High Street Kensington tube station

High Street Kensington station stands on Kensington High Street in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It serves the Circle and District lines and lies in London fare zone 1. The station sits between Gloucester Road and Notting Hill Gate on the Circle line, and between Earl’s Court and Notting Hill Gate on the District line. A glass-roofed arcade leads from the ticket hall to the street above. The original barrel roof, designed by Sir John Fowler, was removed in the early 20th century. George Campbell Sherrin’s 1906–07 rebuild added wooden shelters and an octagonal booking hall. The station is worth the journey for its engineering history and surviving features. Fowler’s 1867 roof was once a landmark of early Metropolitan Railway design. Sherrin’s 1906–07 work introduced the octagonal hall and arcade, later rebuilt in 1937–38 to handle more passengers. A Grade II listed K8 telephone kiosk on Platform 3 is one of the few still in place. The Olympia service runs from Platform 3 at weekends and for special events. Twelve trains per hour leave during off-peak times, linking the station to Edgware Road, Wimbledon and Hammersmith. Inside, four platforms handle through and terminating trains. Platforms 1 and 2 serve Circle and District line trains in both directions. Platforms 3 and 4 usually take terminating District line services, with Platform 3 running the Olympia link. The former waiting room between Platforms 2 and 3 now serves drivers. Day and night buses stop outside, connecting the station to the wider area. The junction just south of the platforms marks where the Circle and District lines split.