Osterley & Spring Grove tube station

Osterley & Spring Grove was a London Underground station in Osterley in west London. The station was served by the District and Piccadilly and was closed in 1934 when a new station, Osterley, was opened to the west.

Osterley & Spring Grove
Station buildings next to the bridge over the railway line
Osterley & Spring Grove is located in Greater London
Osterley & Spring Grove
Osterley & Spring Grove
Location of Osterley & Spring Grove in Greater London
LocationOsterley
Local authorityLondon Borough of Hounslow
Railway companies
Original companyDistrict Railway
Key dates
1883Opened
1933Piccadilly line service introduced
1934Closed
Replaced byOsterley
Other information
Coordinates51°28′59″N 0°20′54″W / 51.48306°N 0.34833°W / 51.48306; -0.34833
London transport portal

History

edit
 
When constructed the line and station were surrounded by countryside
 
Map showing operational dates for lines and stations in Hounslow

The station was opened by the District line's predecessor, the District Railway (DR), on 1 May 1883 on its line to Hounslow Town (located on Hounslow High Street, but now closed).[1] The station was on Thornbury Road east of the current Osterley station and served Osterley Park and a residential estate to the south named "Spring Grove".[2]

On 21 July 1884 a branch was constructed from shortly north of Hounslow Town to Hounslow Barracks (now Hounslow West). The branch line was constructed as single track and initially had no intermediate stations between the terminus and Osterley & Spring Grove. Until 31 March 1886 passengers travelling west from Osterley & Spring Grove could go to either Hounslow Barracks or Hounslow Town. On that date Hounslow Town station closed and a new station, Heston & Hounslow (now Hounslow Central), opened to the west.[1]

Electrification of the DR's tracks took place between 1903 and 1905 with electric trains replacing steam trains on the Hounslow branch from 13 June 1905.[3] When the branch was electrified, the track between Osterley & Spring Grove and Heston & Hounslow was closed and a new loop was opened from Hounslow Town back to Heston & Hounslow. Trains would run from Osterley & Spring Grove to Hounslow Town then reverse and run to Hounslow Barracks.

This method of operation was unsuccessful and short-lived. On 2 May 1909 the track between Heston & Hounslow and Osterley & Spring Grove was reopened with a new Hounslow Town station (now Hounslow East) located about 300 metres (1,000 ft) west of the loop to the old station.[1][4] The old Hounslow Town station and its two loop tracks were closed for good.

Piccadilly line services, which had been running as far as Northfields since January 1933, were extended to run to Hounslow West on 13 March 1933.[1][5] The station was closed on 24 March 1934, to be replaced the following day by a new Osterley station at a location 300 m (1,000 ft) to the west on Great West Road.[1] The stairways and platform awnings were removed in 1957,[6] but the platforms and station buildings remain. Since 1967 the latter has been used as a bookshop.[7]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e Rose 1999.
  2. ^ Connor 2006, p. 52.
  3. ^ Horne 2006, p. 42.
  4. ^ Horne 2006, p. 47.
  5. ^ Horne 2006, p. 60.
  6. ^ Connor 2006, p. 53.
  7. ^ Longhurst, Chris (9 September 2014). "News Feature: Osterley Bookshop; the latest chapter in a long running saga". getwestlondon. Retrieved 17 November 2017.

Bibliography

edit
  • Connor, J.E. (2006) [1999]. London's Disused Underground Stations (2nd ed.). Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-250-X.
  • Horne, Mike (2006). The District Line: An Illustrated History. Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-292-5.
  • Rose, Douglas (1999) [1980]. The London Underground, A Diagrammatic History (7th ed.). Douglas Rose/Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-219-4.
edit
Former services
Preceding station   London Underground Following station
Hounslow Town
Terminus
District line
Hounslow Town branch
(1883–1884)
Boston Manor
District line
Hounslow Town branch
(1884–1886)
Boston Manor
towards Whitechapel
Hounslow Barracks
Terminus
District line
Hounslow West branch
(1884–1886)
Heston & Hounslow District line
Hounslow West branch
(1886–1902)
District line
Hounslow West branch
(1902–1905)
Boston Manor
towards Upminster
Hounslow Town
Terminus
District line
Hounslow Town branch
(1903–1905)
District line
Hounslow Town branch
(1905–1908)
Boston Manor
towards East Ham
District line
Hounslow Town branch
(1908–1909)
Boston Manor
towards Barking
Hounslow East District line
Hounslow West branch
(1909–1932)
District line
Hounslow West branch
(1932–1934)
Boston Manor
towards Upminster
Piccadilly line
(1933-34)
Boston Manor