Gants Hill tube station

Gants Hill
Lower concourse
Gants Hill Location of Gants Hill in Greater London
Location	Gants Hill
Local authority	London Borough of Redbridge
Managed by	London Underground
Number of platforms	2
Fare zone	4
London Underground annual entry and exit
2011	5.48 million[1]
2012	5.59 million[1]
2013	5.99 million[1]
2014	6.56 million[1]
Key dates
1942-1945	Tunnels used by Plessey electronics as a munitions factory during the war
14 December 1947	Opened
Other information
Lists of stations	DLR Underground National Rail Tramlink
London Transport portalCoordinates: 51°34′36″N 0°03′58″E / 51.57666°N 0.06611°E

Gants Hill is a London Underground station in Gants Hill, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It is served by the Central line and is in Zone 4. It is the easternmost station to be entirely below ground on the London Underground network. It is also the busiest station on the Hainault loop of the Central line.

The station is located beneath Gants Hill roundabout, and reached via the pedestrian subway under the roundabout.^[2]

History

Construction originally began in the 1930s but was suspended during the Second World War. During the war, the station was used as an air raid shelter and the tunnels as a munitions factory^[2] for Plessey electronics. Plessey opened their facility in 1942, and production lasted until 1945.^[3] The station was finally completed and opened on 14 December 1947. During planning, the names "Ilford North" and "Cranbrook" were considered.^[4]

Design

The station, like many others on the same branch, was designed by notable Tube architect Charles Holden; during the planning period London Underground Holden advised on the construction of the new Moscow Metro, which is why the barrel-vaulted halls of Gants Hill echo many stations on the Russian capital's system.^[5][6] There are three escalators from the ticket office to the platforms.

The station has no surface buildings due to its location under Gants Hill roundabout.^[7]

Connections

Many London Bus routes serve the station, with bus stops on all the main roads joining Gants Hill Roundabout - Eastern Avenue, Cranbrook Road and Woodford Avenue.^[8] Destinations include Ilford town centre, Romford, Leytonstone, Loughton and Wood Green.

References

1. "Multi-year station entry-and-exit figures" (XLS). London Underground station passenger usage data. Transport for London. June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
2. Railfanning London's Railways - Central line
3. Ilford Recorder - Remembrance Sunday: The Secret Munitions Factory in the Underground tunnels at Gants Hill
4. Harris, Cyril M. (2006) [1977]. What's in a name?. Capital Transport. p. 29. ISBN 1-85414-241-0.
5. "Say What You Like About Joseph Stalin, At Least He Made The Underground Trains Run On Time". PooterGeek. 11 August 2008. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
6. Lawrence, David (1994). Underground Architecture. Harrow: Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-160-0.
7. Tube Facts - Tube Stations that have no surface buildings
8. Gants Hill Station / Cranbrook Road - Bus

External links

• London Transport Museum Photographic Archive - Entrance to station in 1953, with low roof of ticket hall visible in background