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Angel tube station

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Angel London Underground
Entrance of the post-1992 Angel station on Islington High Street. The building above has since been demolished.
Map Interactive map of Angel
General information
LocationAngel
Local authorityLondon Borough of Islington
Managed byLondon Underground
Number of platforms2
Fare zone1
London Underground annual entry and exit
2021Increase 7.26 million[1]
2022Increase 12.37 million[2]
2023Decrease 12.26 million[3]
2024Decrease 12.15 million[4]
2025Decrease 11.69 million[5]
Key dates
17 November 1901 (1901-11-17)Opened
1990–92Rebuilt
Other information
External links
Coordinates51°31′55″N 0°06′22″W / 51.532°N 0.106°W / 51.532; -0.106

Angel is a London Underground station, located in the Angel area of the London Borough of Islington. It is on the Bank branch of the Northern line, between King's Cross St. Pancras and Old Street stations. The station is in London fare zone 1. It was originally built by the City & South London Railway (C&SLR) and opened on 17 November 1901. The station served as a terminus until the line was extended to Euston on 12 May 1907.

Angel was rebuilt between 1989 and 1992 to accommodate the large number of passengers using the station. As a result, it has an extra-wide southbound platform, surfaced over the original island platform which served both north- and south-bound trains. The station has the longest escalators on the Underground network.

History

[edit]

Angel station was originally built by the City & South London Railway (C&SLR), and opened on 17 November 1901[note 1] as the northern terminus of a new extension from Moorgate.[8][9] The station building was designed by Sydney Smith and was on the corner of City Road and Torrens Street.[10] On 12 May 1907, the C&SLR opened a further extension from Angel to Euston[8] and Angel became a through station.[9]

The island platform before rebuilding

As with many of the C&SLR's stations, it was originally built with a single central island platform serving two tracks in a single tunnel[11][12][13]  – an arrangement still seen at Clapham North and Clapham Common. Access to the platforms from street level was via three Euston Anderson electric lifts before the rebuilding of the station. When the C&SLR line was closed for tunnel reconstruction in the early 1920s to accommodate larger trains,[8] the station façade was reclad with tiling and the lifts were replaced by new ones from Otis.[10]

Station rebuilding

[edit]
The extra-wide Northern line southbound platform occupies the whole of the original station tunnel.
The original surface building of Angel station in Torrens Street

For years since its opening, the station regularly suffered from overcrowding and had a very narrow island platform (12 feet (3.7 m) in width), which was considered a major safety issue and caused justified fear among passengers.[14] Consequently, the station was rebuilt between 1989 and 1992.[15] A new section of tunnel was excavated for a new northbound platform, and the southbound platform was rebuilt to occupy the entire width of the original 30-foot (9 m) tunnel, leaving it wider than most deep-level platforms on the system.[note 2] The lifts and the original surface building at the corner of Torrens Street and City Road were closed, while the escalator shafts of the remodelled station were constructed in conjunction with the Angel Square office complex, the ground floor of which included the ticket hall and relocated entrance on Islington High Street. It opened on 10 August 1992, along with the new northbound platform; the enlarged southbound platform opened on 17 September 1992.[15] Because of the distance between the new entrance and the platforms, and their depth, two flights of escalators were required, aligned approximately at a right angle.[12] The old station building, although now closed to the public, houses ventilation systems and other services for the platforms below.

Former siding

[edit]

When Angel was first opened, a long dead-end siding was provided for train stabling, converging from the left onto the northbound line just south of the station.[15][16] This was retained over the years but eventually it was closed on 23 January 1959 (along with the signal box at the south end of the platform) to simplify through running.[15] The siding lay derelict and unused until the rebuilding scheme.[15] Part of the siding was used as the northbound diversion tunnel, which branched off the existing northbound line, cut through into the end of the siding and continued along it until it branched off left to the new northbound platform.[15][note 3]

Design

[edit]
The sculpture in the ticket hall

The station's ticket hall has a sculpture of an angel made by Kevin Boys Blacksmiths in 1996.[17]

Escalators

[edit]
The longest escalators on the Underground

Angel is one of fourteen stations to have only escalator access to the platforms.[18] With a vertical rise of 90 ft (27 m) and a length of 200 ft (61 m), the escalators at Angel station are the longest on the Underground,[12][13] and in the United Kingdom.[19]

2007 improvements

[edit]

The station was refurbished during 2007.[20] Additional CCTV cameras and Help Points were installed, bringing the total to 77 cameras in the station and nine Help Points, the latter upgraded with new induction loops to better aid hearing-impaired passengers.[20] In addition, new communications equipment was introduced and damaged signs were replaced.[20]

Overstation building

[edit]

In September 2022, planning approval was granted to reconstruct the Angel Square office complex which also incorporates the station's surface entrance.[21] The scheme involves stripping the building back to its concrete frame, adding two new storeys and replacing the original brick and stone façade with a glass curtain wall. The plans triggered much objection from conservation groups such as Save Britain's Heritage, who argued that it was a significant example of post-war architecture.[22][23][24] The works resulted in the partial closure of the station entrances which will be upgraded as part of the rebuild.

Location

[edit]

On Islington High Street, the station provides access to several nearby Off West End or Fringe theatre venues including the Old Red Lion Theatre, Sadler's Wells Theatre, the King's Head Theatre and the Almeida Theatre.[25] It is the nearest station to City University's main campus, Chapel Market,[25] and the antiques market and dealers of Camden Passage. Between Angel and Old Street is the disused City Road station.[15]

London Buses routes 4, 19, 30, 38, 43, 56, 73, 153, 205, 214, 274, 341, 476 and night routes N19, N38, N41, N73, N205 and N277 serve the station.[26][27]

Services

[edit]

Angel station is on the Bank or City branch of the Northern line in London fare zone 1.[28] It is between King's Cross St Pancras to the north and Old Street to the south. Train frequencies vary throughout the day, but generally operate every 3–6 minutes between 05:50 and 00:40 in both directions.[29]

Preceding station London Underground Following station
King's Cross St Pancras
towards Edgware, Mill Hill East or High Barnet
 Northern line
Bank branch
 Old Street
towards Morden
Former route (1901–1922)
Preceding station London Underground Following station
King's Cross St Pancras
towards Edgware, Mill Hill East or High Barnet
 Northern line
Bank Branch
 City Road
towards Morden
Future Development
Preceding station Crossrail Following station
Euston St Pancras
towards Hampton Court, Shepperton, Chessington South or Epsom
 Crossrail 2 Dalston
towards New Southgate or Broxbourne

Future proposals

[edit]

Angel was a proposed station on the now-shelved Crossrail 2 (Chelsea-Hackney line) project,[30][31] providing an interchange between Crossrail 2 and the Northern line. Depending on the route constructed, it would be between King's Cross St. Pancras and Dalston Junction or Hackney Central.[30] It was officially safeguarded as part of the route in 2007, although there had been proposals for a route for some time previously and safeguarding had been in place since 1991.[31] The Crossrail 2 project was shelved in November 2020.[32]

In media

[edit]

The station's escalators and the southbound platform were featured in the Bollywood hit film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.[33][34][35]

The station was the subject of a 1989 episode of the 40 Minutes BBC documentary series titled "Heart of the Angel".[14] The programme depicted everyday life in the station just a few months before its closure for rebuilding. The programme depicted the staff's daily struggles with overcrowding, frequent lift breakdowns and dealing with constant complaints from passengers. The interiors of the original station building and the old island platform are clearly shown in the footage, as is the construction site of the adjacent Angel Square development which would incorporate the new station's escalator shafts and ticket hall.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Angel is one of the five stations on the London Underground named after a public house  – in this case the once-famous Angel inn, which dates back to at least 1638.[6] The others are Elephant & Castle, Manor House, Royal Oak and Swiss Cottage.[7]
  2. ↑ This rebuilding technique was also applied on Euston's Bank branch platforms.[15]
  3. ↑ This disused junction of tunnels still survives between the two running lines.[15]

References

[edit]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Archived from the original on 6 April 2025. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2023. Transport for London. 8 August 2024. Archived from the original on 31 May 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  4. ↑ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2024. Transport for London. 20 January 2026 [8 October 2025]. Archived from the original on 27 March 2026. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  5. ↑ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2025. Transport for London. 13 May 2026. Archived from the original on 19 July 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Temple, Philip, ed. (2008). "Chapter XVII: The Angel and Islington High Street". Survey of London. Vol. 47. London: Yale University Press for English Heritage. pp. 444–445. ISBN 978-0-300-13937-2. Retrieved 18 May 2026 – via British History Online.
  7. ↑ "Pub Names". Secret London. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Feather, Clive (14 June 2025). "Northern line". Clive's Underground Line Guides. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  9. 1 2 Rose 1999.
  10. 1 2 Connor 2006, p. 124.
  11. ↑ Brown, Matt (18 August 2016) [29 February 2016]. "Why Are the Platforms at Angel So Wide?". Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 Day & Reed 2010, p. 197.
  13. 1 2 Attwooll, Jolyon (5 August 2015) [9 January 2013]. "London Underground: 150 fascinating Tube facts". The Daily Telegraph. London: Telegraph Media Group. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  14. 1 2 Molly Dineen (producer-director) (23 November 1989). "Heart of the Angel". Forty Minutes. BBC Two.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ragga, John (2000). "Northern Line Disused Feature". Abandoned Stations. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  16. ↑ Feather, Clive. "Angel station: disused tunnels". Railway photographs. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  17. ↑ "Angel: Kevin Boys Blacksmiths". Art UK. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  18. ↑ Marshall, Geoff. "Tube Stations that only have escalators". Geofftech. Retrieved 3 April 2015.[permanent dead link] [dead link]
  19. ↑ Bevan, Robert (23 April 2014). "Exclusive: a first-look at Heathrow Terminal 2's hi-tech £2.5 billion revamp". Style. Evening Standard. London. ISSN 2041-4404. Retrieved 18 May 2026. It is the longest escalator in the country after that at Angel Tube station but still has none of the élan of those serving the Jubilee line's extension.
  20. 1 2 3 "Station Refurbishment Summary" (PDF). London Underground Railway Society. July 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  21. ↑ Youde, Kate (7 September 2022). "AHMM wins planning approval for contentious Angel Square redevelopment". Architects' Journal. London: Metropolis International. ISSN 0003-8466. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  22. ↑ Mansfield, Ian (9 April 2022). "Campaign seeks to save Angel's postmodern office block". IanVisits. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  23. ↑ "Objections mount over proposed demolition of Islington landmark". Save Britain's Heritage. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  24. ↑ Oakley, Benedict (7 April 2022). "Planning Application P2022/0871/FUL: Partial demolition of the existing building, construction of two new floors, reconfiguration of floorspace and renewal of the existing facades to provide new office floorspace (Use Class E), retail floorspace (Use Class E), a replacement public house (Sui Generis), plus new access arrangements, landscaping improvements, new public realm and other associated works - 1 Torrens Street, London, EC1V 1NY" (PDF). Save Britain's Heritage. Letter to Islington Council. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  25. 1 2 "Angel Tube Station" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  26. ↑ "Buses from Islington Angel" (PDF). Transport for London. 21 June 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  27. ↑ "Night buses from Islington Angel" (PDF). Transport for London. June 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  28. ↑ Standard Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Not to scale. Transport for London. February 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 March 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  29. ↑ "Northern line timetable". Transport for London. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  30. 1 2 "The Route". Crossrail 2. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  31. 1 2 "Chelsea Hackney line". Crossrail. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  32. ↑ Topham, Gwyn (2 November 2020). "Crossrail 2 plans shelved as part of £1.8bn TfL funding deal". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  33. ↑ Amar, Singh (14 May 2007). "Bollywood comes to London". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  34. ↑ Lata, Khubchandani (5 February 2001). "DDLJ story goes to the roots of Indian culture". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  35. ↑ Dwyer 2014, p. 59.

Sources

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Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Angel_tube_station&oldid=1360414139"