Russell Square London Underground
Station entrance
Russell Square is located in Central London
Russell Square
Russell Square
Location of Russell Square in Central London
LocationBloomsbury
Local authorityCamden
Managed byLondon Underground
Number of platforms2
Fare zone1
London Underground annual entry and exit
2018Decrease 11.34 million[1]
2019Increase 12.27 million[2]
2020Decrease 2.74 million[3]
2021Increase 3.66 million[4]
2022Increase 8.59 million[5]
Railway companies
Original companyGreat Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway
Key dates
15 December 1906Station opened
Listed status
Listing gradeII
Entry number1401730[6][7]
Added to list20 July 2011
Other information
External links
WGS8451°31′23″N 0°07′28″W / 51.52306°N 0.12444°W / 51.52306; -0.12444
 London transport portal

Russell Square is a London Underground station opposite Russell Square on Bernard Street, Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. The station is on the Piccadilly line, between Holborn and King's Cross St Pancras and is in Travelcard Zone 1.[8]

Russell Square Station is not far from the British Museum, the University of London's main campus, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Russell Square Gardens and the Brunswick Centre.[9]

The station is the work of London architect Leslie Green and is example of the Modern Style (British Art Nouveau style).[10][11]

History

The station was opened by the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway on 15 December 1906.[12] The station was designed by Leslie Green.[13] In 2001, the station was closed for 13 months for refurbishment, reopening in February 2002.[14]

2005 London bombings

Ambulances at Russell Square following the attack

On 7 July 2005, in a co-ordinated bomb attack, an explosion in a train travelling between King's Cross St. Pancras and Russell Square resulted in the deaths of 26 people.[15] Another bomb later exploded on a bus at Tavistock Square.[15]

A plaque remembering the victims, identical to the one at King's Cross St Pancras tube station, is located at the station.[16]

Station listing

On 20 July 2011, English Heritage gave the station buildings Grade II listed status, describing it as:

a good example of a station designed by Leslie Green to serve the GNP & BR, later the Piccadilly Line, retaining original tiled lettering. The interior, while altered, features of interest survive at lower levels including tiling and directional signage. The Yerkes group of stations designed by Leslie Green illustrate a remarkable phase in the development of the capital's transport system, with the pioneering use of a strong and consistent corporate image; the characteristic ox-blood faience façades are instantly recognisable and count among the most iconic of London building types.[6]

The station today

The station is a Grade II listed building.[6][7]

Russell Square station has three lifts,[17] which are all fifty-passenger lifts built by Wadsworth.[18] There are no escalators but the platforms can be reached using a spiral staircase with 176 steps. [19]

The station has seven gates and a Wi-Fi service. [20]

Platform level tiling

A platform on the London Underground
The distinctive platform level tilework

The stations on the central part of the Piccadilly line, as well as some sections of the Northern line, were financed by Charles Yerkes,[21] and are famous for the Leslie Green designed red station buildings and distinctive platform tiling. Each station had its own unique tile pattern and colours.

Services and connections

Train frequencies vary throughout the day, but generally operate every 4–7 minutes between 05:56 and 00:28 in both directions.[22][23]

London Buses routes 14, 68, 91, 168, 188, limited Superloop route SL6 and night route N91 serve the station.[24]

Russell Square tube station was used as the location for the 1972 horror film Death Line,[25] which starred Donald Pleasence, Christopher Lee and Clive Swift.[26][27]

References

  1. ↑ "Station Usage Data" (CSV). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2018. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  3. ↑ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  5. ↑ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Historic England. "Russell Square Underground Station (1401730)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  7. 1 2 "16 London Underground Stations Listed At Grade II". English Heritage. 26 July 2011. Archived from the original on 14 September 2011.
  8. ↑ Standard Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Not to scale. Transport for London. November 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  9. ↑ Google Maps – Russell Square Tube Station
  10. ↑ "London Underground by Design by Mark Ovenden – review". TheGuardian.com. 3 February 2013.
  11. ↑ "Green, Leslie - Exploring 20th Century London". Archived from the original on 6 February 2012.
  12. ↑ Rose 1999.
  13. ↑ Wolmar 2005, p. 175.
  14. ↑ "New look Russell Square". The Tube. 27 February 2002. Archived from the original on 20 June 2003. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  15. 1 2 July 7 2005 London Bombings Fast Facts
  16. ↑ "Bombs 7/7/05 – Piccadilly line – WC1". Londonremembers.com. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  17. ↑ Russell Square Tube Station – Facilities
  18. ↑ Lifts at Russell Square Tube Station London – Youtube
  19. ↑ "Tube Facts – Tube Stations that have no escalators and use lifts to get down to the platforms & Tube Stations with steps". Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  20. ↑ Russell Square Underground Station
  21. ↑ Bull, John (1 January 2010). "The Man Who Painted London Red". London Reconnections. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  22. ↑ "Piccadilly line timetable: From Russell Square Underground Station to King's Cross St. Pancras Underground Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  23. ↑ "Piccadilly line timetable: From Russell Square Underground Station to Holborn Underground Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  24. ↑ "Buses from Russell Square" (PDF). TfL. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  25. ↑ The London Underground in Films and Televisions (Real Stations – Portrayals)
  26. ↑ Josh Ralske (2009). "Raw Meat". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 31 July 2009.
  27. ↑ Roger Ebert (3 August 1973). "Raw Meat". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 15 January 2006. Retrieved 13 February 2022.

Bibliography

  • Rose, Douglas (1999) [1980]. The London Underground, A Diagrammatic History. Douglas Rose/Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-219-4.
  • Wolmar, Christian (2005) [2004]. The Subterranean Railway: How the London Underground Was Built and How It Changed the City Forever. Atlantic Books. ISBN 1-84354-023-1.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Russell Square tube station.
Preceding station London Underground Following station
Holborn
towards Uxbridge, Rayners Lane or Heathrow Airport (Terminal 4 or Terminal 5)
 Piccadilly line King's Cross St Pancras
towards Cockfosters or Arnos Grove
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