Gants Hill tube station

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Gants Hill London Underground
Lower concourse
LocationGants Hill
Local authorityLondon Borough of Redbridge
Managed byLondon Underground
Number of platforms2
Fare zone4
London Underground annual entry and exit
2018Decrease 6.49 million[1]
2019Decrease 6.36 million[2]
2020Decrease 3.74 million[3]
2021Decrease 2.84 million[4]
2022Increase 4.75 million[5]
Key dates
1942-1945Tunnels used by Plessey electronics as a munitions factory during the war
14 December 1947Opened
Other information
External links
 London transport portal

Gants Hill is a London Underground station in Gants Hill, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It is served by the Central line and is in Zone 4. It is the easternmost station to be entirely below ground on the London Underground network. It is also the busiest station on the Hainault loop of the Central line.

The station is located beneath Gants Hill roundabout, and reached via the pedestrian subway under the roundabout.[6]

History

Construction originally began in the 1930s but was suspended during the Second World War. During the war, the station was used as an air raid shelter and the tunnels as a munitions factory[6] for Plessey electronics. Plessey opened their facility in 1942, and production lasted until 1945.[7] The station was finally completed and opened on 14 December 1947. During planning, the names "Ilford North" and "Cranbrook" were considered.[8]

Design

The station, like many others on the same branch, was designed by notable Tube architect Charles Holden. During the station's planning phase Holden had worked as a consultant for the Moscow Metro, and his design for Gants Hill was inspired by many of the stations on the Russian capital's system.[9][10] There are three escalators from the ticket office to the platforms.

The station has no surface buildings due to its location under Gants Hill roundabout.[11]

Connections

Many London Bus routes serve the station, with bus stops on all the main roads joining Gants Hill Roundabout - Eastern Avenue, Cranbrook Road and Woodford Avenue.[12] Destinations include Ilford town centre, Romford, Leytonstone, Loughton and Wood Green.

References

  1. ^ "Station Usage Data" (CSV). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2018. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  6. ^ a b Railfanning London's Railways - Central line
  7. ^ Ilford Recorder - Remembrance Sunday: The Secret Munitions Factory in the Underground tunnels at Gants Hill
  8. ^ Harris, Cyril M. (2006) [1977]. What's in a name?. Capital Transport. p. 29. ISBN 1-85414-241-0.
  9. ^ "Say What You Like About Joseph Stalin, At Least He Made The Underground Trains Run On Time". PooterGeek. 11 August 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  10. ^ Lawrence, David (1994). Underground Architecture. Harrow: Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-160-0.
  11. ^ Tube Facts - Tube Stations that have no surface buildings
  12. ^ Gants Hill Station / Cranbrook Road - Bus

External links

Preceding station   London Underground   Following station
Template:LUL lines
Hainault loop