| Summary : Boston Manor station opened as Boston Road on 1st May 1883 to serve trains on the Hounslow and Metropolitan Railway, the Metropolitan District Railway's branch to Hounslow Town; it was renamed Boston Manor in 1911. The 'New Works Programme 1930' included the extension of the London Electric Railway's Piccadilly line westward over the existing Hounslow, Harrow and Uxbridge branches to serve the new housing estates and take some traffic away from the overloaded District. As a result Boston Manor was rebuilt to the designs of Charles Holden. In late 1932 work started on the demolition of the old street-level buildings to make space for rail access to the new Northfields rolling stock depot. The rebuilt station came into use on 25th March 1934. The depot approach reduced the width of the site, so the station was extended on girders over the tracks. The arrangement of a prominent tower and low level buildings was a departure from the established 'box' form, and was chosen to harmonise with the surrounding housing whilst still being clearly visible from a distance. On the front of the tower a casement of steel and reeded glass panels formed a sky sign to identify the location of the railway by night. Almost immediately the station was opened, opal glass was fitted instead as it gave more concentrated light. Below the entrance canopy an illuminated frieze displayed the station name in grey on a white ground. To save space, staff rooms were at platform level under the stairs. There was little change to the platform structures, where the District Railway's valanced wooden canopies and now-disused signalbox remain to this day. |