Marlborough Road (former) Underground Station

Marlborough Road (former) Underground station building.

If you travel on the Metropolitan line, between Finchley Road and Baker Street, you will pass through three closed stations. Although difficult to see and with much of the infrastructure now removed, they are Lord's, Swiss Cottage and Marlborough Road. The latter is the easiest to see and is used to evacuate the Metropolitan line, should the need arise.

Marlborough Road is in an open section of the line, which was built using the cut-and-cover method, with the station building still surviving.

Marlborough Road Southbound platform (taken from a Metropolitan line train).

Located at the junction of Finchley Road and Queen's Grove, Marlborough Road station opened on April 13, 1868 as part of the first northward extension, from Baker Street, of the Metropolitan Railway.

The Metropolitan began to suffer from passenger congestion, at its southern end, resulting in new deep-level tunnels being constructed between Baker Street's Bakerloo line tunnels and Finchley Road.

On November 20, 1939, the Metropolitan services towards Stanmore were transferred to the Bakerloo line, running to Baker Street through the new tunnels. 

Marlborough Road Northbound platform (taken from a Metropolitan line train)..

Following the transfer Marlborough Road station closed and was replaced by St John's Wood station. Marlborough Road had always been a quiet station, except at times of cricket being played at nearby Lord's Cricket Ground.

Following its closure much of the Marlborough Road infrastructure was removed, with various restaurants using the station building right up until 2009.

Marlborough Road Station.

Today it contains a substation, installed as part of the power upgrade programme to support the introduction of 'S' stock trains on the Metropolitan line.

The interior of the building still has stairs that lead to the platforms, where passengers can be evacuated, should there be an emergency on the line.

Lord's station was opened on April 13, 1868 as St John's Wood Road. It was rebuilt and renamed St John's Wood on April 1, 1925. It was renamed as Lord's on June 11, 1939 and closed on November 20, 1939. There is nothing left of the station building, but an emergency access point still allows access to the remains of the platforms.

Swiss Cottage was opened on April 13, 1868 and was the terminus for the Metropolitan line. It closed on August 17, 1940, being replaced by a new station also called Swiss Cottage on the Bakerloo line.