Elm Park tube station

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Elm Park London Underground
Entrance on The Broadway
Elm Park is located in Greater London
Elm Park
Elm Park
Location of Elm Park in Greater London
LocationElm Park
Local authorityLondon Borough of Havering
Managed byLondon Underground
Number of platforms2
AccessibleYes[2]
Fare zone6
London Underground annual entry and exit
2019Increase 3.14 million[3]
2020Decrease 2.01 million[4]
2021Decrease 1.41 million[5]
2022Increase 2.23 million[6]
2023Increase 2.54 million[7]
Railway companies
Original companyLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
13 May 1935Opened
1 January 1948Ownership transferred to British Railways
1 January 1969Ownership transferred to London Transport
Other information
External links
Coordinates51°32′57″N 0°12′01″E / 51.54920°N 0.20031°E / 51.54920; 0.20031[1]
London transport portal

Elm Park is a London Underground station in the Elm Park neighbourhood of the London Borough of Havering, East London. It is on the District line between Dagenham to the west and Hornchurch to the east. It is 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) along the line from the eastern terminus at Upminster and 20.7 kilometres (12.9 mi) from Tower Hill in Central London. The station was opened by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway on 13 May 1935 with an official opening ceremony on 18 May 1935. The station was refurbished by Metronet in 2005 and 2006. It was the last infill station on the London Underground until 2008. The station is of a similar design to those constructed at Dagenham Heathway and Upney. It is in London fare zone 6.

History

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The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway constructed a line from Barking to Pitsea through the Hornchurch area in 1885, with stations at Dagenham and Hornchurch.[8] The Whitechapel and Bow Railway opened in 1902 and allowed through services of the District Railway to operate to Upminster. The District converted to electric trains in 1905 and services were cut back to East Ham.[a] Delayed by World War I, electrified tracks were extended by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) to Upminster and through services resumed in 1932.[9][10][11] The District Railway was incorporated into London Transport in 1933, and became known as the District line.[12]

The infill station was provided from 13 May 1935 to serve the Elm Park Garden City development.[13][14] The developer, Richard Costain and Sons Ltd., negotiated with the LMS to have the station built on the existing line. It was officially opened by Hilton Young, Minister of Health on 18 May 1935 as part of a day of celebration.[15][16] The station was built to the designs of LMS architect William Henry Hamlyn, drawing inspiration from London Underground station architecture.[17] Electric train service was initially a train every 10 minutes at peak times and every 20 minutes off-peak.[18] The station was operated by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway but was only served by District line trains.[b][19][20]

Derek Wayman, a four year-old child from Elm Park Avenue, was electrocuted on the railway line near the station on 1 June 1935.[21] After nationalisation of the railways on 1 January 1948, management of the station was passed to British Railways.[22] On 1 January 1969 ownership transferred to the London Underground.[23] As part of the public–private partnership arrangement for maintenance of the London Underground, the station was refurbished by Metronet during 2005 and 2006.[24] The station was the last to be opened on an existing London Underground line (rather than as part of an extension or new line) until Wood Lane on the Hammersmith & City line in 2008.[25]

Design

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The ramp from the platforms to the ticket office

The station consists of a central island platform—numbered 1 for westbound and 2 for eastbound—between the tracks.[26] There are four tracks through the site although there are no platforms for the London, Tilbury and Southend line.[27] The platforms are 700 feet (210 m) in length with the 400 feet (120 m) section currently in operational use under a single canopy supported by a row of central columns.[27] There are central platform buildings, including a waiting room and public toilet.[27][28][29]

The Art Deco ticket office is located above platform level, to which it is connected by a long sloping walkway.[30] There is step-free access from the platform to the street.[2] The design is similar to stations at Dagenham Heathway and Upney, although the building has greater use of reinforced concrete which has created a more distinctive design with a curved roof overhang.[17]

Works from the 2005/6 refurbishment included provision of tactile strips and colour contrasted handrails for the visually impaired, installation of closed-circuit television cameras, passenger help points, new electronic departure information displays on the platforms, a new public address system and improved lighting.[24] In 2010 it was noted there were "no changes of substance" since opening.[27]

Location

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The westbound platform with the London, Tilbury and Southend line tracks to the right

The station is situated within the mid-1930s planned community of Elm Park.[14] The name was derived from Elm Farm, which is first recorded in 1777 and was known as Elms in 1883, around the time the railway was constructed through the area.[31] It is located on The Broadway in the London Borough of Havering. The immediate area is a busy, compact shopping district surrounded by extensive residential development to the north and south.[c] The station is served by London Buses routes 165, 252, 365 and 372.[33]

Hornchurch station is 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) to the east of the station and Dagenham East is 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) to the west. It is 20.7 kilometres (12.9 mi) along the line from Tower Hill in Central London and 4.0 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the eastern terminus at Upminster.[34]

Services

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The station is managed by London Underground.[35] It is in London fare zone 6. The typical off-peak service from the station is 12 District line trains per hour to Upminster and 12 to Earl's Court, of which six continue to Ealing Broadway and six continue to Richmond.[36] At peak periods the number of trains per hour increases to 15 and some trains continue from Earl's Court to Wimbledon.[36] Services towards Central London operate from approximately 05:00 to 23:45 and services to Upminster operate from approximately 06:00 to 01:30.[37] With 2.54 million entries and exits in 2023, it ranked 199th busiest London Underground station.[7]

Notes

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  1. ^ Electric service was extended to Barking on 1 April 1908.
  2. ^ The 1947 LMS timetable shows a single daily steam service to Fenchurch Street.
  3. ^ Elm Park is designated as a 'district centre' in the London Plan.[32]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ "Coordinates of London Underground stations (including Elizabeth Line stations)". Transport for London. 21 September 2018. Archived from the original on 8 May 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Step free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. April 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 April 2025.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Archived from the original on 6 April 2025. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  6. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2023. Transport for London. 8 August 2024. Archived from the original on 31 May 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  8. ^ Kay 1996, pp. 63–4.
  9. ^ "London, Tilbury and Southend Railway" (PDF), Local Studies Information Sheets, Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council, 2008, archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2015, retrieved 21 February 2016
  10. ^ Rose, Douglas (1999). The London Underground: A diagrammatic history (7 ed.). Douglas Rose. ISBN 1-85414-219-4.
  11. ^ Wolmar, Christian (2005). The Subterranean Railway: How the London Underground Was Built and How It Changed the City Forever. Atlantic Books. p. 268. ISBN 1-84354-023-1.
  12. ^ Horne 2019, p. 344.
  13. ^ Day, John Robert (2005). The Story of London's Underground. Capital Transport. ISBN 9791854142893.
  14. ^ a b Hipperson, Chris; Donoghue, Simon; Brandon, Ingrid (2009). The Elm Park Story. Suffolk: Lavenham Press. ISBN 9780956327208.
  15. ^ "Minister Opens New Model Suburb". Daily Herald. 20 May 1935. p. 13.
  16. ^ "Minister of Health opens new suburb at Hornchurch". Essex Chronicle. 24 May 1935. p. 5.
  17. ^ a b Lawrence, David (2018). British Rail Architecture 1948–97. Crecy Publishing Ltd. p. 20. ISBN 9780860936855.
  18. ^ "B/W print of poster; Through Electric Trains to Upminster". London Transport Museum. 1932. Archived from the original on 27 June 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
  19. ^ "Table 214 London, Tilbury, Southend-on-Sea and Shoeburyness". London Midland & Scottish Railway: Passenger Train Services. Timetable World. June 1947. Archived from the original on 27 June 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  20. ^ "Table 217 District Line – Bromley, Plaistow, East Ham, Barking, Upney, Becontree, Heathway, Dagenham, Hornchurch and Upminster". London Midland & Scottish Railway: Passenger Train Services. Timetable World. June 1947. Archived from the original on 27 June 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  21. ^ "Infant Electrocuted". The Western Gazette. 7 June 1935. p. 2.
  22. ^ Horne 2006, p. 82–83.
  23. ^ Leboff, David (1994). London Underground Stations. Ian Allan. ISBN 0711022267.
  24. ^ a b "Delivering a world-class, safe and reliable Tube for London" (PDF). Metronet. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2006. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  25. ^ "New Wood Lane Underground station opens". Transport for London. 14 October 2008. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  26. ^ "Station Data". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 20 May 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  27. ^ a b c d Kay 2010, p. 189.
  28. ^ "TfL toilet map" (PDF). Transport for London. April 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  29. ^ "Improving our toilet provision" (PDF). Transport for London. October 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 June 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  30. ^ Horne 2019, p. 315.
  31. ^ Mills, D. (2000). Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names. Oxford.
  32. ^ "Annex 1 - Town Centre Network". London City Hall. Greater London Authority. Archived from the original on 6 August 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2025. providing convenience goods and services, and social infrastructure for more local communities and accessible by public transport, walking and cycling. Typically, they contain 5,000–50,000 sqm of retail, leisure and service floorspace. Some District centres have developed specialist shopping functions.
  33. ^ "Buses from Elm Park" (PDF). Transport for London. February 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 December 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
  34. ^ "District line Working Timetable 155" (PDF). Transport for London. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 June 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025. 13 January 2025 until further notice
  35. ^ "Station list by line". Transport of London. Archived from the original on 8 May 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  36. ^ a b "District line working timetable 155" (PDF). Transport for London. 13 January 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 June 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  37. ^ "District line" (PDF). First and Last Trains. Transport for London. 13 January 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 June 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2025.

Sources

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  • Horne, Mike (2006). The District Line. Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-292-5.
  • Horne, Mike (2019). London's District Railway: A History of the Metropolitan District Railway Company. Twentieth Century. Volume two. Capital Transport Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85414-430-0.
  • Kay, Peter (1996). The London, Tilbury & Southend Railway: A History of the Company and Line Volume 1. Wivenhoe: P. Kay. ISBN 189-9-890106.
  • Kay, Peter (2010). The London, Tilbury & Southend Railway: A History of the Company and Line Volume 3. Wivenhoe: P. Kay. ISBN 978-1-899890-43-9.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elm Park tube station.
Preceding station London Underground Following station
Dagenham East
towards Wimbledon, Richmond or Ealing Broadway
 District line
 Hornchurch
towards Upminster