Oval tube station

Oval tube station stands in south London at the crossing of four roads near Kennington Park Road and Clapham Road. It opened in 1890 as part of the City and South London Railway, the first deep-level electric tube in the city. The station takes its name from the Oval cricket ground a few hundred metres away, home of Surrey County Cricket Club. Cricket-themed murals, statues and banners decorate the platforms and passages. During international matches the station handles crowds from across the United Kingdom and abroad. The original 1890 station was built with deep-level tunnelling to avoid disturbing surface buildings. Shield-driven construction and passenger lifts at each platform made it a model for later tube stations. In July 2005 one of the failed London bombings targeted this site. Today the Northern line runs every three to six minutes through Oval between Kennington and Stockwell. Above ground the station sits beside Kennington Park and the large St Mark’s Church. The Oval cricket ground is reached in five minutes on foot. London buses serve the junction with routes 3, 36 and 159 among others. A whiteboard near the ticket hall displays daily quotations from the Tao Te Ching for waiting passengers.