Listen closely. Have you ever stood on a spot imbued with echoes of whistles and the rumble of trains long gone? This is St. Quintin Park & Wormwood Scrubs. Once a bustling railway station, it now whispers tales of journeys past.
St. Quintin Park & Wormwood Scrubs station sat on the West London Railway. It straddled the border between North Kensington and Hammersmith & Fulham. The station was near North Pole Road’s junction with Wood Lane. Wormwood Scrubs lay nearby.
The original Wormwood Scrubs station opened on August 1, 1871. It stood about 100 yards south of North Pole Road. It was constructed mainly of wood. The station was renamed St. Quintin Park & Wormwood Scrubs on August 1, 1892.
Then, on November 1, 1893, St. Quintin Park & Wormwood Scrubs station was resited. It moved to the north side of North Pole Road. The platforms were timber. They were supported on brick pillars. Long access ramps led from North Pole Road to a booking office on each platform. Each platform had a canopy.
Interestingly, the Great Western Railway did not initially contribute to the station’s cost. Consequently, its trains were not permitted to use the station until May 2, 1904. GWR trains stopped using St. Quintin Park & Wormwood Scrubs station from March 22, 1915.
Tragedy struck on October 3, 1940. St. Quintin Park & Wormwood Scrubs station was destroyed by fire after an air raid. It never reopened. The wooden structure burned completely. Its remains were later demolished.
Today, electric trains on the West London Line still pass near St. Quintin Park & Wormwood Scrubs. They pause to change current collection methods. North of this point, the line uses AC overhead lines. To the south, it uses DC third rail.
In 2009, there was talk of building a new station nearby. It would have been slightly north of the old St. Quintin Park & Wormwood Scrubs site. The proposed name was North Pole station. To date such plans have not materialized.
St. Quintin Park & Wormwood Scrubs reminds us of London’s ever-changing transport history. Though the station is gone, its story remains. It is a testament to innovation, resilience, and the enduring spirit of this great city.