Goodge Street tube station

Goodge Street /ˈɡuːdʒ/ is a London Underground station on Tottenham Court Road of the London Borough of Camden. It is on the Northern line between Tottenham Court Road and Warren Street stations and is in Travelcard Zone 1.

History

It was opened on 22 June 1907 by the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway as Tottenham Court Road but changed to the present name on 3 September 1908 when an interchange was built between the previously separate (and differently named) Northern and Central line stations at the present Tottenham Court Road. Goodge Street station changed its name on the same date.

Design

It is one of the few tube stations that still rely on lifts rather than escalators to transport passengers to and from street level. In addition, it is one of the few tube stations with lifts to use the original scheme of separate exit and entrance areas. Alternatively, passengers can use the 136-step staircase to get down to the platforms.

Although the station is extremely busy at peak times, the flow is very one-sided. Few people enter the station when the majority are exiting and vice versa, and four lifts, full when travelling in one direction, often return with few people in them.

Deep-level Air-raid Shelter

Goodge Street is one of eight London Underground stations which has a World War II deep-level air-raid shelter underneath it. From late 1943 until the end of World War II, the Goodge Street shelter was used by SHAEF /ˈʃeɪf/ the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force. The shelter has two entrances — one on Chenies Street (pictured below) and the other on Tottenham Court Road next to the American International Church.

In the invasion preparations, the Goodge Street Station was used only as a signals installation by the Signal Corps of the US Army. It was one of a number of signals installations for communications in and around London. Among the installations were SHAEF headquarters at 20 Grosvenor Square and the basement of Selfridge's Department store on Oxford Street. Both buildings exist today.

After the war the shelters were used as a hostel that could accommodate up to 8000 troops.

Services and connections

Train frequencies vary throughout the day but generally operate every 3-7 minutes between 05:54 and 00:43 in both directions.

London Bus routes 10, 14, 24, 29, 73, 134 and 390, and night routes N5, N20, N29, N73, N253 and N279 serve the station. Furthermore, bus routes 10, 14, 24, 134 and 390 provide a 24-hour bus service.

In popular culture

The station appeared in the 1942 feature film Gert and Daisy's Weekend. The former shelter is the setting for much of the 1968 Doctor Who serial The Web of Fear. Dialogue in the story mentions the shelter's former use in World War II, and the exit in Chenies Street.

The station is the setting of the song "Sunny Goodge Street" from the 1965 album Fairytale by singer-songwriter Donovan. The station exterior also appeared in the 2005 music video Believe by The Chemical Brothers.

Gallery

• 

  Northbound platform looking south before refurbishment

• 

  Southbound platform looking north before refurbishment

• 

  Station platform roundel

• 

  One entrance to Goodge Street deep-level shelter

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  Ticket hall

External links

• London Transport Museum Photographic Archive
  • Goodge Street station, 1925
• More photographs of Goodge Street station

Preceding station		London Underground		Following station
Tottenham Court Road towards Kennington or Morden (via Charing Cross)		Northern line Charing Cross Branch		Warren Street towards Edgware, Mill Hill East or High Barnet