st mary's (whitechapel road) tube station

St Mary's (Whitechapel Road) was a station on London Underground's District Line located between the present-day stations at Whitechapel and Aldgate East. Opened on 3 March 1884 as St Mary's, the station was initially used by both District Line and East London Line trains. The station was always very small and cramped and was located very close to both Whitechapel and Aldgate East stations, on a tight curve just before the junction to the East London Line. In 1938, Aldgate East was moved further eastwards and given a new entrance only a few hundred yards from St Mary's (Whitechapel Road), immediately rendering that station surplus to requirements. It closed on 30 April 1938. During World War II, the station was re-opened for use as an air raid shelter. The edges of the platforms were bricked up to separate the shelter areas from the still-used tracks. However, on 22 October 1940 the surface building was hit by a bomb and severely damaged. It was subsequently demolished and little evidence of the station's existence exists above ground today. The bricked-up platforms are still accessible to London Underground staff via an anonymous door off Whitechapel Road. Below ground, it is still possible to make out where the station was, as the barrel-vaulted roof and bricked-off platforms are still just about visible from passing trains. The connecting line leading to the East London Line is still called St Mary's Curve, although it is now used only to transfer stock between the East London and Metropolitan Lines (i.e. not for passenger use).

St Mary's (Whitechapel Road) Tube Station

See also