2/270 - Mile End

Mile End Station,
9th February 2017

Mile End is a station that will always mean something to me. Because I study at the near by Queen Mary University of London, Mile End is perhaps the station I have visited the most on the entire network. Mile End is called Mile End because it is situated roughly one mile away from Aldgate, the original boundary of the City of London. 

The station first opened in 1902, when the District Railway extended from Whitechapel to Upminster. Metropolitan line services started serving the station in 1936, later to be run by the Hammersmith & City line in 1988. Major works were conducted in the 1940s to expand the station to accommodate the Central line expanding Eastwards from Liverpool Street to Epping (and Ongar) by 1949, with Central line services serving Mile End in 1946. 

A west bound District line
train at platform 2, with an east
bound Central line train at
platform 4 in the background,
9th February 2017 

Why is Mile End unique?

Mile End is the only subterranean station on the network where there is a cross-platform interchange with a sub-surface line (District and Hammersmith & City lines) and a deep level line (Central line). This makes Mile End one of the most connected stations in the East of London. 

What to do in Mile End?

Other than visiting one of the many chicken shops around Mile End, there is plenty to do. Mile End is close to one of London's best park, Victoria Park or the 'People's Park'. The park was known as the People's Park because it was a recreational centre for large amounts of the working classes of East London. Activities such as swimming in the pond, or even walking through acres of grass were popular and the only place many in the East End could do so. Now, home to Lovebox festival, Victoria Park is still a popular park in East London. 

Mile End tiles,
15th February 2017

Design 

If you use Mile End regularly I wonder if you've noticed the line colours in the stations tilling? Green around the sides of the pillars on the platform signify the District line, and the red at the top signify the Central line. Some of you will be wondering what about pink for the Hammersmith and City line? The H&C did not take over the line from Hammersmith to Barking until 1988, and at Mile End, like many other stations, they have not got around to reflecting this in their station tiles. 

More photos

Mile End platform signage,
15th February 2017

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