King William Street tube station
| King William Street | |
|---|---|
Plaque marking the location of the station
|
|
| Location | City of London |
| Owner | City & South London Railway |
| Number of platforms | 2 |
| Key dates | |
| 18 December 1890 | Opened |
| 24 February 1900 | Closed |
| Replaced by | Bank |
| Other information | |
| Lists of stations | |
 |
|
King William Street was the original but short-lived northern terminus of the City and South London Railway (C&SLR), the first deep-level underground railway in London and one of the component parts of the London Underground's Northern line. It was located in the City of London, on King William Street, just south of the present Monument station. When King William Street was in operation the next station to the south was Borough and the southern terminus of the line was .
Despite being a short-lived station, it was in operation longer than King William was on the throne (seven years). The station was named after the street above, which in turn was named after the monarch.
King William Street opened on 18 December 1890 and was constructed from a large masonry station tunnel, accessed from the surface by a lift shaft or spiral staircase. Two platforms were provided, one on each side of the single, central track — one for passengers entering and the other for passengers leaving the trains — a system later referred to as the Spanish solution. The station tunnel itself is situated beneath Monument Street and runs east-west across King William Street, ending beneath Arthur Street. The approach running tunnels had sharp curves and steep gradients in order to dive underneath the River Thames while remaining under public rights-of-way, in particular Swan Lane and Arthur Street. The combination of station layout and poor alignment of the running tunnels severely limited the capacity of the station and, in the years after opening, a number of initiatives were made to improve operations. In 1895, a central island platform with tracks each side was constructed to enable two trains to occupy the station at once; however, capacity remained restricted.
When the line was extended northwards to Moorgate, new running tunnels on a different alignment, but still beneath Borough High Street, were constructed running from below St. George the Martyr's church, north of Borough station, to a new station at London Bridge and onwards to an alternative City station at Bank. Under the Thames, the present running tunnels of the Northern line are situated to the east of London Bridge, whereas the King William Street tunnels pass to the west of the bridge, with the southbound tunnel below the northbound as the line passes under the Thames.
...
Wikipedia