Hounslow West tube station

Hounslow West station stands on Bath Road in the London Borough of Hounslow, beside the Great West Road. It serves the Piccadilly line’s Heathrow branch between Hatton Cross and Hounslow Central. The station opened in 1884 as Hounslow Barracks, later renamed when the Piccadilly line arrived in 1933. Charles Holden designed the 1931 ticket hall in Portland stone and granite, with a heptagonal shape and glazed screens. The original platforms were moved underground in 1975 to make way for the Heathrow extension. A stairlift provides step-free access for manual wheelchair users only, a unique feature on the Underground. The station’s history reflects the growth of London’s transport network. The District Railway began a shuttle to Osterley in 1884, replaced by a link to Mill Hill Park two years later. Electrification reached Hounslow in 1905, and the Piccadilly line took over in 1933. The Heathrow extension, approved in 1967, required relocating the platforms and building cut-and-cover tunnels along Bath Road. Work began with a groundbreaking by Sir Desmond Plummer and was completed by 1977. Today the station has two Piccadilly line platforms reached by stairs and a stairlift. The 1931 ticket hall houses a disused wooden ticket booth and a geometric chandelier. Nearby are Beaversfield Park, Hounslow Medical Centre and St Paul’s Church. The area also includes Cavalry Barracks and Cranford, linking the station to Hounslow’s past and present.