Baker Street Underground Station (Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City, Circle, Bakerloo and Jubilee Lines)

            Baker Street Underground Station (Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City, Circle, Bakerloo and Jubilee Lines), 11 May 2024. 

The first station was opened in January 1863 on the Metropolitan Railway’s sub-surface line from Paddington (Bishop’s Road) to Farringdon Street (as it was then named) - the first underground railway in the world. The station was designed by the MR’s Engineer-in-Chief, Sir John Fowler and included two small surface buildings to serve each platform. 

The MR-supported Hammersmith & City Railway (H&CR - from 1867 bought by the MR and GWR) also introduced services to Farringdon in 1864 stopping at Baker Street. In addition, the station became a stop on the Metropolitan Railway/Metropolitan District Railway (usually branded the District Railway – DR) jointly-worked ‘Inner Circle’ service, partly introduced in 1868 but not finally completed until 1884. 

In April 1868 the Metropolitan & St. John's Wood Railway (M&SJWR) opened a north western branch to Swiss Cottage from new terminus platforms at Baker Street East, the trains being worked by the MR from the start. In 1869 a junction was built with the MR to enable through trains to Farringdon. The M&SWJR was extended northwards to Willesden Green in 1879 and in 1880 to Neasden and Harrow-on-the-Hill. In 1880 the M&SWJR was absorbed by the MR. The suffix ‘East’ eventually dropped out of use, but it is not clear when.

The next company to build a station at Baker Street was the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway (BS&WR), commonly known as the Bakerloo, on its line to Lambeth North opened in March 1906. The station was designed by the Architect of the Underground Electric Railways of London (UERL), the great Leslie Green. The Bakerloo was extended westwards to Marylebone in March 1907 and subsequently further north. 

In 1891-93 the station was remodelled and in 1911-14 was rebuilt in neo-Classical style by the MR’s Chief Architectural Assistant, Charles Walter Clark. The rebuilt station incorporated a new concourse for all the railways serving Baker Street, which made the Bakerloo station building superfluous although it survived (disused) until the 1960’s when it was demolished. 

Above the new station it was planned to construct a new hotel but that was interrupted by WWI. After the war, it was decided to redesign the building as a block of prestige residential flats, entitled Chiltern Court, also designed by Clark in neo-Classical style. It was built 1927-30. Famous residents included H G Wells, Arnold Bennett, David Low and Eric Coates. In WWII the SOE occupied some of the flats and masterminded the operations against the Nazi Heavy Water plant at Telemark, Norway. Chiltern Court is not listed.

Finally, the London Transport Board built new platforms adjacent to the Bakerloo’s for its new Victoria Line which opened in March 1969 from Walthamstow to Victoria section. It had no surface buildings, being linked to the existing concourse.

Baker Street station is a Grade II* listed building.

Pictured is the impressive concourse.

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Taken in: UK / England / Westminster / Baker Street (show map)

Taken on: May 11, 2024

Tags:

Baker Street Underground Station (Metropolitan

Hammersmith & City

Bakerloo and Jubilee Lines) « less

Sets appears in: • London Underground Stations

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Camera: samsung SM-A145R, f/1.8, 1/33 sec, 4mm, ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	samsung SM-A145R
Aperture:	f/1.8
Exposure Time:	0.03 sec (1/33)
Focal Length:	4mm
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
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