Clapham Common tube station

Clapham Common is a London Underground station in Clapham within the London Borough of Lambeth. It is on the Northern line, between Clapham North and Clapham South stations, and is in Travelcard Zone 2.[8]

Clapham Common London Underground
Western entrance
Clapham Common is located in Greater London
Clapham Common
Clapham Common
Location of Clapham Common in Greater London
LocationClapham
Local authorityLambeth
Managed byLondon Underground
OwnerLondon Underground
Station code(s)CPC[1]
Number of platforms2
Fare zone2
London Underground annual entry and exit
2019Decrease 9.64 million[2]
2020Decrease 4.50 million[3]
2021Increase 4.71 million[4]
2022Increase 7.71 million[5]
2023Increase 8.04 million[6]
Key dates
3 June 1900Opened as terminus (C&SLR)
29 November 1923Closed for rebuilding
1 December 1924Reopened
13 September 1926Became through station
Listed status
Listing gradeII
Entry number1065005[7]
Added to list27 March 1981; 43 years ago (1981-03-27)
Other information
External links
Coordinates51°27′42″N 0°08′18″W / 51.4617°N 0.1382°W / 51.4617; -0.1382
London transport portal

History

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The new glass entrance pavilion at Clapham Common South Side

The station is at the eastern tip of Clapham Common and was opened on 3 June 1900 as the new southern terminus of the City and South London Railway, which was extended from Stockwell. It remained the terminus until the Morden extension was opened on 13 September 1926.

In May 2023, a carriage of a packed rush-hour train began to fill with smoke, with passengers smashing windows to escape.[9] The subsequent Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) investigation noted that passengers became panicked by a combination of factors, including smoke and a burning smell, closed train doors, no onboard announcement and "perceived inaction" by staff.[10] The RAIB also noted that the narrow platforms at the station meant the incident “had the potential to have more serious consequences”.[10]

Advertising

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For 2 weeks in September 2016, all of the adverts used in the station were replaced by photos of cats.[11] This was an initiative paid for on crowdfunding site Kickstarter and organized by an organisation called The Citizens Advertising Takeover Service (C.A.T.S).[12]

In January 2017, as part of the initiative Veganuary, PETA took over the station informing and encouraging commuters to adopt veganism for the month.[13]

The station today

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The island platform looking north, showing the narrow width of the platform(s) similar to Clapham North

The station has two entrances, one at the west via a domed building dating from the 1920s,[7] and one at the east via a modern curved-steel and glass pavilion.

Clapham Common and Clapham North are the only stations left on the network that are physically underground with narrow island platforms, around 3.7 metres (12 ft) wide.[14] In September 2024, TfL indicated that they had no plans to widen the platforms due to the high cost of doing so – despite safety concerns raised by the RAIB.[10]

Clapham Common is one of eight London Underground stations that have a deep-level air-raid shelter underneath them. Both entrances to the shelter are north of the station on Clapham High Street.

Services

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Train frequencies vary throughout the day, but generally operate every 2–6 minutes between 06:09 and 00:21 in both directions.[15][16]

Connections

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A large number of London Buses routes serve the station day and night.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Station Codes" (PDF). Transport for London. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2023. Transport for London. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b Historic England. "Entrance Building to Clapham Common Tube Station (1065005)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  8. ^ Standard Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Not to scale. Transport for London. April 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  9. ^ Davis, Barney (5 May 2023). "Watch passengers smash window to escape 'smoke-filled' Tube carriage". Evening Standard. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Lydall, Ross (8 May 2024). "Report reveals scale of panic as Northern Line train filled with smoke". Evening Standard. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  11. ^ "Crowdfunding Replaced The Ads at a London Underground Station With Cat Photos". Jalopnik. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  12. ^ "The Citizens Advertising Takeover Service (C.A.T.S)". Kickstarter. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  13. ^ Scott, Ellen (3 January 2017). "PETA has replaced every advert in Clapham Common tube station with pro-vegan posters". Metro. UK. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  14. ^ Vickers, Noah (3 October 2024). "TfL has 'no proposals' to widen narrow Tube platforms despite safety fears". Evening Standard. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  15. ^ "Northern line timetable: From Clapham Common Underground Station to Clapham North Underground Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  16. ^ "Northern line timetable: From Clapham Common Underground Station to Clapham South Underground Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  17. ^ "Buses from Clapham Common" (PDF). TfL. June 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
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Preceding station   London Underground Following station
Clapham North Northern line
Morden branch
Clapham South
towards Morden
  NODES
Note 3