Being the oldest of its kind, our trailblazing transport network was originally being built beneath the streets of the city with somewhat of a trial-and-error approach. And whilst, of course, some early parts of the London Underground didn’t quite make the final cut (which is why we now have an abundance of abandoned stations scattered across the city); some stations truly stood the test of time, and are still going strong to this very day. A perfect example of the latter is Baker Street; a historic underground station that isn’t just the oldest in London, but the whole darn world.
Baker Street station
Baker Street station opened all the way back in 1863 as part of the original Metropolitan Railway. It was one of seven stations that opened on the subterranean system that would later become the London Underground. 162 years later and Baker Street is not only still fully functioning; it’s also the London Tube station with the most platforms. Serving five Tube lines across ten platforms, Baker Street is one of the most commonly used stations on our trusty transport network. And around 30 million people pass through those ticket barriers each year. Blimey.
Plenty of the station’s original features have been preserved, and it still boasts a lot of the gorgeous Victorian brickwork. But many more modern design details have been added along the way, including some Sherlock Holmes-themed decor to honour the areas most famous fictional resident.
If you fancy having a snoop around the lesser-known parts of the station and uncovering some of its secrets, you can do so on one of the London Transport Museum’s tours. Their Hidden London tours allow transport-enthusiasts to get up close and personal with parts of the network that are usually closed to the public. The Baker Street tour will take visitors on a trip back in time, where they can hear what the very first passengers thought of this new way to travel, see how the station has changed over the past 160 years, and explore the likes of original platforms, disused lift shafts, and concealed corridors. Sounds pretty interesting, right?