A London Underground station was lost to time after people didn’t use it and drivers didn’t bother stopping there. Brompton Road was first opened in 1906 just down the road from South Kensington, but just three years later it became clear the station was pointless.
With its proximity to Kensington and Knightsbridge, nobody was using it and so Tube drivers often didn’t even bother to stop there.
The only things nearby worth visiting were the Brompton Oratory and the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Tucked away down a little side street called Cottage Place, its entrance is covered in classic red oxblood tiles.
The station had colours typical of those built by the American financier Charles Tyson Yerkes – white and cream tiles with patterns picked out in green and brown.
It was then decided by authorities that some trains would pass by less-used stations to speed up services.
At the time, the confusion about whether trains would even stop at the station was so great it led to a play being performed about it at the Criterion Theatre in 1928 called ‘Passing Brompton Road’.
The station closed in 1926 for the General Strike before closing permanently in 1934, just 28 years after it opened. It was sold in 2014.
Above ground it had a drill hall, garages, and offices, dating from its recent use as a training base for air cadets and naval reservists.
Below the surface though it’s a labyrinth of tunnels, steps and bunkers, with some having been converted for use as a command centre during The Blitz.
As part of the conversion from Tube station to war bunker, the platforms were lowered and a wall was built along the length of them to protect the workers from the trains on the other side.
Beyond a locked gate lie two hidden platforms which once belonged to the Piccadilly Line. There are stairs which would have led down to them and a spooky spiral staircase.
