Russell Square tube station

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.[6]

Russell Square
Station entrance
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
2015 13.33 million[1]
2016 12.35 million[1]
2017 11.45 million[1]
2018 11.34 million[2]
2019 12.27 million[3]
Railway companies
Original companyGreat Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway
Key dates
15 December 1906Station opened
Listed status
Listing gradeII
Entry number1401730[4][5]
Added to list20 July 2011
Other information
External links
WGS8451.52306°N 0.12444°W / 51.52306; -0.12444
 London transport portal

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.[7]

History

The station was opened by the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway on 15 December 1906.[8] The station was designed by Leslie Green.[9] 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.[4]

2005 London bombings
Ambulances at Russell Square following the attack
Main article: 7 July 2005 London bombings

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.[10] Another bomb later exploded on a bus at Tavistock Square.[10]

A plaque remembering the victims, identical to the one at King's Cross St Pancras tube station, is located at the station.[11]

The station today

The station is a Grade II listed building.[4][5]

Russell Square station has three lifts,[12] which are all fifty-passenger lifts built by Wadsworth.[13] There are no escalators but the platforms can be reached using a spiral staircase with 177 steps. It is said that the signs at the station indicate an incorrect number of steps, which is 175 steps.[14]

The station has four payphones (two on the platforms and two in the ticket halls),[12] seven gates, a Wifi service,[15] five vending machines and a photo booth.[12]

Platform level tiling
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,[16] 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.[17][18]

London Buses routes 10, 59, 68, 91, 168, 188, peak-hour express X68 and night routes N91 and N98 serve the station.[19][20]

Russell Square tube station was used as the location for the 1973 horror film Death Line,[21] which starred Donald Pleasence, Christopher Lee and Clive Swift.[22][23]

References
  1. "Multi-year station entry-and-exit figures (2007–2017)" (XLSX). London Underground station passenger usage data. Transport for London. January 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  2. "Station Usage Data" (CSV). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2018. Transport for London. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  3. "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  4. Historic England. "Russell Square Underground Station (1401730)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  5. "16 London Underground Stations Listed At Grade II". English Heritage. 26 July 2011. Archived from the original on 14 September 2011.
  6. Standard Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Not to scale. Transport for London. May 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  7. Google Maps – Russell Square Tube Station
  8. Rose 1999.
  9. Wolmar 2005, p. 175.
  10. July 7 2005 London Bombings Fast Facts
  11. "Bombs 7/7/05 – Piccadilly line – WC1". Londonremembers.com. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  12. Russell Square Tube Station – Facilities
  13. Lifts at Russell Square Tube Station London – Youtube
  14. Tube Facts – Tube Stations that have no escalators and use lifts to get down to the platforms & Tube Stations with steps
  15. Russell Square Underground Station
  16. Bull, John (1 January 2010). "The Man Who Painted London Red". London Reconnections. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  17. "Piccadilly line timetable: From Russell Square Underground Station to King's Cross St. Pancras Underground Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  18. "Piccadilly line timetable: From Russell Square Underground Station to Holborn Underground Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  19. "Buses from Russell Square" (PDF). Transport for London. 27 October 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  20. Russell Square Underground Station – Bus
  21. The London Underground in Films and Televisions (Real Stations – Portrayals)
  22. "Raw Meat". The New York Times. 6 March 2020.
  23. Roger Ebert (3 August 1973). "Raw Meat". Chicago Sun-Times.

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.
Preceding station   London Underground   Following station
Piccadilly line
towards Cockfosters
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