South Kensington

South Kensington station stands in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea where three Underground lines meet. The Circle, District and Piccadilly trains run through its sub-surface and deep-level platforms. The main entrance sits at the crossing of Old Brompton Road, Thurloe Place and nearby streets. Subsidiary entrances lead by a pedestrian tunnel to the Natural History, Science and Victoria and Albert Museums. The Royal Albert Hall, Imperial College London and the Ismaili Centre are also close by. The station opened in 1868 with two platforms and was enlarged in 1871 to four. The original sub-surface station was designed by John Fowler and later rebuilt in art deco style by George Campbell Sherrin. A pedestrian subway opened in 1885 beneath Exhibition Road gave sheltered access to the museums for a penny toll. Parts of the sub-surface station and the tunnel are Grade II listed. Visitors find an arcaded entrance with shops and canopied platforms. The Exhibition Road tunnel runs beneath the road to the museum entrances. The deep-level Piccadilly line platforms remain largely unchanged since 1906. The station’s history is visible in its listed structures and platform arrangements.