The abandoned Crystal Palace Subway station. Due to its magnificent construction, it is more reminiscent of a church than of a train station.
The year 1851 marked a historic high point for the up-and-coming city of London. Because in that year the world exhibition took place in the metropolis on the Thames, which was already one of the most modern metropolises in the world. An event that brought enormous renown and at which countless visitors marveled at attractions from countries around the world. Among them was the so-called Crystal Palace.
The cast iron and glass building was such a magnet for visitors that it was decided to exhibit it permanently and in an enlarged form in London. This was also the birth of the Crystal Palace Subway. Because of the massive stream of visitors, a subway was needed to take people to their destinations. The Crystal Palace Low Level Station therefore opened as early as 1854, as reported by the “Friends of the Crystal Palace Subway” on their website. In order to further reduce the walking distance to the sight, the High Level Station was inaugurated in 1865.
A subway station like a Byzantine church
Inaugurated on August 1, 1865, the High Level Station with its pompous architecture became synonymous with the Crystal Palace Subway. Built for first-class subway passengers, it boasted 18 mighty pillars, among other things. They make the building appear almost like a Byzantine church. The High Level Station had a total of four entrances and exits in order to cope with the immense number of visitors to the Crystal Palace.
In 1911, the Crystal Palace Subway experienced one of its proudest days when a total of 100,000 London children were invited to the Crystal Palace for the coronation ceremony of King George V. The arrival and departure was of course by train via the High Level Station, 96 trains were in use that day. The station mastered its mammoth task with flying colors, local newspapers such as the “Daily Mirror” reported on it.
The end of the Crystal Palace Subway
As early as 1917, however, the Crystal Palace Subway began to slowly decline. That year, World War I forces the city to close High Level Station until April 1, 1919. The final death knell comes on November 30, 1936, when the Crystal Palace itself burns down in a fire. And without the attraction, of course, you wouldn’t need a corresponding subway station anymore.
From 1941-45, the Crystal Palace Subway regained its importance as a bomb shelter during the Second World War, which could offer shelter to almost 200 people. On September 20, 1954, the High Level Station closed its doors to passengers forever. However, that is by no means the end of it, because there are still plenty of visitors in the period that follows, initially mainly children playing and amateur photographers.
Vandalism, raves and resurrection
Finally, in November 1971, the entrances and exits of the Crystal Palace Subway were bricked up. In previous years there had been repeated devastating vandalism. People still found their way into the underground catacombs. In the 1990s, High Level Station became a popular spot for illegal raves. In 1996, the band Chemical Brothers filmed part of their music video “Setting Sun” in the cathedral-like subway station.
Since September 1979, the Crystal Palace Subway has been officially opened to those interested on individual days. The “Friends of the Crystal Palace Subway” have been maintaining the station since 2013. Tours for visitors are usually held here several times a year, but the station is currently closed for renovations. Once it reopens, everyone will have a chance to see one of London’s undiscovered tourist highlights. According to the operators, just under 15,000 people have come since 2016.
