Ghost station

The London Underground is busy, frenetic, teeming with life, noisy and crowded.

But not this Tube station, which was one of a number which were closed down, forgotten by time, left to its own ghostly eeriness and wiped from the map.

Aldwych – once known as Strand station – was shut for good in 1994 after years of declining passenger numbers.

It was an offshoot of the Piccadilly line and didn’t go any further. Nearby stations including Temple and Covent Garden offered connections to other parts of the city.

The station now holds a tantalising glimpse into a subterranean world which is an empty vessel of tunnels, platforms, lift shafts and a 160-step descent beneath London.

Stringy stalactites hang from the roofs and a damp chill pervades the depths.

A Tube train from 1972 sits on one of the empty platforms, harking back to the days when there was a carriage where smoking was permitted – unimaginable today.

Explicit, vintage graffiti can be spotted on the tiles, while the walls are adorned with wartime posters, as Aldwych is used as a handy period film set.

It’s also an occasional tourist attraction for Londoners as well as visitors wanting a taste of the Tube which isn’t going to be modernised – not ever.

With around 30 people in each tour group, the sense of ghostliness is tempered by the sound of shuffling feet and knowledgeable guides who know the station’s story inside out.

Everyone is busy capturing the lost Underground on their cameras, but this isn’t an opportunity that comes around very often. You’ll wait a long time for a train at Aldwych station…

Click first image to view the gallery

Tags: abandoned station, Aldywch, architecture, disused station, ghost station, London, London Underground, photography, Piccadilly line, platforms, secret station, shafts, stalactites, Strand station, Tube, Tube station, tunnels

21 thoughts on “Ghost station”

Cindy on February 14, 2015 at 18:53 said:

Superb! We went on one of the tours when they first started…..just brilliant. I loved the ghostly, abandoned feel of the place. Love your photos.

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- mikeosbornphoto on February 19, 2015 at 18:34 said:
  
  Thank you Cindy. A very informative tour, but it’s a shame the groups aren’t smaller. A little more imagination is required to make the ghostly leap!
  
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Noeline Smith on February 11, 2015 at 11:33 said:

Fabulously atmospheric images – and what an opportunity!

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- mikeosbornphoto on February 19, 2015 at 18:35 said:
  
  Thank you very much, Noeline! Indeed, great to have the chance to see the station.
  
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ckponderings on February 9, 2015 at 17:02 said:

Lucky so-and-so! I was too late to get tickets for the tour! :( Some great shots too!!

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- mikeosbornphoto on February 9, 2015 at 20:19 said:
  
  Thanks Richard! It was worth the expense although a leap of imagination was required to conjure up its ghostliness.
  
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  - ckponderings on February 10, 2015 at 06:43 said:
    
    Haha… Tourist ghostly, then?
    
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    - mikeosbornphoto on February 10, 2015 at 08:18 said:
      
      With far too many people about you, yes. But still worth doing!
      
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biankonera on February 8, 2015 at 21:35 said:

Such a fascinating series. Love the mood of these photos.

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- mikeosbornphoto on February 8, 2015 at 22:54 said:
  
  Thank you :) I’m glad you like it. There’s something intriguing about the abandoned.
  
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  - biankonera on February 9, 2015 at 16:50 said:
    
    Oh most definitely! I will have to look for some interesting tour like that when I go to London in spring.
    
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judithbarrow1 on February 8, 2015 at 16:27 said:

Reblogged this on Barrow Blogs.

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Caz on February 8, 2015 at 15:46 said:

Great post. Love the images – you could easily believe you were there alone! And now I want to take a tour of an abandoned underground station even more than I did before…

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- mikeosbornphoto on February 8, 2015 at 16:15 said:
  
  Thanks so much, Caz! Yes, it wasn’t that easy to convey the impression that I had the place to myself – now that would really be something. It’s worth keeping an eye on The Londonist which is where I was alerted to the latest batch of tours.
  
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Andy Townend on February 8, 2015 at 10:28 said:

Mike, this is awesome, first because the photos are up to your usual standard, second to discover that visits are organised and third because this brings back great memories of actually using that station when I was a student at King’s next door!! Also reminds me of the old “Museum” station that can be glimpsed on the Central Line. Bought a book a few years back which tells many stories about underground London

http://www.amazon.com/Underground-London-Travels-Beneath-Streets/dp/0349115656/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423391321&sr=8-1&keywords=underground+london

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- mikeosbornphoto on February 8, 2015 at 11:13 said:
  
  Many thanks Andy, glad you enjoyed it and memories of using the station as a mere slip of a student were revived! There are a fair few other ghost stations but I’m unsure as to whether they’re opened up to the public. And the book looks fascinating! The older I get, the more I wallow in nostalgia :)
  
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  - Andy Townend on February 8, 2015 at 13:53 said:
    
    Well the Aldwych tour is now on my bucket list!
    
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Claire Edwards on February 8, 2015 at 09:54 said:

Looks fascinating, you captured it brilliantly, very haunting images Mike.

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- mikeosbornphoto on February 8, 2015 at 10:00 said:
  
  Many thanks, Claire, it was certainly eerie – especially if you could imagine being there on your own at night with the lights down :-///
  
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iosatel on February 8, 2015 at 09:30 said:

Great series!

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- mikeosbornphoto on February 8, 2015 at 09:35 said:
  
  Thank you very much! It was quite an excursion.
  
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