriel Hay's 1934 murder mystery novel Murder Underground.[11] The station also appears in the Coldplay pop video for the song "Paradise".

References

  1. ^ "Station Usage Data" (CSV). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2018. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  6. ^ Historic England. "Belsize Park Underground Station including forecourt walls, gatepiers, gates and railings (1401089)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  7. ^ "16 London Underground Stations Listed at Grade II". English Heritage. 26 July 2011. Archived from the original on 14 September 2011.
  8. ^ "London Underground By Design by Mark Ovenden – review". The Guardian. 3 February 2013.
  9. ^ "Trewint Industrial Home, London and Kent". www.childrenshomes.org.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  10. ^ Emmerson, Andrew; Beard, Tony (2004). London's Secret Tubes. London: Capital Transport Publishing. ISBN 1-85414-283-6.
  11. ^ Hay, Mavis Doriel (1934). Murder Underground. London: British Library Crime Classics. ISBN 978-0-7123-5725-8.

Gallery

Belsize Park tube station
  • Northbound platform looking north
    Northbound platform looking north
  • Southbound platform looking south
    Southbound platform looking south
  • Roundel on northbound platform
    Roundel on northbound platform
  • Original tiling on northbound platform
    Original tiling on northbound platform
  • Standard design was also employed when an outside door was part of the build for access to the upper floor(s). A triangular pediment above the doorway and fanlight were the norm.
    Standard design was also employed when an outside door was part of the build for access to the upper floor(s). A triangular pediment above the doorway and fanlight were the norm.
  • The cartouche employed at Belsize Park as a decorative touch along the first floor level is an identical design to those at Hampstead.
    The cartouche employed at Belsize Park as a decorative touch along the first floor level is an identical design to those at Hampstead.
  • The complete design in the repeated platform frieze. As part of the station upgrade the platform tiling was replaced although the tone of the new tiles is darker than the originals.
    The complete design in the repeated platform frieze. As part of the station upgrade the platform tiling was replaced although the tone of the new tiles is darker than the originals.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Belsize Park tube station.
  • "Photographic Archive". London Transport Museum. Archived from the original on 18 March 2008.
    • Station exterior, 1925
    • Ticket hall, 1927
  • "Visit to Belsize Park deep level shelter". Subterranea Britannica. Archived from the original on 5 June 2001.
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 Chalk Farm
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