Clapham Common () is a

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

station in

Clapham Clapham () is a district in south London, south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (including Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Ea ...

within the

London Borough of Lambeth Lambeth () is a London borough in South London, England, which forms part of Inner London. Its name was recorded in 1062 as ''Lambehitha'' ("landing place for lambs") and in 1255 as ''Lambeth''. The geographical centre of London is at Frazi ...

. It is on the

Northern line The Northern line is a London Underground line that runs between North London and South London. It is printed in black on the Tube map. It carries more passengers per year than any other Underground linearound 340million in 2019making it the bu ...

between Clapham North and Clapham South stations, and is located in Travelcard Zone 2.

History

The station is at the eastern tip of

Clapham Common Clapham Common is a large triangular urban park in Clapham, south London, England. Originally common land for the parishes of Battersea and Clapham, it was converted to parkland under the terms of the Metropolitan Commons Act 1878. It is of gr ...

and was opened on 3 June 1900 as the new southern terminus of the

City and South London Railway The City and South London Railway (C&SLR) was the first successful deep-level underground "tube" railway in the world, and the first major railway to use Railway electrification in Great Britain, electric traction. The railway was originally i ...

, which was extended from Stockwell. It remained the terminus until the Morden extension was opened on 13 September 1926. In May 2023, a carriage of a packed rush-hour train began to fill with smoke, with passengers smashing windows to escape. The subsequent Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) investigation noted that passengers became panicked by a combination of factors, including smoke and a burning smell, closed train doors, no onboard announcement and "perceived inaction" by staff. The RAIB also noted that the narrow platforms at the station meant the incident “had the potential to have more serious consequences”.

Advertising

For 2 weeks in September 2016, all of the adverts used in the station were replaced by photos of cats. This was an initiative paid for on

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance, to fund projects "withou ...

site

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

and organized by an organisation called ''The Citizens Advertising Takeover Service (C.A.T.S)''. In January 2017, as part of the initiative Veganuary, PETA took over the station informing and encouraging commuters to adopt veganism for the month.

The station today

The station has two entrances, one at the west via a domed building dating from the 1920s, and one at the east via a modern curved-steel and glass pavilion. Clapham Common and Clapham North are the only stations left on the network that are physically underground with narrow

island platforms An island platform (also center platform (American English) or centre platform (British English)) is a station layout arrangement where a single railway platform, platform is positioned between two railway track, tracks within a railway station, ...

, around wide. In September 2024, TfL indicated that they had no plans to widen the platforms due to the high cost of doing so – despite safety concerns raised by the RAIB. Clapham Common is one of eight London Underground stations that have a deep-level air-raid shelter underneath them. Both entrances to the shelter are north of the station on Clapham High Street.

Services

Clapham Common station is on the Morden branch of the Northern line between Clapham North to the north and Clapham South to the south. Train frequencies vary throughout the day, but generally operate every 2–6 minutes between 06:09 and 00:21 in both directions.

Connections

A large number of

London Buses London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) that manages most bus services in London, England. It was formed following the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that transferred control of London Regional Transport (LRT) bus s ...

routes serve the station day and night.

References

External links

London Transport Museum Photographic Archive
** {{Northern line navbox Northern line stations Tube stations in the London Borough of Lambeth Former City and South London Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1900 Charles Holden railway stations Clapham Railway stations with domes London Underground Night Tube stations Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Lambeth