The disused tube station at Aldwych on the Strand closed nearly twenty years ago, but there’s several videos online showing what life was like on the short branch.
The terminus of a short branch off the Piccadilly line and opening as The Strand station in November 1907, the service never proved particularly popular, with the double track branch being reduced to single line operation in 1918.
The station closed during WW2 and was used as an air raid shelter and safe storage for precious artefacts from the British Museum including the Elgin Marbles.
[Station entrance, Jan 2002]
Reopening in 1946, the end finally came in September 1994 when the cost of a lift replacement (estimated at between £3-5 million) was deemed uneconomic for the 600 or so daily passengers.
Read more about the line’s history here:
Aldwych tube station. Disused underground branch terminus on the Strand, central London
Aldwych station videos:
This excellent short video was made by a student at Bournemouth University a few years ago, and takes you on a visual journey through the abandoned Aldwych station.
BBC feature from Sept 2010:
http://youtu.be/SSRz1EmtfqY
Piccadilly Line Aldwych Branch – A Film by Fred Ivey:
Prototype Tube Stock ride to Aldwych, London – one for the more spoddy types:
Chat about the old station on the urban75 forums: Disused Aldwych tube station, London
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