21/270 - Balham

Balham station has an interesting history and has perhaps the best London Underground fact I have found so far on my travels. Balham comprises of a National Rail station and a London Underground station that is served by the Northern line. It is the only Northern line station on the Modern branch to link up with a National Rail station. 

The original railway station opened in December 1856 as Balham Hill on the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway. Three years later the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway purchased the line after its extension to Pimlico. The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway decided to relocate the station as part of works to widen the line and increase capacity. 

The new station was named Balham after the relocation in 1863, however, it was renamed Balham and Upper Tooting in March 1927 but reverted back to Balham in October 1969. In the early 20th century, the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was electrified, and works began at Balham in 1913. The First World War interrupted these works, and they were not completed until 1925. However, in 1921 the line became part of the Southern Railway, and they required further electrification works, which took place between June 1928 and September 1929. 

Balham received an underground service in 1926 as part of the extension of the City & South London Railway, which became the Northern line, from Clapham Common to Morden. Seven stations opened as part of the extension in 1926, but six of them opened on 13 September 1926. However, Balham was the station that did not open in September but instead opened on 6 December 1926. 

All the station buildings on the extension in 1926, including Balham, were designed by Charles Holden. I have mentioned Charles Holden numerous times in this blog and made reference to his design classics such as Gants Hill and Southgate. Designing these stations was the first major project he had on the London Underground. Balham features entrances on the east and west side of Balham High Road, and they are both linked by a subway, both buildings became Grade II listed in June 1987.

Balham, like many deep tube stations, became a public air raid shelter during the Second World War. On the evening of 14 October 1940, a bomb dropped on the road above the station. This bomb created a crater and a bus crashed, which lead to the partial collapse of the northbound platforms and killed 66 people. The northern line was closed between Tooting Bec and Clapham Common for repair works and was reopened in January 1941. In 2000, a memorial plaque was installed in the ticket hall at Balham station. The bombing features in Ian McEwan's novel, Atonement, but he miscited the date as September 1940. 

Balham station features perhaps the best fact I have found on my travels on the London Underground. Balham is the only station name on the entire London Underground network that does not feature any of the letters in the word 'underground'. 

I highly recommend a trip on the Morden branch of the Northern line, and especially recommend visiting Balham for its rich history.