Wood Lane tube station
Disused underground branch terminus on the Strand, central London
Report by urban75 editor, Feb 2006
Situated between Shepherd's Bush and White City, Wood Lane station was opened to serve the 1908 Franco-British exhibition, which was situated nearby.
Wood Lane tube station, White City
The western terminus of the Central London Railway was originally at Shepherd's Bush, with the line's power station and depot north of the station.
When the exhibition was opened, a temporary station was built within the northern perimeter of the depot, with a new tunnel being built to complete a loop.
Detail from Bacon's Up to Date Map of London, 1912.
Wood Lane tube station
The first 1908 Wood Lane station was a humble affair, sporting a single track with platforms on each side (one for unloading, the other for loading).
Following the success of the exhibition, the temporary station became a permanent fixture, with passenger demand buoyed by the creation of a number of new entertainment venues in the area, notably White City Stadium.
Wood Lane tube station
The Central Line extended further West in 1917 (eventually to Ealing Broadway in August 1920), with two new platforms being added to the station.
Trains terminating at Wood Lane carried on using the loop platforms with trains continuing west using the new platforms.
Wood Lane tube station c1910
A distinctive feature of the White City exhibition was an elevated enclosed walkway running from Shepherd's Bush, leading to several exhibition halls which were raised off the ground on stilts.
The walkway ran directly above the loop platforms (effectively enclosing them) and went straight over the Wood Lane station, with the station building being incorporated into the structure.
Archive view of covered platform
The bridge vanished decades ago, but some of the raised exhibition halls survived until the 2003 demolition.
As for Wood Lane station, total closure came in 1947 after White City station was opened a short distance to the north.
Close up of station detail, Wood Lane tube station
Until the station's demolition between 2003 and 2005, the old eastbound platform was visible from trains heading from White City to Shepherd's Bush.
Much of the station site has now been redeveloped for the new White City shopping centre, but the street-level station buildings pictured here were dismantled and transported to London's Transport Museum depot at Acton for reconstruction in 2005.
Note: There are, in fact, two separate abandoned Wood Lane stations, the other being on the Hammersmith & City line. Planned as a temporary station to serve the Franco-British Exhibition of 1908, the station remained open until a fire in 1959 destroyed one of the platforms.
Wood Lane, Platform 4, February 1980 [Pic: Nick Catford]
The abandoned Wood Lane station has proved popular with sci-fi series, featuring on the 1964 Dr Who series and The Tomorrow People in the 1970s.
Franco-British Exhibition, White City, London, 1908
Featuring 20 palaces, 120 exhibition halls and half a mile of waterways, the site was named 'White City', after the exhibition's famous white buildings.
Flip-Flap ride, White City, London, 1908 [Pic: Museum of London]
Designed to promote the achievements of Britain and France, the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition at White City was built on a 140 acre site in Shepherd's Bush.
The 'Flip-Flap' amusement ride pictured here gave riders views of Windsor Castle and Crystal Palace (on clear days) with the three minute and twenty seconds ride costing sixpence.
Daily Mail offices, Franco-British Exhibition [Pic: Museum of London]
The white stucco Daily Mail offices featured a dome which lit up at night.
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