Borough tube station

Borough station stands in the heart of Southwark, just off Borough High Street on the corner of Marshalsea Road. It sits between London Bridge and Elephant & Castle on the Bank branch of the Northern line, in London’s first fare zone. The entrance faces the A2’s southern end, where the road meets the station’s corner. The area around the station mixes busy streets with older lanes, giving a sense of the district’s layered history. The station opened in 1890 as part of the City and South London Railway, London’s first deep-level tube line. It was rebuilt in 1922 when the tunnels were enlarged, and the northbound platform gained level access via lifts for passengers with mobility needs. The southbound platform remains one floor lower, reached by narrow stairs, though its original finishes are mostly hidden behind modern fixtures. During the Second World War, unused tunnels between Borough and the Thames were turned into an air-raid shelter with six entrances along Borough High Street. Visitors find a working Underground station with lifts and stairs leading down to the platforms. The northbound platform has retained some of its early 20th-century features, while the southbound side shows traces of the original design despite later changes. A plaque on the wall marks the wartime shelter’s history. Above ground, several bus routes pass the entrance, linking the station to the wider city.