11/270 - Barkingside

Barkingside station, a Grade II
listed building,
3rd April 2017

Situated on the Hainault loop, Barkingside is a gorgeous station in East London. The station is between Newbury Park and Fairlop, and is in zone 4. With 1.41 million annual users, Barkingside is the 6th most used station on the Hainault loop, with only Fairlop, Grange Hill, Chigwell and Roding Valley being used less on the Hainault loop. Barkingside station is not to be confused with Barking on the District line and Hammersmith and City line. Barking is the terminus of the Hammersmith and City line. However, the stations are four miles apart and Barkingside is served by just one line, the Central line.

Footbridge at Barkingside,
3rd April 2017

London Underground services started serving the station on 31st May 1948, however Barkingside has had a longer history with railways. Barkingside initially opened on 1st May 1903 when the Great Eastern Railway (GER) opened a branch line from Woodford to Ilford via Hainault, and was originally known as the Fairlop loop, which would later form a large part of the

Hainault loop. The Fairlop loop was designed for suburban growth. During World War One, the station was closed to passengers between 21st May 1916 and 30th June 1919. Four years after reopneing, the GER was merged with other local railway companies to become part of the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) as part of the 1921 Railways Act.

During the 1930s the line was being transformed to form an Eastern extension to the Central line. Work started in 1938, but due to World War Two it was suspended until 1946. A year later, in November 1947, steam railway services closed at Barkingside so the line and station could be electrified for Central line services to open on 31st May 1948. During the transformation to London Underground services, very little was done to alter the station. 

On average, 9 trains per hour leave the station towards Ealing Broadway, 3 trains per hour leave to Woodford, where as 6 trains use the same track but terminate at Hainault. The 3 trains an hour which continue to Woodford stop at Grange Hill, Chigwell and Roding Valley, the three least used stations on the London Underground network.

Oakside Stadium from the
footbridge at Barkingside,
3rd April 2017

The station still retains many of its original features, including a lovely waiting room on the westbound platform. Barkingside is a stones throw away from Redbridge FC, despite being three stops away from Redbridge station. Formed in 1959, the club now play football in the Essex Senior League after being relegated from the Isthmian League Division One North at the end of the 2015-16 season. Redbridge FC play their home matches at the 3,000 seater Oakside Stadium. You get a wonderful view of the stadium from the footbridge at Barkingside station. 

Eastbound platform at
Barkingside,
3rd April 2017

I need to point out that Barkingside, like a lot of other stations on the eastern end of the central line, present their roundels in a lovely way. At Barkingside, towards the north of the station, the roundels are presented on concrete with a light attached. In the middle of the station on the eastbound platform, a roundel is placed on a isolated small brick wall, a little, but

lovely characteristic.

Barkingside is a lovely station which has retained many of its original features. If you prefer the classic style of railway stations, Barkingside is a station you must visit! I have used the word lovely a lot throughout this entry, and the reason is, lovely is the perfect word to describe Barkingside, a small, quiet, but characteristic station on the Central line. If you have not been to Barkingside, I highly recommend that you do. 

More photos

Roundel at Barkingside,
3rd April 2017

View from the footbridge
at Barkingside,
3rd April 2017

Are you going to any London Underground journeys this Easter bank holiday? I would love to know if you are. Comment any of your stories or send your photos to my Instagram account, tubespottingdan.