Boston Manor tube station

Boston Manor
Boston Manor Location of Boston Manor in Greater London
Location	Boston Manor
Local authority	London Borough of Hounslow
Managed by	London Underground
Number of platforms	2
Fare zone	4
London Underground annual entry and exit
2019	2.19 million[1]
2020	1.04 million[2]
2021	0.88 million[3]
2022	1.49 million[4]
2023	1.44 million[5]
Railway companies
Original company	District Railway
Key dates
1 May 1883	Opened as Boston Road
11 December 1911	Renamed Boston Manor
13 March 1933	Piccadilly line service introduced
9 October 1964	District line service ceased
Listed status
Listing grade	II
Entry number	1063901[6]
Added to list	21 March 2002; 22 years ago (2002-03-21)
Other information
External links	TfL station info page
Coordinates	51.4955°N 0.3252°W / 51.4955; -0.3252
London transport portal

Boston Manor is a London Underground station at the boundary of the boroughs of Hounslow and Ealing. The station is situated on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly line, between Osterley and Northfields stations, in Travelcard Zone 4.

The station is on a street-level bridge over the line on Boston Manor Road, serving the neighbourhood around Boston Manor House, north-west of Brentford, and southern parts of Hanwell. Opened in 1883 by the District Railway, it was reconstructed in 1932 to a Grade II-listed building. Designed by architect Charles Holden, the Art Deco styled structure features a tall tower which acts as a landmark of the area. The station was once served by both the Piccadilly and District lines, with the latter having its last service withdrawn in 1964.

Location

Boston Manor station entrance is on Boston Manor Road, and the station serves a small residential area in Brentford. The station sits close to the boundary between the London Borough of Hounslow and London Borough of Ealing. Nearby places include Boston Manor playing fields, Elthorne Park high school, Gunnersbury Boys School and Swyncombe playing field. The Grand Union Canal and Brent river are also accessible from the station. Northfields depot is just to the east of the station.^[7] Boston Manor dates back to the 1170s as "Bordwadestone", which referred to Bord's tun, or farm, by the stone. The Jacobean mansion named Boston Manor House was constructed in 1622–23, and is also near the station.^[8]

History

Boston Manor Station in 1961

In 1866, permission was given to local landowners for a Hounslow and Metropolitan Railway, which would serve areas in Hounslow such as Boston Manor, and to connect to another proposed line called the Acton & Brentford railway. However, the latter was never constructed but instead a 5+1⁄2-mile-long (8.9 km) extension of the District Railway (DR) from Mill Hill Park (now Acton Town) to Hounslow Barracks (now Hounslow West) was considered and granted.^[9][10]

Boston Manor was initially opened by the DR on 1 May 1883 as part of an extension from Mill Hill Park to Hounslow Town.^{[note 1]} The station was originally named Boston Road.^[9][10] The signs on the platforms gave the name as Boston Manor for Brentford & Hanwell.^[13] Electrification of the DR's tracks took place between 1903 and 1905 with electric trains replacing steam trains on the Hounslow branch from 13 June 1905.^[9][14] Northfield (Ealing) Halt (now Northfields), the next stop to the east was only opened on 16 April 1908.^[15] The station was given its current name on 11 December 1911.^[16]

To prepare for the Piccadilly line extension to Hounslow,^[17] the station was rebuilt between 1932 and 1934 in a Modernist style^[18] which replaced the 1883 station building. During the reconstruction, a temporary booking hall was built.^[19] Most of the platform infrastructure was kept, partly due to its substantial buildings compared to other stations.^[20] Piccadilly line services, which had been running as far as Northfields since 9 January 1933, were extended to run to Hounslow West on 13 March 1933 when the partially completed Boston Manor station was opened to passengers.^[18] The new station building was finally completed on 25 March 1934.^[21]

Because of the Piccadilly line extension, the off-peak District line service through the station was converted to a Hounslow West to South Acton shuttle. This was discontinued on 29 April 1935^[18] while peak hour services were withdrawn completely on 9 October 1964.^[22]

In 2018, it was announced that the station would gain step-free access by 2022, as part of a £200m investment to increase the number of accessible stations on the network.^[23][24]

Station features

The original 1883 station building was built by the District Railway. It was a red brick building with an enamel pecked half roundel attached to the arched window space above the booking office entrance. A lampshade branded Tiffany was above the roundel.^[25] The original stairs to the platforms with cast iron balustrades are retained. The fretted wooden awnings at the platform remain intact, with the canopy pillars painted black and yellow.^[26] Cast iron columns with capitals and octagonal bases provide support for the part-glazed timber roof on iron trusses.^[6][27]

The new station building occupies a narrow site due to the nearby depot, where it was built out over the tracks. It features a Modernist style design by Stanley Heaps, in consultation with Charles Holden.^[8][28] The main structure is of brown bricks and reinforced concrete, topped by a flat roof. Inspired by contemporary Dutch and German architecture, the distinctive tower functions as a landmark within the low-height suburban residential area. The tower is decorated with glazed ceramic tiles and pasted with an enamelled London Underground logo.^[29] The upper stages of the tower are fitted with a vertical strip of glass bricks which is part of a lighting feature. The booking hall sits to the right of the single-storey structure, lit with clerestory windows. The ticket office kiosk retains its banded tile decoration. A curved shop unit adjoins to the left side of the structure. Metal-framed windows were added to the western ends of the shelters at platform level.^[6][27]

Boston Manor Labyrinth artwork

The station, architecturally noted for Holden's Art Deco design, was granted Grade II Listed status on 21 March 2002.^[6] On 9 January 2013, the station appeared on a British postage stamp as part of a set commemorating the 150th anniversary of the first London underground train journey. The stamp's caption read "Boston Manor Art Deco Station".^[30] The station also has a Labyrinth puzzle, which is installed at all stations on the Underground network. This labyrinth puzzle is part of the Woodcut family, installed at the top of the stairs leading to eastbound Platform 2, next to a booking office window.^[8]

Services and connections

An eastbound Piccadilly line train leaves for Cockfosters.

Northfields depot, viewed from the road bridge.

Services

Boston Manor is between Osterley and Northfields on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly line.^[31] The typical off-peak frequencies, in trains per hour (tph), are as follows:^[32][33]

• 12 tph eastbound to Cockfosters or Arnos Grove
• 6 tph westbound via the Heathrow Terminal 4 loop
• 6 tph westbound to Heathrow Terminal 5

Night tube is also operational on this part of the line, with 6 tph on both directions between Heathrow Terminal 5 and Cockfosters.^[34]

Just to the west of the station, Piccadilly line trains can enter or exit the Northfields depot via crossovers. The depot has more than 20 sidings and was built in the 1930s to facilitate the extension of the Piccadilly line to Hounslow.^{[35][36][37][note 2]}

Connections

London Buses routes 195 and E8 serve the station.^[38]

Notes and references

Notes

1. A single-track shuttle branch line from Osterley & Spring Grove, to Hounslow Barracks was opened on the same day. Hounslow Town closed on 2 May 1909, with its branch service terminated. It is replaced by Hounslow East station.^[11][12]
2. Northfields station (then named Northfields & Little Ealing) was resited slightly to the east. The old platforms were closed on 18 May 1932 and new junctions to the depot were constructed at the former site. The new platforms opened the next day in spite of the unfinished station building.^[36]

References

1. "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.
2. "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
3. "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
4. "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
5. "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2023. Transport for London. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
6. Historic England. "Boston Manor Underground Station (1063901)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
7. "Boston Manor tube station" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
8. Wallinger et al. 2014, p. 289.
9. Rose 2007.
10. Horne 2006, pp. 20–21.
11. Rose 2016.
12. Connor 2006, p. 19.
13. "District Railway station gardens competition, 1922". London Transport Museum Photographic Archive. 21 July 1922. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
14. Horne 2006, p. 42.
15. Connor 2000, p. 75.
16. Stuart, Eric. "Piccadilly to the West" (PDF). Points of Interest. London Underground Railway Society. p. 19. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
17. Horne 2006, p. 56.
18. Horne 2006, p. 60.
19. "Boston Manor Underground station, Piccadilly line". London Transport Museum Photographic Archive. 7 November 1932. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
20. Horne 2007, p. 50.
21. "Boston Manor Underground station, Piccadilly line". London Transport Museum Photographic Archive. 16 July 1934. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
22. Horne 2006, p. 88.
23. "Huge boost for accessibility as further 13 stations to go step-free". London City Hall. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
24. "Mayor of London announces investment to make Boston Manor step-free". London Borough of Hounslow. 22 January 2018. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
25. "Boston Manor Underground station, District line, exterior view". London Transport Museum Photographic Archive. October 1927. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
26. Robertson, Hugh (29 July 2001). "Boston Manor Underground station, Piccadilly line". London Transport Museum Photographic Archive. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
27. Lawrence 1994, pp. 82, 110, 111, 119.
28. Day & Reed 2008, p. 114.
29. Leboff 1994, p. 23.
30. "Royal Mail celebrates 150 years of the London Underground" (Press release). Royal Mail. 8 January 2013. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
31. Standard Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Not to scale. Transport for London. April 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
32. Feather, Clive (16 November 2018). "Piccadilly line". Clive's Underground Line Guides. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
33. "London Underground Working Timetable – Piccadilly line" (PDF). Transport for London. 21 May 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
34. Standard Night Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Transport for London. June 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
35. Horne 2006, p. 58.
36. Rose 1980.
37. Jarrier, Franklin. "Greater London Transport Tracks Map" (PDF) (Map). CartoMetro London Edition. 3.7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2018.
38. "Buses from Northfields and Boston Manor" (PDF). 28 May 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.

Books

• Connor, J.E. (2000). Abandoned Stations on London's Underground: A Photographic Record (1st ed.). Connor & Butler. ISBN 978-0-94769-930-7.
• Connor, J.E. (2006) [1999]. London's Disused Underground Stations (2nd ed.). Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-250-X.
• Day, John R.; Reed, John (2008) [1963]. The Story of London's Underground (10th ed.). Capital Transport. ISBN 978-1-85414-316-7.
• Horne, Mike (2006). The District Line. Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-292-5.
• Horne, Mike (2007). The Piccadilly Tube – A History of the First Hundred Years. London: Capital Transport. ISBN 978-1-85414-305-1.
• Lawrence, David (1994). Underground Architecture (1st ed.). Capital Transport. ISBN 978-1-85414-160-6.
• Leboff, David (1994). London Underground Stations. Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-2226-3.
• Rose, Douglas (1980). The London Underground: A Diagrammatic History (1st ed.). Capital Transport. ISBN 978-1-85414-219-1.
• Rose, Douglas (December 2007) [1980]. The London Underground: A Diagrammatic History (8th ed.). Harrow Weald: Capital Transport. ISBN 978-1-85414-315-0.
• Rose, Douglas (2016) [1980]. The London Underground, A Diagrammatic History (9th ed.). Douglas Rose/Capital Transport. ISBN 978-1-85414-404-1.
• Wallinger, Mark; Self, Will; Warner, Marina; Wolmar, Christian; Bal, Thierry; Coysh, Louise; Dillon, Tamsin (6 October 2014). Labyrinth: A Journey Through London's Underground by Mark Wallinger. Art / Books. ISBN 978-1-90897-016-9.

External links

• London Transport Museum Photographic Archive
  • Boston Manor station, 1916
  • View of station from platform, 1930
  • New station, 1934
  • Illumination of tower at night, 1935
  • Boston Manor station, 2001
  • Interior view of booking hall 1934

Preceding station	London Underground			Following station
Osterley towards Heathrow Airport (Terminal 4 or Terminal 5)		Piccadilly line Heathrow branch		Northfields towards Cockfosters or Arnos Grove
Former services
Preceding station	London Underground			Following station
Osterley & Spring Grove towards Hounslow Town or Hounslow Barracks		District line (1883–1908)		South Ealing towards Mansion House, Whitechapel or Upminster
Osterley & Spring Grove towards Hounslow Town or Hounslow West		District line (1908–34)		Northfields towards Upminster
Osterley & Spring Grove towards Hounslow West		Piccadilly line (1933–34)		Northfields towards Cockfosters or Arnos Grove
Osterley towards Hounslow West		District line (1934–64)		Northfields towards Upminster