City Road is a disused London Underground station in Islington

Islington

Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...

. It was one of the stations built when the City & South London Railway

City & South London Railway

The City and South London Railway was the first deep-level underground "tube" railway in the world, and the first major railway to use electric traction...

 (C&SLR) (now part of the Northern line

Northern Line

The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...

) opened its extension from Moorgate

Moorgate station

Moorgate station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground station on Moorgate in the City of London; it provides National Rail services by First Capital Connect for Hertford, Welwyn Garden City and Letchworth and also serves the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan Lines and...

 to Angel

Angel tube station

Angel tube station is a London Underground station in The Angel, Islington. It is on the Bank branch of the Northern Line, between Old Street and King's Cross St. Pancras stations. It is in Travelcard Zone 1. The tube stop serves as a portal to several Off West End, or fringe theatre, venues,...

 on 17 November 1901. It is located between Old Street

Old Street station

Old Street station is a central London National Rail and London Underground station located at the junction of Old Street and City Road just north of the City of London. It lies close to the border between the boroughs of Islington and Hackney...

 and Angel.

History

From the start, City Road station was little used, and discussions of its closure took place as early as 1908. However, the station remained open until 8 August 1922 when the C&SLR's northern section between Euston and Moorgate was closed to enable the diameter of the tunnels to be increased from 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in) to the Underground's standard diameter of 3.56 m (11 ft 8¼ in), so that larger and longer Standard Stock

London Underground Standard Stock

The Standard Stock title was applied to a variety of Tube stock built between 1923 and 1934, all of which shared the same basic characteristics, but with some detailed differences. This design is also sometimes referred to as 1923 Tube Stock or Pre 1938 Stock...

trains could be operated.

The low number of passengers using the station meant that the extension of the platform tunnels could not be justified on financial grounds, and the station remained closed when the line was reopened in 1924. The platforms were removed and the lift shaft was converted for use as a ventilation shaft. City Road was the only twin tunnel station of the C&SLR not to be reconstructed. During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the station was converted for use as an air-raid shelter.

The station building remained until the 1960s, when all but the structure immediately around the original lift shaft was demolished. Today little remains to indicate the site of the former station. At track level the short station tunnels remain visible from trains passing through.

External links

• London's Abandoned Tube Stations - City Road Includes underground photos. City Road station in 1915.