Paddington Originally named Bishop's Road and was the western terminus for London's first underground line the Metropolitan Railway, and was opened on the 9th January 1863. The first station on the line to be built was Edgware Road, and the name Hammersmith and city line was first used in 1868, when the Hammersmith station was first open, being the start of the line with Farringdon station being the finnish of the line. Over the years the line has extended and now ends at Barking in east London. Just recently the underground has been used for bombing by terrorists, although the first bomb attack on the London underground was in protest of home rule in Ireland, and took place on the 30 October, 1883 in the tunnel between Charing Cross and Westminster stations, with another explosion at Paddington’s Praed Street Station, injuring over 60 people. In 1885, another bomb exploded at Gower Street station on the Metropolitan Railway. More bombings took place during the April of 1897 when an anarchist group took revenge for one of their members who received a seven year sentence by leaving a bomb at Aldersgate station, now renamed Barbican Station since 1968.

Station Curiousities
Aldgate Station was built on one of the largest plague pits where more than 1,000 people where buried over a two week period in 1665.

Sloane square station has the river Westbourne flowing over station in a large visible pipe. During World War II in 1940, two German bombs fell on the station while two trains were there killing many people. The station remained closed until 1951 for the festival of Britain,
re-opening at that time as it was the closest station to Battersea funfair.

Farringdon station has the river fleet running along side.

Aldwych station was first called Strand station, during the second world war it was closed and used to house the British museum treasures including the Elgin Marbles. It reopened in the 1940's then closed for the last time in 1994, it was used in a few films including An American Werewolf in London

Embankment station was built on the Warren Blacking factory site where Charles Dickens worked as a boy.
Temple Station was opened in 1860 with a grand promenade on the roof, it was closed because it attracted to many prostitutes.

Bank Station believed to be haunted, as it was buit in the crypt of St Mary Woolnoth church

Another station said to be haunted is Bethnal Green Station, where on March 3rd 1943 a panic rush during an air raid where 1,500 people stampeding down the stairs, someone fell and caused 173 to die in ninety seconds.

Earl's Court housed the first escalator and opened in 1911 where a man named Bumper Harris, who had a peg leg was employed to go up and down on the escalator to reassure passengers of its safety. Also part of the station was used for the manufacturing of torpedoes in the Second World War.

Kings Cross had a disaster on the 18th of November 1987 when a fire took the lives of 31 people.

There are just two stations that take their name from pubs rather than place names, they are Swiss Cottage and Manor House.

Barons Court the nearest station to the Queens Club tennis courts has church pews as seats for waiting passengers.

Stockwell station opposite the Oval Cricket ground was used as a hostel by American G I's in world war II.

Hampstead Station chosen as London Transport emergency H.Q in the event of a nuclear attack as it is the deepest station at 192 feet below ground level.

Chancery Lane Station was opened in June 1934. When boring the tunnel the contractors struck the old river Bourne which once flowed across Holborn to the river Fleet. On that account the escalators have been enclosed in an iron tank and the walls of the station lined with extra steel supports.

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