| Summary : The Underground station High Street Kensington opened on 1st October 1868 as one of four intermediate stations on the Metropolitan Railway's extension from Praed Street Junction (west of the Edgware Road) to Gloucester Road. The extension now forms a western segment of the Circle Line. Designed under the supervision of Sir John Fowler, the station building was constructed from white Halsey perforated brick with stone dressings, the windows and doorways set within high arches, and entrances sheltered by iron and glass verandahs. The platforms were built using the cut-and-cover method of construction with retaining walls supporting a semi-elliptical train shed. The increase in property values at the turn of the century led the Metropolitan and District railways to capitalise on the street frontage of the station by relocating the station facilities and erecting retail premises. George Sherrin laid out an arcade with a glass roof from the High Street to an octagonal hall containing the ticket office, with direct access to Derry and Toms' stores. Beyond this, widened stairways led to and from the platforms, replacing the separate departure and arrival footbridges. Work was completed in 1907. London Transport built a new ticket hall beyond the octagon in 1937-9, but Sherrin's elegant arcade survives. |