I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m really rather fond of our trusty transport network. Having been ferrying passengers across the capital city for over 160 years, our pioneering public transport system has well-and-truly stood the test of time. Well, most of it has. Some of what was built beneath the streets of the city didn’t quite managed to make the final cut. And today’s forgotten fragment of London’s intricate transport tapestry comes in the form of South Kentish Town station; a spot that started its life as a Tube stop, but ended up journeying down a very different career path track.
The history of South Kentish Town station
South Kentish Town station was actually designed and constructed under the name of Castle Road. It wasn’t until mere moments before its opening that the powers that be decided to change its name to South Kentish Town. The indecisiveness came at quite a hefty cost, though. It meant that the bespoke Leslie Green tiles that had already been installed had to be painted over. Nonetheless, in 1907, the station opened its doors and began to serve as a stop on what would later be known as the High Barnet branch of the Northern Line.
Pretty much from the moment it opened, the station suffered with low passenger numbers. And just a year after opening, Tube drivers began ignoring the need to stop there altogether. A power outage in the 1920s caused by a strike at Lots Road Power Station led to the temporary closure of South Kentish Town station. But when the power was reinstated, the station was not. And instead, the decision was made to close it for good.
South Kentish Town station nowadays
South Kentish Town station now serves as an escape room, and has done so since 2016. One of the mind-boggling rooms on offer delves right back into the building’s past, giving visitors the chance to play the role of a lost passenger trying to escape a deserted station platform (something that supposedly did actually happen to an unassuming commuter at South Kentish Town station in 1924). Londoners can race against the clock to hotfoot it out of the station by solving a series of rather tricky challenges and puzzles. Escape rooms don’t get much more immersive and realistic than that, I suppose.
If you fancy giving it ago, you can find out more and plan your visit here.
📍141-145 Kentish Town Road, NW1 8PB.
