Seven Sisters Road once met a small wooden platform. That platform has evolved into Finsbury Park Station. Today we explore its story. Finsbury Park Station stands as a vital interchange in North London. It serves London Underground, National Rail, and London Buses. Over 33 million passengers used Finsbury Park Station in 2019. It makes it the third busiest Underground station outside Zone 1.
The station takes its name from nearby Finsbury Park. Finsbury Park is one of London’s oldest Victorian parks. It opened in 1869 offering recreation for Londoners. The station complex includes a National Rail station. It also has an Underground station and two bus stations. All are interconnected for easy transit. The main entrances are by the eastern bus station on Station Place. A new western entrance opened in December 2019. It improved access to the station.
Finsbury Park Station sits on the East Coast Main Line. This line runs from King’s Cross to northern England and Scotland. Tracks first passed through Finsbury Park in 1850. The Great Northern Railway built the line. The first station opened here on July 1 1861. It was originally named Seven Sisters Road Holloway.
The Edgware, Highgate and London Railway soon began building a line from Finsbury Park to Edgware. The Great Northern Railway took over this project. The station received its current name Finsbury Park on November 15 1869.
The Great Northern and City Railway planned a tunnel link. It would connect Finsbury Park to Moorgate. This would offer an alternative London terminus. A dispute stopped the connection to the Great Northern Railway platforms. The line operated as a shuttle between Finsbury Park and Moorgate instead.
The Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway opened on December 15 1906. This line now forms part of the Piccadilly line. It ran between Finsbury Park and Hammersmith.
Finsbury Park became a bottleneck for passengers heading north. The Underground extended the Piccadilly line northwards. The first section opened on September 19 1932.
London Underground announced the New Works Programme in 1935. This plan included taking over LNER branch lines from Finsbury Park. These lines ran to Edgware, High Barnet and Alexandra Palace. These were collectively known as the Northern Heights lines. World War II caused the cancellation of much of this plan.
London Underground planned a new route across central London. This route became the Victoria line. Finsbury Park was an ideal interchange point. The first section of the Victoria line opened on September 1 1968.
During the Victoria line’s construction, station walls gained a unique decoration. Mosaics of duelling pistols were installed. This was a mistaken reference. It confused Finsbury Park with Finsbury Fields. Finsbury Fields was known for archery, sports, and duels. It was actually located three miles south.
In 1976, part of the abandoned Northern Heights plan was completed in reverse. The Northern City Line was transferred to British Rail. Trains ran from Moorgate to the surface at Finsbury Park.
The station underwent upgrades in the late 2010s. Step-free access, ticket barriers and a new western entrance were added. Step-free access to the Piccadilly and Victoria lines was completed in January 2019. The new western entrance opened in December 2019.
Today Finsbury Park Station continues to evolve. It serves as a crucial hub connecting various parts of London and beyond. Its history reflects London’s growth. Finsbury Park Station has seen constant change.