| Summary : Designed under the supervision of John Wolfe-Barry by a Mr Clemence, Chiswick Park station opened as Acton Green on 1st July 1879. It was one of three new stations on the District Railway's extension from Turnham Green to Ealing Broadway. The station had brick bands set out around doors and windows, and small lantern lights over the ticket hall. It was renamed Chiswick Park and Acton Green in March 1887, and Chiswick Park on 1st March 1910. In the early 1930s plans were made for the reconstruction of Chiswick Park. The quadrupling of tracks for the projection of Piccadilly line services required that the station be rebuilt and platforms resited to make rooms for the additional lines. A temporary booking office opened on 5th July 1931, and the old station was demolished later in the year. Most of the new structure was completed by April 1932. By August the building was in use and work was finally completed in 1933. A new eastbound platform opened on 20th September 1931, and the replacement westbound platform had come into use by June 1932. Platforms serve the District line only. The principal feature of the building is the semi-circular ticket hall with its great expanse of windows. To one side of the hall was built a tower to advertise the presence of the station, bearing the 'UndergrounD' logo and the station name on blue enamel plates over a cast-stone band. Hand-made sandfaced multi-red bricks laid in English bond were used for the exterior facing. On the upper frieze the station name was shown in bronze letters. The platform shelters were constructed from reinforced concrete. A notable feature of the platform walls was the biscuit-cream abd black tile work forming surrounds to the 'UndergrounD' station name boards and incorporating poster display spaces. Chiswick Park was considered by the Underground's management to be one of the less successful designs, but occupied an awkward site. The ticket hall underwent some rebuilding in 1988-89. |