Chigwell

Chigwell station stands in the town of Chigwell within Epping Forest, Essex. It sits on the Hainault Loop of the Central line, between Grange Hill and Roding Valley stations. The station opened in 1903 on the Woodford to Ilford line. It closed in 1947 and reopened the next year with electric Underground trains. From the mid-1960s to the early 1990s, the Woodford-Hainault section ran separately with special trains. The station is worth the journey for its role in London’s transport history. It became part of the Central line after the 1935–1940 New Works Programme. The Woodford-Hainault line tested Automatic Train Operation before it was used on the Victoria line. Some Victoria line trains once ran this branch under the name FACT. The service now runs through to central London via Hainault. Visitors find a quiet station with a refurbished booking hall. Trains run every twenty minutes off-peak to Hainault and Woodford. At peak times, services extend to West Ruislip. Local buses 167, 804, 667 and 677 link the station to the area. The station also appeared in Mike Leigh’s 1983 film *Meantime*.