Swiss Cottage tube station

Swiss Cottage is an Underground station in the Swiss Cottage area of London. It sits at the meeting point of Finchley Road, Avenue Road and College Crescent. The station opened in 1939 on the Bakerloo line and now lies on the Jubilee line between Finchley Road and St John’s Wood. A nearby Metropolitan line runs past without stopping here. South Hampstead station on the London Overground is just 550 yards away, though the two are not linked as an interchange. The name comes from a pub built in 1803–04 called The Swiss Tavern, later renamed Swiss Cottage. During the Second World War the station served as an air-raid shelter during the Blitz. The original Metropolitan line platforms closed in 1940, leaving only the Bakerloo line platforms. When the Jubilee line opened in 1979, the Bakerloo line station transferred to the new line. Local buses 13, 31, 46, 113, 187, 268, 603 and C11 stop outside. Visitors find a simple station building with entrances on Finchley Road and Avenue Road. Inside, the Jubilee line platforms are reached by stairs or lifts. The platforms still show signs of their wartime use, with heavy tiling and air-raid signs. The surrounding area has cafés and small shops, while nearby Primrose Hill offers views across London. The station’s name lives on in the pub and the local library, both close by.