Elephant & Castle tube station

Elephant & Castle station stands in Southwark, on the Bank branch of the Northern line between Borough and Kennington. It is also the southern end of the Bakerloo line, where trains start their northbound journeys to Queen’s Park, Stonebridge Park or Harrow & Wealdstone. The station sits in both fare zones one and two, with two surface buildings separated by a busy roundabout. The Bakerloo line building survives from 1910 as a Leslie Green structure, while the Northern line entrance was rebuilt in 2003 after earlier changes in the 1960s. A National Rail station sits next to the roundabout, allowing an out-of-station interchange for ticket holders. The station has a notable place in London transport history. In 1924 a baby was born on the Bakerloo line platform, the first birth recorded on the Underground network. The Northern line platforms still carry original 1920s tiles replicated in 2006, while the Bakerloo line’s maroon and cream tiling has been covered over. The station’s lifts and spiral stairs link the ticket halls to the platforms, with the southbound Northern line platform the only step-free route. Above the station, offices house drivers’ accommodation and London Underground administration. Visitors enter through the red faience arches of the Bakerloo building or the modern extension beside Skipton House. The northern exit leads straight into London South Bank University’s triangular campus, while the southern exit opens onto the shopping centre and the National Rail station. Buses stop outside both entrances day and night, making the area easy to reach. Inside, the platforms show signs of the station’s long life, from the preserved tunnel tiles to the functional roundels at a single height.