Site Records

SiteName: Down Street Station

Down Street
London W1
OS Grid Ref: TQ28618003

Sub Brit site visit August 1995 & 19th October 2001

Down Street is probably one of the best known of London's closed tube stations for although its life as a railway station was short and uneventful, it played a vital part in the war effort as an underground protected headquarters for the Railway Executive Committee and also provided a temporary occasional home for Churchill's war cabinet.

The station was sited between Dover Street (now renamed Green Park) and Hyde Park Corner on the Great Northern Piccadilly & Brompton Railway (now the Piccadilly Line) It was first proposed in October 1903 but was beset with problems and was not complete when the Finsbury Park - Hammersmith route was opened on 15th December 1906, finally opening on 15th March 1907.

The only station entrance was located on the west side of Down Street, a narrow street just off Piccadilly; it's façade was designed by Leslie Green and in keeping with other stations on the GNPB. The platforms were at a depth of 60.68 feet and were reached by a pair of lifts in a single shaft; there was also an emergency spiral staircase. The parallel platforms were reached by two stairways and were 350 feet long connected by three cross passages.

Within two years of opening certain trains didn't stop at the station and from 5th May 1918 the Sunday service was withdrawn.

When plans were announced to extend the Piccadilly Line to Cockfosters in 1930 a new siding was required between Down Street and Hyde Park Corner for reversing trains and this meant that a short section of the platforms at Down Street would have to be demolished. With no improvement in passenger numbers closure was announced and the last train ran on 21st May 1932. Shortly afterwards the western end of the platforms were removed to allow the installation of points for the new siding.

With the approaching hostilities in Europe a new use was soon found for Down Street when it became the headquarters of the Railway Executive Committee that had been set up at the time of the Munich crisis to prepare for the Government taking over control of main line railways, which it did under the Railway Control Order of 1939. by the War Cabinet with cabinet meetings chaired by Churchill until the new protected cabinet war room was ready.

All the structural alterations required for the new 'bunker' were carried out by the London Passenger Transport Board. This included air raid protection, ventilation and sewage. A new access door was provided at the southern end of the frontage which was linked to the original emergency stairs by a new concrete stairway. A small lift was also installed in the spiral stairwell but this could only accommodate two people.

A few yards of the platform was retained on either side to allow passing trains to stop and set down or pick members of the Railway Executive and anyone else who had business there. A hand operated red signal was installed and anyone wishing to board the train had to do so through the leading cab. As the main accommodation was located in subways and tube tunnels this was considered to be safe from air attack and was not given any protection apart from gas tight doors.

The committee room - the war cabinet would have met here

At street level however the top of the lift shaft which was now used as a ventilation shaft and this and the spiral staircase were strengthened with reinforced concrete.

Further information and pictures about this site continues here

Home Page