Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning photos from London’s abandoned Aldwych station

Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station

We brave the dark depths of this deserted Tube station in search of secrets and stellar snaps.

Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
Whether you’ve heard of Aldwych or not, you’ve doubtless seen it. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
Closed for good in 1994, this Central London stop on a branch of the Piccadilly line has made good its existence in ways other than ferrying flustered office workers.| Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
If you’ve seen The Prodigy’s video for their rave anthem Firestarter, for example, you were actually looking at one of Aldwych’s creepily empty tunnels. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
Likewise, if ever you’ve watched V for Vendetta, 28 Weeks Later or Sherlock, you’ll have seen its platforms – sometimes labelled as other locations. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
When it’s not being used as a film set, Aldwych sits deserted – occasionally opened for private functions and tours. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
Opened in 1907 as Strand station, Aldwych became a branch of the main Piccadilly line when two of London’s railway companies merged. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
A 1972 Northern Line train is permanently parked at Aldwych. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
The train can be moved along the track for filming purposes. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
Aldwych’s initial service was a shuttle to Holborn. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
In 1917 the eastern platform at Aldwych closed, when the station’s Sunday service ceased. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
Aldwych suffered from perennially low passenger numbers, in part due to nearby stations being more convenient. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
Walls adorned with posters from the past attest to a further life as a test area for new adverts. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
Aldwych’s platforms sit more than 28m below street level. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
Several service reductions hit Aldwych over its lifetime. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
When the station’s second platform closed, its one-way tunnel fell into disrepair. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
Several extension plans were proposed during its lifetime, but none came to fruition. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
One extension plan would have included Aldwych on the Jubilee line. A later revision changed the route from Charing Cross to Westminster, missing Aldwych. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
A 2005 study suggested extending the DLR from Bank to Charing Cross via Aldwych as a viable option. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
The tracks at Aldwych still connect to the Piccadilly line via a manual set of points. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
A section blocked off to this day hints at Aldwych’s wartime history | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
The tunnel between Aldwych and Holborn was used to harbour treasures from the nearby British Museum from Nazi bombs. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
Aldwych also sheltered and protected Londoners during the Blitz of World War II. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
The station was built below the location of the demolished Royal Strand Theatre. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
Cream and dark green tiles are a relic of the Underground Electric Railways Company’s penchant for decoration. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller
Walkaround Underground: 25 stunning shots from London's abandoned Aldwych station
Aldwych finally closed its shutters in 1994 due to the prohibitive cost – £3 million – of repairing a broken lift. | Click here to buy this image as a print | © Chris Rowlands / Modern Traveller

All of these images are available as wall prints, gifts and products from the Modern Traveller Art Store.

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