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Osterley tube station

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Location
  
Osterley

Fare zone
  
4

2013
  
2.32 million

Opened
  
1935

Architectural style
  
Art Deco

Managed by
  
London Underground

2012
  
2.19 million

2014
  
2.46 million

Phone
  
+44 343 222 1234

Number of platforms
  
2

Osterley tube station

Address
  
Great West Rd, Isleworth TW7 4PU, UK

Local authority
  
London Borough of Hounslow

Architects
  
Charles Holden, Stanley Heaps

Similar
  
Hounslow East tube station, Boston Manor tube station, Hounslow Central tube station, Hounslow West tube station, South Ealing tube station

Osterley (/ˈɒstəli/ is a London Underground station in Osterley in west London. The station is on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly line, between Boston Manor and Hounslow East. The station is located on Great West Road (A4) close to the National Trust-owned Osterley Park. It is in Travelcard Zone 4.

Contents

History

The current Osterley station was opened on 25 March 1934 adjacent to the Great West Road which had been opened in 1925. The station was designed by Stanley Heaps in the modern European style used elsewhere on the Piccadilly line by Charles Holden. The design uses brick, reinforced concrete and large areas of glass and features a brick tower topped with a concrete "obelisk". It was served from its outset by trains from the District and Piccadilly Lines, although District line services were withdrawn on 9 October 1964.

Osterley station was a replacement for an earlier station, Osterley & Spring Grove, located about 300m to the east on Thornbury Road, which was closed when Osterley opened. The old station is now Osterley Bookshop. The archway to the platforms is still visible inside the bookshop, but is now bricked off. The platforms are still in place, and the entire station may be viewed from a passing train.

Earlier history

Osterley & Spring Grove station and the tracks through the current station were opened by the District line's predecessor, the District Railway (DR), on 1 May 1883 as a line to Hounslow Town (located on Hounslow High Street but now closed).

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.

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. 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 300m west of the loop to the old station. 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.

Step-free access

In 2009, because of financial constraints, TfL decided to stop work on a project to provide step-free access at Osterley on the grounds that it was a relatively quiet station and within one or two stops of an existing step-free station, Hounslow East where step-free access has been available since 2005.

Connections

  • London Buses route H91 serves the station.
  • Osterley is the closest station to British Sky Broadcasting's offices near Gillette Corner. Sky jointly runs a non public minibus service with Harrods to and from the station every 15 minutes during extended office hours for visitors and staff. The bus may be labelled Sky or Harrods.
  • References

    Osterley tube station Wikipedia