Secrets of the Hammersmith and City Line

Geoff Marshall (@Geofftech) travel's London's H&C tube line, looking for the unusual and little-known features. If you like this video, check out Londonist's KZbin channel for the secrets of other tube lines.

[@lenniet]

Hello Geoff... The reason that the pedestrian tunnel under the broadway was closed is rather sad. Back in the late 1990's a young man was stabbed to death in the tunnel where you were standing and the council used that as the catalyst to close all the pedestrian tunnels around the broadway. It's better the way it is now, but I do sometimes miss the public toilets that were situated down there.... especially after a night on the beer!

[@richardcoughlan9213]

+Geofftech I have waited at those lights bloody annoying lol

[@lenniet]

+Richard Coughlan That's because those are the only lights on the Broadway that are for the benefit of pedestrians and are not to keep the traffic flowing. I too have waited and waited and waited!

[@ianmcclavin]

lennie thomas Yes, I hadn't realised it had closed, having not got off at Hammersmith for some time, but yes I remember it, handy having loos down there too. It can take ages to cross the road at street level now.

[@viengsamphet]

lennie thomas so the man that killed him is infamous for closing that foottunnel?

[@poznanskiszybkowiec_official]

Lennie thomas, Hammersmith & city line was formed in 1990 by metropolitan line and district line from 1863 to today, the line is from hammersmith with connection with district line to Barking

[@smartsearch7970]

Hi Geoff, love this series, all the stuff you need to know after 20 odd years of commuting and never noticed before !

[@goatgamer001]

20 odd years=39 total years

[@CycolacFan]

This is the fourth of your videos I've watched and they are all fascinating. Various things I've noticed and wondered about but not taken the time to stop and look at. Thank you.It's amazing how much of the old station furniture and signage still exists, hopefully they'll always keep that history in place.

[@amethyst7084]

I always feel (like to think) that the Hammersmith and City Line existed in actuality before it got its name, as I can remember that most of the time (when the current H&C Line was part of the Metropolitan Line) you could only get Metropolitan Line trains to Hammersmith from the Barking end of the line. Amersham, Chesham and Watford trains hardly ever ran from that end of the line; you had to get those trains from west of Aldgate or from Baker Street.

[@MrBannystar]

The old Wood Lane station was used as a location for the Doctor Who story The Dalek Invasion of Earth in 1964. For the DVD release, they show a few clips of what it looks like inside the old abandoned tunnels with the original posters and the steps leading outside. I hope it still remains intact today!

[@onlyyoulyj]

Tfl: Proposes the New tube for London Tfl: Builds crossrail Tfl:is going to install platform edge doors at many stations Also Tfl: *_-cannot build a interchange between white city and wood lane-_*

[@alexleo172]

Between what?

[@cryptiic2063]

White City and Wood Lane..........

[@KasabianFan44]

TfL in a nutshell ^

[@alexleo172]

Also also TfL: *_makes the new map look like a maze in the city_*

[@SharkVaderYT]

they considered it but it was too expensive

[@tubester4567]

If England runs out of town names I have some suggestions, Cobblers Knob, Bollocks Heights, and Cocksmack Wharf .

[@virtualoriginal]

Munters Hole, Arsentits, Charing-slightly-miffed

[@tubester4567]

Haha..... Queefers Hill, or Queefsberry, Slappers Bush, Iverbone Green, Farking.

[@virtualoriginal]

Randomizerford

[@jacklowe1787]

tubester4567 there's a town near me called pity me

[@seiran6002]

tubester4567 there is a village near me called Horton upon cum

[@Talbot951]

Amazing videos and I've just seen the Middlesex flag on one of the tiles! Can't wait to watch the other videos and keep up the good work! I'm learning something new all the time 🤓

[@theolms8915]

This is my favourite line

[@irfanraza3797]

ive just discovered this series of video and they are brilliant!! they shud be compiled and put on tv too

[@Londonistvids]

+Irfan Raza Thanks Irfan! Glad you enjoyed. We did make a DVD out of them all with extra bits in ...

[@hueyj1975]

It's sold out or something

[@FarlandHowe]

Love the old light box. I really enjoy your videos.

[@amethyst7084]

I remember the subway that used to connect the H&C Hammersmith station with the District and Picadilly station. It was dead handy!

[@harryfoley2294]

Your probably telling a lie there

[@ianhelps3749]

I remember my dad pointing out the embossed tiles at Aldgate. Thanks for the interesting series.

[@NiXnipe]

At 4:14, Geoff mentions that the little decorative tiles at Aldgate East that people often miss can easily be seen at Swiss Cottage and Bethnal Green stations too. But what he forgot mention was that because Swiss cottage and St John’s Wood station were built at the same time and therefore almost identical in appearance, those decorative little tiles that Harold Stabler designed can also be seen at St John’s Wood station as well.

[@trilobyte3]

Great stuff. Always interesting to find out more about the city we know and (sometimes) love!

[@tahmedurrahman666]

I've been living in Aldgate East for since 2009. I have noticed it a couple times but I had no clue about it. Great History lesson!

[@fToo]

the subway at Hammersmith - "i don't know why they closed it" ... it was a nasty urine smelling crime hotspot ... that's why they closed it !

[@Damianlearyo]

I can't believe I never noticed throughout your videos that you have worn a t-shirt to match the colour of the tube line! Until now! *bangs head against wall*. Keep up the great work, Geoff. Waterloo & City line vid will be short and sweet!!

[@bennettplay]

I heard the subway tunnel was closed when the new offices were built above the district/piccadilly lines station because the companies there insisted there should be pedestrian lights rather than a subway to cross the road. This may have been related to the stabbing reported below.

[@jamesflowers2940]

Fantastic , I have been waiting for the new one...Keep up the good work.

[@kimpossibleyescruelladevil4960]

I know your problems of Hammersmith and I agree with you they should’ve never close that subway that connected both of the stations if I was the mayor of London I would reopen the footpath

[@NATO4623]

Fun fact at barking station there is a secret platform called platform 3 there is only three trains that departs from that platform and also there are only served by Hammersmith and city line

[@baframer]

Really enjoy the series.

[@hakc97again]

Dude! You missed out the purple handrails at Ladbroke Grove which represent the Metropolitan Line

[@richardcoughlan9213]

drivers on the metropolitan line are still trained to go Hammersmith in fact there will be to trains stabled there overnight when the line is closed between Wembley park to aldgate in may this year when the line closes early during the week!

[@samscragg5956]

Coldclough I

[@c.c8752]

Didn't know that and lived in Ladbroke Grove for years

[@passeficknayshenallflaiugh9411]

He did that in another video

[@transportfromolly]

Coldclough he made an extra vid

[@TraindudeShields]

I love the tube

[@transportenthusiasta1184]

Even I love it

[@AzzyHighlights]

Wait till you get on the northern line lol

[@rkytrock8136]

Me to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to To!!!!!!!!!!!😂😂😂

[@dawnwalden8686]

Tube metropolitan circle district central bakerlloo

[@erin8133]

Me too!

[@Mr-dm5et]

2:32 That’s the exact same train on the day of recording I went on that old HST to Swansea. We will always remember GWR’s unique and greatly cared HST’s unlike the Virgin ones

[@midnightslui]

thanks londonist ltd im now gonna dont lost on underground line.

[@MeAndMira]

The tube in Oslo closed most of their ticket offices a long time ago, now you can use the machines or head into the nearest kiosk and purchase tickets.

[@Koploper77]

Omg I really like these series! I'm a big fan of the London Underground and you make awesome video's about them! I also like your voice and the interesting facts you tell. Greetings from Holland!

[@TransportFan378]

Hi there! I like the facts that Geoff tells too. He should hurry with these secrets videos.

[@Tube-Shots]

Such an efficient Line

[@maplady572]

Geoff, I share your love of old station furniture (GWR seat) - have you been to Leamington Spa station? A wealth of lovely old features there - including a fireplace in the loo!

[@seanmaxwell3319]

0:09 you don’t have to tease us like that, Geoff ;)

[@kappucinokid]

I enjoy your videos. Yes, they are short but so informative.

[@HenrysAdventures]

I enjoyed that video! I'll look out for those tiles next time I'm at Aldgate East!

[@Teddy_Bass]

Surely this channel deserves a back stage tour by London underground

[@Skibdi89654]

Your so close to 1 Million views!

[@robbiemorrison7085]

1:50 memories of 2013, when Wood Lane was the newest station, not any more

[@mahnazalaei8627]

Hey, did you realise that Geoff Marshall is in the guinness world records 2015 book!He's in the transport section. :)

[@railwork2643]

He's been on TV trying to beat it before

[@airplaneplustrainguy8143]

Mahnaz Alaei yeah yeah

[@jpbdude4223]

He should host a London Underground TV Show

[@elviss]

Also once upon a time, up until the early mid 90’s, at Westbourne Park, you could change trains and take trains to Redding from a platform behind the Eastbourne Platform

[@keremburada]

When he pronounces the line, he always wears the same color of t-shirt as the line's representing color.

[@leostrains]

sockington1 what?

[@joesos]

really? i would have never guessed!

[@therobster604]

No way I thought he just liked to wear plain t shirts

[@ankledsquid]

Shit. Really?

[@leostrains]

keremburada do you mean when he goes on the line

[@birdsbayes]

So I can't get the bonus video to work - wonder if this is a relic from an older iteration of youtube?

[@Eddyspeeder]

Found it! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIu7fGSopqZ8h5I

[@duolingoowl7043]

2:31 and 0:56 Class 43 (Intercity 125) R.I.P C Stock R.I.P Man, the world changes really fast. I remember being on the D stock like yesterday!

[@Digscomics]

(puts on nerd glasses, adopts nasal voice) That GWR logo on the benches wasn't adopted until 1934. My guess is those benches were reclaimed from some closed station in the 60s. There are some Victorian GWR benches in the station, though - they have a much more elaborate monogram.

[@paulmartin6397]

You might be one year out? The GWR roundel logo was adopted as part of the GWR centenary in 1935... ☺

[@RhysBeard]

Awesome video Geoff!

[@brian9731]

So now it makes sense. There is an old line from Waterloo to the Shepherds Bush area which explains how, when the Eurostar trains ran from Waterloo, their depot was off Scrubs Lane.

[@ZeldaFitz]

The subway at Hammersmith was closed in the very early 90s when the broadway was redeveloped. There was a dragon mural on the wall of the closed subway.

[@1nothingspecial]

Love the fact there's a FGW train stopped at the signal at Royal Oak in the background, where they always seem to stop for ages.

[@quelltarum]

Great stuff, as always!

[@yegventures]

YAY!!!! You're back with your beautiful face! Love this series. Do you have a formula for writing these? I'd like to do a series in my home town.

[@mentholminchies]

***** you should assemble all the rest for a director's cut video for the fans...!

[@Sentryscan]

I love the tube especially you

[@marcuslp1212]

Im from Berlin but I ❤ London! There is a game (World of Subways 3) where you can ride the C-Stock on the Circle Line

[@philipsarell2467]

At White City, Geoff, the results of the 1908 Olympics are preserved in stone together with the Marathon finish line.

[@garywilliams53]

Huh.I Did Not Know That,Geoff.I Am Your Biggest Fan

[@FeWorld]

Love this series

[@onoonigiri3253]

Slammersmith and Pity Line

[@ax2bxc]

*Hammersmith and Titty line

[@CoolTransport]

at 0:56 there is an old C stock train. I miss those

[@Popularmmos_fan-de8gj]

1:37 my favorite animation on this KZbin channel

[@R3c0gniz3d]

I went there yesterday

[@jonesm13]

Great video!

[@_soundwaves]

His jacket do be blinding my eyes at 2 am

[@390h8er]

On the westbound platform at Ladbroke Grove, there is a spelling mistake on one of the signs. It says 'For Port'a'bello Road' not Portobello as per the others.

[@Londonistvids]

We didn't know this! amazing. OK for us to use this in a future video?

[@390h8er]

Yeah sure, be my guest. I only spotted it on 17.12.16. I was sat on the 'Kidulthood' bench looking across and there it was. I should get there quickly, I think it was only a temporary sign!

[@pedrocooper]

Excellent!!!

[@SteamboatWilley]

Can you put the link to the bonus video in the description or in a card, please? Clicking on the video does nothing.

[@BlueSheep95]

Back when KZbin had annotations... 😢

[@Moechtegernpilot1]

Hammersmith is best smith Hammersmith best Station ❤️❤️❤️ The Hammersmith & City line serves as kind of helping line mainly for the circle line wich is much used by tourists I think plus it serves as an additional link between the west AB’s the east of London without going fully up to the outer skirts of the city

[@railphoto1]

Very good facts :-)

[@keithrussell9834]

Will you do the secrets of the crossrail?

[@LemoncloudGT]

keith russell he probs will when it's out

[@roses1298]

Hammersmith Grove Road station is by far the most sucsessful abandoned tube station 1869 - 1916

[@patsk8127]

so fascinating!

[@harrymiles2652]

I don't know if anyone else noticed it, but there was a bench next to the lift at the entrance to Paddington. I've never seen a bench next to an escalator before.

[@harrymiles2652]

Also, I love canal boats :)

[@joesneddon2017]

3:30 Ah no! I was sitting on those stairs last time I went to baker street! I should have walked up them and had a look.

[@Danburybeeches]

Fantastic as ever Geoff. I love that you can get to the canal so easily at Padders, I'll have to check that out next time I'm there. Do you just follow signs from the exit?

[@IluvSD40s]

3:37 Whoa whoa whoa, why do the emergency exit signs lead you to a gated doorway? Is the gate openable during a stampede? How is this legal?

[@RetroAdz]

Never been there but from what I can see there's a magnetic lock that'll automatically unlock during a fire alarm

[@howardbattersby5672]

What is the point of the Hammersmith and City line. On the northern side passengers are served by the circle line with the stations exactly the same. When it comes to the eastern section passengers can be served by travelling on the Circle line to Tower Hill and then changing to the District Line. The only functionality the Hammersmith and City line offers is the short cut to Aldgate East by missing out Aldgate and a change at Tower Hill, hardly a reason for all the other duplication and extra cost. Or am I missing something?

[@timrollpickering]

The H&C predates the current Circle arrangements and prior to 2009 it was the only line serving the Hammersmith to Paddington section. I live on the eastern section and the line is very useful to getting directly to the northern side of the circle and the mainline stations on it. Changing at Tower Hill is not easy, especially when hauling a big suitcase. It's the Circle Line that is the "what is the point?" one. TfL & their predecessors spent about a century trying to rid of it (operationally continuous loops are a pain and many thought it was wasting capacity that could be better allocated to trains from the suburbs but finding a workable alternative was a pain) and at one point in the 2000s the proposal was for it to have been completely fused with the H&C, with the Metropolitan diverted to Barking. However for some reason, I think stock compatibility, the Met stayed as it was.

[@owenchuarbx]

Merry Christmas Geoff

[@britannia55]

There's not enough ticket machines on stations, yes to videos on canals and boats my friend Jeneene from America is mad on them

[@LavenderAudio]

Heh, I ended up in those disused tunnels in Baker Street a couple weeks ago after getting the wrong train and ending up in a part of Baker Street I'd never seen before.

[@DS_UKD]

Secrets of London Rail Terminus's? Maybe? Would be amazing!

[@xevlonperc]

No. That video is just a timeline.

[@adamrobinson6460]

Isn't this line essentially completely pointless as it always runs alongside another line?

[@pixelsandbacon]

More capacity I suppose

[@Lauren-dz9fq]

Double circle Hammersmith-tower hill and district tower hill-barking (the aldgate curve is the only h and c only track)

[@jsrfmaster]

2:54 - The H&C/Circle line running every two minutes? Pull the other one

[@dozenazer1811]

Why do the trains have yellow handrails?

[@amorembalming]

High visibility for viewing impaired people.

[@ashleyjiscool]

This is cool

[@AndrewG975]

Shepherds Bush Market, till 10 years ago, was also called Shepherds Bush station. The two stations were on separate lines and a 5 minute walk from each other, very confusing and poorly thought out.

[@VelociraptorAnimations]

1:03 I remember seeing those little flashes on the tracks when one of the Northern Line trains went in when I went about a month ago. Are those meant to be electric or something?

[@jollygoodyoutube]

Those are electric sparks

[@dhtelevision]

I went to Aldgate East, my first tube station

[@robwix8003]

Geoff with that coat you should take over from Liam Neeson in the Taken movies

[@ConnorPlayzHD]

whats the point of this line it just runs next to others

[@mickys8065]

Connor 91004 1. Your icon matches the comment 2. I suppose it links lines making it easier to change line

[@dansmith4601]

More convenient for people going east from kings cross as it means they don't need to get the circle line to Tower Hill and then change to the distrcitt

[@ovaltineforlife4778]

@@dansmith4601 distrcitt?

[@Nice_Person7379]

Isn’t this secrets of the circle line? Like the only thing special about this line is the connection from Aldgate East to Liverpool Street

[@david.tlrave3559]

There used to be a Metropolitan Line Link as it ws then going west at Hammersmith along path of district Line.!!!!

[@BigGrease1]

wow... even the oldest tube corridor looks better than the corridors in the paris metro.

[@michellecrowhurst4511]

Can you please do the thames link line video and Thames clipper (a request from my 5 year old daughter who loves your videos)

[@sebastiangoddard1717]

0:56 the old C stock...I miss them

[@SpartanBunzer]

Can you see circle and metropolitan line services passing Aldgate on the Hammersmith and City service as well as District services?

[@Matthew-it2jw]

The nearby by? (royal oak caption)

[@lorna_alice]

Word on the Water book barge ourside of Paddington is now docked on the Regents Canal behind Kings Cross.

[@londonbusexplorer]

highest on the underground on platforms is @ waterloo. platforms 25 and 26

[@cdw1988]

***** pretty please can you do secrets of the waterloo and city line ;)

[@Davidcherbrat]

cdw1988 That'll be interesting. There's lots of history about the W&C line. It'll be hard to fit it all into 5 minutes lol

[@theghost1653]

@0:10 “do you want buy some… knowledge, kids”

[@SimonS44]

Is it just me or is the lightning on the "Danger! High voltage!" sign at 2:45 the wrong way around?

[@jpbdude4223]

Simon S. It’s just you

[@Arapoksi]

Nope, it’s reversed

[@rafaelgamma07]

5 years ago today?

[@eastlancsesteem]

I would extend it to Rainham (via Dagenham Dock and Rainham).

[@garywilliams53]

Hello Geoff Marshall