Notes: Edgware was built as a through station on the assumption that the line would be extended to Watford as planned. The extension was, however, never built. The line would have encroached into LNWR territory which could have led to animosity between the LNWR and the GNR. The GNR were also unsure whether the line was financially viable. As a result, the scheme was dropped and officially abandoned by an Act of 1870.

As built, the station had two side platforms with the main building at the west end of the down platform. The building, which incorporated a two-storey stationmaster's house, also comprised a booking office, ladies’ room, waiting room, gentlemen’s toilet, and parcels office.

Once it was clear that the Watford extension would not be built, the up platform was not used after 1872 and was soon demolished.

There was a moderately sized goods yard to the south-west of the passenger station. This comprised four sidings, one running parallel to the down line. After passing through a large brick goods shed it terminated just short of the station building. There was a weighbridge near the west end of the shed. Three parallel sidings ran to the south of the goods shed and

There are many published maps showing the Northern Line extensions, and not all of them get it right. This map shows the Northern line extended to Bushey Heath but the line from Finchley has been diverted into a new LNER station adjacent to the Northern Line station

On the north side of the up line a short siding veered of to the north passing over a 40ft turntable to reach a single-road timber engine shed. The shed opened on 27 August 1867, a few days after the line. It was short- lived, however, closing in 1878. It stood empty for a short time before being blown down in a freak blizzard in 1881. At the east end of this siding there was a brick building with a coaling stage below and a 13,500 gallon water tank on top. After closure of the goods shed the turntable was removed and the siding was shortened. The water tank remained in use until the withdrawal of steam traction in 1961.

The coming of the underground in 1926 brought an influx of new housing to the area with a subsequent dramatic increase in the local population. This did nothing to generate new passenger traffic as commuters now had a faster and more convenient route into central London. There was, however, an increase in goods traffic, especially during the construction of new housing when new sidings were provided to handle incoming building materials.

After the passenger service was suspended in 1939, the booking office remained open to sell tickets which could be used on the replacement bus service. The booking office closed on 14 April 1940 when ticket sales were transferred to the underground station.

The passenger service was never reinstated, but the station remained open for goods traffic, and the parcels office in the station building remained in use until the building was demolished in 1961. At that time steam traction was also withdrawn with diesels taking over for the final few years. The goods yard closed on 1 June 1964, and the track was lifted later that year.

Both the platform and the goods shed and cranes remained into the 1970s, with a scrap yard occupying the yard. The site was cleared some time after 1975, and during the 1980s any remaining evidence of the station was swept away during the construction of the Broadwalk shopping centre. Today the course of the line can be traced as it leaves the goods yard, but it is securely gated and is now used as a staff entrance to Edgware Underground depot.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FINCHLEY - EDGWARE LINE
The Edgware, Highgate & London Railway obtained an Act in 1862 to build an 8¾-mile line from a junction with the GNR at Seven Sisters Road (renamed Finsbury Park on 5 November 1869) to a terminus at Edgware.  The GNR agreed to work the line, providing staff and rolling stock in return for 50% of the gross receipts.

The following year, the Midland Railway received authority to build a line between Bedford and St Pancras which would provide a quicker route into central London from the Mill Hill area. To improve the prospects of their Edgware line, the EH & LR proposed a branch from Highgate to Muswell Hill serving the new Alexandra Palace leisure complex and an 6¾- mile extension of their main line from Edgware to Watford.

Both proposals were approved by Parliament in 1864, as was a further branch from Finchley to High Barnet in 1866.

The main line between Seven Sisters Road and Edgware proved more costly than expected with tunnelling required at Highgate and a high viaduct taking it over the Dollis Brook. The local company was soon in financial difficulty and, shortly before completion, the EH & LR was taken over by the Great Northern who opened the line on 22 August 1867

Although Edgware was built as a through station with two platforms the extension to Watford was never built as the GNR were not convinced it would generate sufficient revenue.

The new line was double-track between Seven Sisters Road and Highgate and single-track beyond Highgate, with passing loops at Finchley & Hendon. It was assumed that the north end of the line would be doubled at a later date so some structures, including the viaduct over the Dollis Brook, were built to a width that would accommodate a second track.

There were 18 daily workings in each direction, although eight of these ran only between Seven Sisters Road and Highgate. 

The line was doubled between Highgate and East Finchley on 1 December 1867 and to Finchley & Hendon on 1 November 1869, prior to the opening of the High Barnet branch on 1 April 1872. To accommodate the extra traffic expected to be generated by this branch, Finchley & Hendon was rebuilt with an additional platform face which allowed services that had previously terminated at Highgate to be extended.

With the opening of High Barnet the service was improved, with 24 trains in each direction to central London.  The majority of these trains ran from High Barnet with only one through service in each direction between central London and Edgware, and a shuttle operating between Edgware and Finchley, where passengers for London had to change. 

The junction with the Edgware line made through running difficult as there was no direct connection between the down line and the original single track. It was reconfigured in June 1896 which allowed more through services to run to Edgware, but there were never more than six in each direction.

In an attempt to reduce running costs two GNR steam rail-motors, built to a design of H.A.Ivatt, were brought in to operate the shuttle service between Edgware and Finchley on 19 February 1906.  The rail-motors brought little improvement to passenger revenue with only an additional £9 in passenger receipts in March 1906 and earnings per car of 5d per

In an attempt to generate additional income, a halt was opened at The Hale on 11 June 1906. It was conveniently sited close the Midland Railway's Mill Hill (today known as Mill Hill Broadway) station, enabling easy interchange. 

The rail-motors proved unpopular with passengers as they gave a rough ride with continuous vibration. Within a few months they were withdrawn and replaced with conventional steam traction. Rail-motors were once again tried in September 1929. This time a 59-seat Sentinel, The Rising Sun, was used, but it proved as unpopular as its predecessors and was withdrawn the following year.

In 1935 the London Passenger Transport Board announced their 'New Works Plan' which included a proposal to take over the ex-GNR line between Finsbury Park and Edgware / High Barnet and the Alexandra Palace branch. The plan included the doubling and electrification of the Edgware line with improvements to the stations including a second platform at Mill Hill East and The Hale.  The GNR station at Edgware would close to passengers with trains being diverted into the Underground station which

All of these lines would be incorporated into the Northern Line, and a new connection with the Northern City line at Finsbury Park would provide a fast and frequent service of electric trains into central London.

The New Works Plan was adopted, and work on the electrification and new infrastructure started alongside the steam service which continued to operate. On the Edgware line this was still largely a shuttle service with running intervals of between 30 and 50 minutes.  There was now only one through service departing from Edgware at 7.52 am.

Work on the electrification and track doubling started in 1938.  The service on the Edgware line was suspended on some Sundays, and on 3 July 1939 the existing Northern Line service was extended from Archway to East Finchley where it surfaced alongside the LNER line from Finsbury Park, just south of the station.  The service on the Edgware line was suspended completely from 11 September 1939 to allow the work to be completed. The stations remained open for the sale of tickets which could be used on replacement buses. The New Works Plan was expected to be completed with all lines open by spring 1941. All the new lines were shown as 'under construction' on LPTB pocket maps from 1938 onwards.

By the outbreak of war in 1939 work to integrate the Edgware line into the Northern Line was progressing well. A second track, complete with conductor rail, had been laid as far as The Hale, and a second platform had been built there. Lineside cabling had also been installed, and sub-stations built at Edgware and at Page Street (between Mill Hill and the Hale). At Edgware a plate girder bridge was built to carry northbound traffic over the Northern line and on towards Bushey Heath. The Northern Line station at Edgware had been remodelled to accommodate the additional service with new platforms partly built and a new signal box completed.

With the outbreak of war, some work continued north of Highgate on both the Edgware and High Barnet lines.  Most work stopped in September 1940 with the start of the Blitz, with the exception of the line between Finchley and Mill Hill East because of the strategic importance of nearby Inglis Barracks - home to the Middlesex Regiment.  Mill Hill East re-opened with

After 1941 the various unfinished Northern Line extensions were removed from subsequent Underground maps, although they reappeared between 1946 and 1949.

London Transport had every intention of completing their New Works after the war, hoping to finish the line between Mill Hill East and Edgware in 1948 with the extension to Bushey Heath being opened the following year. Despite these optimistic expectations no further work was undertaken, and in 1950 London Transport announced that that the route between Brockley Hill (north of Edgware) and Bushey Heath would not be built as it contravened Green Belt regulations. Without the line to Bushey Heath, it was felt that construction costs of completing the upgrade of the Finchley – Edgware line would not be recouped by expected traffic, so this too was dropped.

All of the uncompleted Northern Line extensions were officially abandoned in February 1954. This was quickly followed by the closure of the Alexandra Palace branch on 5 July 1954. As the service on the Edgware branch had already been suspended from 11 September 1939 it was never reinstated, and the stations remained closed to passenger traffic.

The second track between Mill Hill East and The Hale had been lifted in 1941, but the line remained open for freight traffic and remained steam-hauled until December 1961. After that date diesel traction was employed but this was to be short-lived. There was little traffic on the line, and the goods service was withdrawn from 1 June 1964; track-lifting started in

Despite closure of The Hale in 1939 the booking office at Mill Hill Broadway was still selling tickets from Mill Hill (The Hale) until the late 1960s. These were valid on the 240 bus and differed from ordinary Underground tickets by having the name underlined.

Click here for a light hearted film about the unfinished Northern Line extension.

Tickets from Brian Halford & Michael Stewart. Bradshaw from Chris Totty. B & W street map from Alan Young. Colour street map (above) from Chris Totty. Route map drawn by Alan Young.

Sources:

• London Railway Record No. 10 (January 1997) - 'Tracing the Mill Hill - Edgware Line' by Ian Baker. Published by Connor & Butler
• Northern Wastes by Jim Blake and Jonathan James published 1987 by North London Transport Society ISBN 0 3267304 02