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'{{short description|London Underground station}} {{distinguish|Bethnal Green railway station}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}} {{Use British English|date=August 2012}} {{Infobox London station | name = Bethnal Green | symbol = underground | manager = [[London Underground]] | owner = [[Transport for London]] | locale = [[Bethnal Green]] | borough = [[London Borough of Tower Hamlets]] | platforms = 2 | fare_zone = 2 | image_name = File:Bethnal Green stn eastbound look east.JPG | caption = Eastbound platform | coordinates = {{coord|51|31|38|N|0|03|20|W|type:railwaystation_region:GB|display=inline,title|format=dec}} | original = [[London Passenger Transport Board]] | years1 = 4 December 1946 | events1 = Station opened <!-- | tubeexits06 = 12.054 | tubeexits07 = {{increase}} 14.095 | tubeexits08 = {{increase}} 14.27 | tubeexits09 = {{increase}} 15.11--> }} '''Bethnal Green''' is a [[London Underground]] station in [[Bethnal Green]], [[Greater London]], England, and is served by the [[Central line (London Underground)|Central line]] between [[Liverpool Street station|Liverpool Street]] and [[Mile End tube station|Mile End]]. The station was opened as part of the long planned Central line eastern extension on 4 December 1946; before that it was used as an [[Air Raid Precautions|air-raid shelter]]. On 3 March 1943, 173 people were killed in a crush while attempting to enter the shelter, in what is believed to be the largest loss of civilian life in the UK during [[World War II]]. The station is an example of the style adopted by [[London Passenger Transport Board|London Transport]] for new tube stations under the [[New Works Programme]] of 1935–1940. Extensive use is made of pale yellow tiling, originally manufactured by [[Poole Pottery]]. This has been replicated during the 2007 modernisation although several panels of original tiling were retained on the platforms. The finishes include relief tiles, showing symbols of London and the area served by the [[London Passenger Transport Board]], designed by [[Royal Designers for Industry|Harold Stabler]]. The station entrances, all in the form of subway access staircases to the subterranean ticket hall, all show the design influences of [[Charles Holden]], the consulting architect for London Transport at this time. ==History== ===Development=== The 1935–40 [[London Passenger Transport Board]] (LPTB) [[New Works Programme]] included a new deep level station in Bethnal Green as part of the Central line extension from Liverpool Street to [[Ongar railway station|Ongar]] and Woodford over the [[London & North Eastern Railway]] suburban branch to [[Epping tube station|Epping]] and Ongar in Essex, as well as a new underground line between [[Leytonstone tube station|Leytonstone]] and [[Newbury Park tube station|Newbury Park]] mostly under the [[A12 road (England)|Eastern Avenue]] to serve the new suburbs under-development in the north [[Ilford]] and the [[Hainault Loop]].{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=116}} ===Wartime disaster 1943===<!-- This section is linked from [[Anti-aircraft warfare]] --> Construction of the Central line's eastern extension was started in the 1930s, and the tunnels were largely complete at the outbreak of the [[Second World War]] although rails were not laid. The facilities at Bethnal Green were requisitioned in 1940 at the onset of the first Blitz and administration was assigned to the local authority, the [[Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green]], under the supervision of the "Regional Commissioners", the generic name for London [[Civil Defence Service|civil defence]]. Heavy air raids began in October and thousands of people took shelter there, often remaining overnight. However, usage of the shelter dwindled in 1941 as the air forces of [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] and [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]] were redirected away from the United Kingdom and against the [[Soviet Union]]. A relative lull occurred although the number of shelterers rose again when retaliatory bombing in response to [[Royal Air Force]] raids was expected. This was the case on 3 March 1943, after British media reported a heavy RAF raid on [[Berlin]] on the night of 1 March. The [[airstrike|air-raid]] [[Civil defence siren|Civil Defence siren]] sounded at 8:17 pm, triggering a heavy but orderly flow of people down the blacked-out staircase from the street. A middle-aged woman and a child fell over, three steps up from the base and others fell around her, tangled in an immovable mass which grew, as they struggled, to nearly 300 people. Some got free but 173, most of them women and children, were [[stampede|crushed]] and [[crush syndrome|asphyxiated]]. Some 60 others were taken to hospital. News of the disaster was withheld for 36 hours and reporting of what had happened was censored, giving rise to allegations of a cover-up, although it was in line with existing wartime reporting restrictions. Among the reports which never ran was one filed by Eric Linden of the ''[[Daily Mail]]'', who witnessed the disaster. The story which was reported instead was that there had been a direct hit by a German bomb. The results of the official investigation were not released until 1946.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/homeground/archive/2003/bethnal-green-tube-disaster.shtml ''Bethnal Green – disaster at the tube'', Wednesday 24 September 2003, 19.30 BBC Two] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213173030/http://www.bbc.co.uk/homeground/archive/2003/bethnal-green-tube-disaster.shtml |date=13 December 2007 }}</ref> At the end of the war, the Minister of Home Security, [[Herbert Morrison]], quoted from a secret report to the effect that there had been a panic, caused by the discharge of [[Z Battery|anti-aircraft rockets]], fired from nearby [[Victoria Park, London|Victoria Park]]. But other authorities who looked into what had happened disagreed; the Shoreditch Coroner, Mr W R H Heddy,<ref>Nat. Archives MEPO 2/1942</ref> said that there was "nothing to suggest any stampede or panic or anything of the kind"; [[John Edward Singleton|Mr Justice Singleton]], summarising his decision in ''Baker v Bethnal Green Corporation'', an action for damages by a bereaved widow,<ref>''The Times'', 19 July 1944</ref> said "there was nothing in the way of rushing or surging" on the staircase; the [[Master of the Rolls]], [[Wilfred Greene, 1st Baron Greene|Lord Greene]], reviewing the lower court's judgement<ref>''The Times'', 9 December 1944</ref> said "it was perfectly well known .. that there had been no panic". Lord Greene also rebuked the Ministry for getting the case to be held in secret. The Baker lawsuit was followed by other claims, resulting in a total payout of nearly £60,000, the last of which was made in the early 1950s. The secret official report, by a Metropolitan magistrate, Laurence Rivers Dunne, acknowledged that Bethnal Green Council had warned London Civil Defence, in 1941, that the staircase needed a [[crush barrier]] to slow down the crowds, but was told that would be a waste of money.<ref>Nat.Archives PREM 4/40/15</ref> [[File:Bethnal Green Tube.jpg|thumb|left|View from southwestern entrance towards St. John's]] The crush at Bethnal Green is thought to have been the largest single loss of civilian life in the UK in the Second World War and the largest loss of life in a single incident on the London Underground network. The largest number killed by a single wartime bomb was 107 at Wilkinson's Lemonade Factory in [[North Shields]] (1941),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://northshields173.org |title=Wilkinson's air raid shelter disaster explored |work=northshields173.org |date= |accessdate=23 August 2018}}</ref> though there were many more British civilians killed in single bombing raids.<ref name="bbc_21645163">{{cite news | title=Bethnal Green Tube disaster marked 70 years on | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21645163 | work=BBC News | date=3 March 2013 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306014728/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21645163 | archivedate=6 March 2013 | deadurl=no }}</ref> ===Contemporary=== On 5 July 2007, a westbound Central line train struck a roll of fire-resistant material which was lying on the track between Mile End and Bethnal Green stations. The first three bogies of the train were derailed and the driver applied the emergency brake, stopping the train after 148m. There were no serious injuries caused by the derailment, but 20 passengers received medical treatment. All 520 passengers were evacuated from the train along the tunnel to Mile End station. The derailment also caused some damage to the first two carriages of the train, to the track and to one signal. The immediate cause of the incident was a roll of fire-resistant blanket, approximately 1.8m long, lying across one rail. The blanket had been stored in a passage the previous night and weighted down, but the wind from passing trains had caused it to unfurl and fall onto the line. There were four causal factors and four contributory factors related to the incident. The underlying cause was the lack of a comprehensive risk analysis being performed to support the use of fire-resistant blankets.<ref>{{cite web |title=Derailment near Mile End station |url=https://www.gov.uk/raib-reports/derailment-of-a-london-underground-central-line-train-near-mile-end-station |publisher= Rail Accident Investigation Branch |language=en |date=10 December 2014}} [[File:UKOpenGovernmentLicence.svg|30px]] This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under the [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ Open Government Licence v3.0]. © Crown copyright.</ref> ==Commemoration of wartime disaster== [[File:Bethnal Green stn memorial plaque.JPG|thumb|right|Plaque to the 1943 disaster]] [[File:Bethnal Green Stairway to Heaven.jpg|thumb|The "Stairway to Heaven" memorial]] ===Memorials=== A plaque commemorating the 1943 disaster was erected on the station's south-eastern staircase, on which the deaths occurred, for the fiftieth anniversary in 1993. It bears the coat of arms of the [[London Borough of Tower Hamlets]], and records the event as the "worst civilian disaster of the Second World War".<ref>{{cite web |title=Plaque: Bethnal Green WW2 disaster – plaque |work=London Remembers |url=https://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/bethnal-green-ww2-disaster-plaque |accessdate=3 March 2018 }}</ref> The "Stairway to Heaven Memorial Trust" was established in 2007 to create a more prominent public memorial to those who died in the disaster. The memorial was designed by local architects Harry Patticas and Jens Borstlemann of Arboreal Architecture.<ref name="memorial">{{cite web |url=http://www.stairwaytoheavenmemorial.org/gpage12.html |title=The Appeal |work=Stairway to Heaven Memorial Trust |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307010006/http://www.stairwaytoheavenmemorial.org/gpage12.html |archivedate=7 March 2008 |deadurl=yes |access-date=18 February 2009 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> It was sited in a corner of Bethnal Green Garden, immediately outside the tube station, and was unveiled on 16 December 2017, more than 74 years after the event. It takes the form of an open inverted stairway of 18 steps made of teak overhanging a concrete plinth, and is a full-sized replica of the stairway where the disaster occurred. The names of the dead are carved on the exterior and the top covering has 173 small holes allowing light through representing the dead.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-42384399 |title=Bethnal Green WW2 Tube disaster memorial unveiled |date=20 December 2017 |website=BBC News |publisher=BBC |access-date=20 December 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/16/74-years-bethnal-green-tube-disaster-aberfan-hillsborough-grenfell |title=74 years since the Bethnal Green tube disaster, lessons still need to be learned |last=Ali |first=Rushanara |date=16 December 2017 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=20 December 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/70373|title=Bethnal Green Underground Station Civilians (Stairway to Heaven)|work=War Memorials Register|publisher=Imperial War Museums|accessdate=15 April 2018}}</ref> ===Other commemoration=== Although the deaths were not due to enemy action, the 173 dead are all recorded by name by the [[Commonwealth War Graves Commission]] among the 527 civilian war dead in the Bethnal Green Municipal Borough.<ref>[https://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/4004058/bethnal-green,-metropolitan-borough/] CWGC Cemetery record, civilian casualties Bethnal Green Metropolitan Borough.</ref> All are recorded as "Died [date] in Tube Shelter accident".<ref>[http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/3125126/AARONS,%20BETTY%20DIANA] Example CWGC Casualty record for Betty Diana Aarons.</ref> As part of "TUBE" Art Installation in November 2013, sound artist Kim Zip<ref name="Kim Zip">{{cite news| title=Bomb Everyone| url=http://www.bombeveryone.com| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703010917/http://bombeveryone.com/| dead-url=yes| archive-date=3 July 2013| work=Bomb Everyone website| date=1 January 2011| df=dmy-all}}</ref> created an installation<ref name="installation">{{cite news| title=Remembrance art marks Bethnal Green’s 1943 air-raid shelter disaster| url=http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/what-s-on/arts/remembrance_art_marks_bethnal_green_s_1943_air_raid_shelter_disaster_1_2962619| work=East London Advertiser| date=4 November 2013| deadurl=yes| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140524025159/http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/what-s-on/arts/remembrance_art_marks_bethnal_green_s_1943_air_raid_shelter_disaster_1_2962619| archivedate=24 May 2014| df=dmy-all}}</ref> commemorating the Bethnal Green Tube Disaster. The work was backed by the [[Whitechapel Gallery]] and promoted as part of the organisation's "First Thursdays" initiative for popular art.<ref name="First Thursdays">{{cite news| title=Whitechapel Gallery's First Thursdays| url=http://www.firstthursdays.co.uk/galleries/johns-bethnal-green| work=Whitechapel Gallery| date=31 October 2013| deadurl=yes| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140524022457/http://www.firstthursdays.co.uk/galleries/johns-bethnal-green| archivedate=24 May 2014| df=dmy-all}}</ref> "TUBE" exhibited over a period of four weeks in the belfry of [[John Soane|Sir John Soane]]'s [[St John on Bethnal Green]] Church.<ref name="TUBE">{{cite news | title=Kim Zip Presents TUBE on Soundcloud | url=https://soundcloud.com/tube-an-installation| work=Soundcloud| date=1 November 2013 }}</ref> St John's overlooks the site of the tragedy and was commandeered as a temporary mortuary on the night of 3 March 1943. On 1 April 2016, Dr Joan Martin, who was on duty as a junior casualty officer at the nearby [[Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children]] and led the medical team dealing with the dead and wounded from the incident, told [[BBC Radio 4]]'s [[Eddie Mair]] about her personal experiences on the evening of the disaster, and its long-term effects on her life.<ref name="BBC News 1 April 2016">{{cite web | title= Bethnal Green Tube Disaster: 'I tried to black it out'|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-35938274| author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date= 1 April 2016| website= [[BBC News Online]] | accessdate= 1 April 2016 }}</ref> ==Future development== The Central line runs directly below [[Shoreditch High Street station]] on the [[London Overground]] on the [[East London Line]] and an interchange has been desired locally in neighbouring Shoreditch since it opened in 2010. The station would lie between Bethnal Green and Liverpool Street on one of the longest gaps between stations in inner London. Although there would be benefits to this interchange, it was ruled out on grounds of cost, the disruption it would cause to the Central line while being built and because the platforms would be too close to sidings at Liverpool Street and will not be considered until after [[Crossrail]] is fully operational in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hawkins|first1=John|title=Meeting Reports: The East London Line Extension|url=http://lurs.org.uk/documents/pdf09/sept/meeting_reports.pdf|website=London Underground Railway Society}}</ref> ==Services and Connections== Central line trains operate from the station. The typical off-peak service in trains per hour(tph) as of 2018 is: 24tph westbound which consist of: *9tph to [[Ealing Broadway station| Ealing Broadway]] *9tph to [[West Ruislip station| West Ruislip]] *3tph to [[Northolt tube station| Northolt]] *3tph to [[White City tube station| White City]] 24tph eastbound which consist of: *6tph to [[Hainault tube station| Hainault via Newbury Park]] *3tph to [[Newbury Park tube station| Newbury Park]] *3tph to [[Woodford tube station| Woodford via Hainault]] *9tph to [[Epping tube station| Epping]] *3tph to [[Loughton tube station| Loughton]] [[London Buses|London Bus]] routes [[London Buses route 8|8]], 106, 254, 309, 388, D3, D6 and night routes [[List of night buses in London#N8|N8]] and [[List of night buses in London#N253|N253]] serve the station on Bethnal Green Road, Roman Road and Cambridge Heath Road. ==Gallery== {{commons category|Bethnal Green tube station}} <gallery> Image:Bethnal Green stn westbound look east.JPG|Westbound platform looking east Image:Bethnal Green stn eastbound look east.JPG|Eastbound platform looking east Image:Bethnal Green stn roundel.JPG|Roundel on Westbound platform Bethnal Green stn southwest entrance.JPG|Southwest entrance </gallery> ==References== {{reflist|30em}} ==Sources== *{{cite book |last1=Day |first1=John R |last2=Reed |first2=John |title=The Story of London's Underground |edition=11th |year=2010 |origyear=1963 |publisher=Capital Transport |isbn=978-1-85414-341-9 |ref=harv}} ==External links== * {{cite web | url=http://www.nickcooper.org.uk/subterra/lu/tuaw.htm | title=The Underground at war | last=Cooper | first=Nick | work=Subterra | publisher= | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091214014333/http://www.nickcooper.org.uk/subterra/lu/tuaw.htm | archivedate=14 December 2009 | deadurl=no }} * {{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/weekend/story/0,3605,894649,00.html | title=The hush-hush catastrophe | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=15 February 2003 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030302051050/http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0%2C3605%2C894649%2C00.html | archivedate=2 March 2003 | deadurl=no | df=dmy-all }} * {{cite web | title=Bethnal Green Memorial | url=http://www.stairwaytoheavenmemorial.org/ | work= | publisher=Stairway to Heaven Memorial Trust | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221164655/http://www.stairwaytoheavenmemorial.org/ | archivedate=21 December 2007 | deadurl=no }} Site relating to proposed new memorial. It also lists the victims' names. * {{EW charity|1118618|Stairway to Heaven Memorial Trust|ref=none}} * {{cite web | url=http://beyondthemargins.com/2010/12/interview-with-jessica-f-kane-the-report/ | title=Interview with writer/researcher of the Bethnal Green tragedy of 3 March 1943 | first=Nichole | last=Bernier | work=The report | publisher=Beyond the margins | date=2 December 2010 }} * {{cite news | title=Bethnal Green Disaster 3rd March 1943 | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/79/a7466079.shtml | work=BBC History | publisher=BBC | date=2 December 2005 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630042122/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/79/a7466079.shtml | archivedate=30 June 2013 | deadurl=no }} {{s-start}} {{s-rail|title=LUL}} {{s-line|system=LUL|line=Central|previous=Liverpool Street|next=Mile End}} {{s-end}} {{Central line navbox}} {{Human stampedes}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Bethnal Green Tube Station}} [[Category:Central line stations]] [[Category:London Underground Night Tube stations]] [[Category:Tube stations in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets]] [[Category:Railway stations opened in 1946]] [[Category:Bethnal Green|Tube station]] [[Category:Railway stations located underground in the United Kingdom]]'