Outer Circle (London)
The Outer Circle was a London & North Western Railway service in London that operated from 1872 to 1908. The route was from the District Railway station at Mansion House to Earl's Court, then via the West London Railway to Willesden Junction and then via the North London Railway to. Although not a complete circuit, it was one of several 'circle' routes around London that opened at the same time, such as the 'inner circle' that is today's Circle line. Trains would run once every 30 minutes. In 1908 the service was cut back to run from Earl's Court to Broad Street.
The Midland Railway operated a kind of Super Outer Circle from to Earl's Court for two years from 1878 to 1880, via the Dudding Hill freight line.
Outer Circle
History
On 1 February 1872 the London & North Western Railway began a railway service between and the District Railway station at Mansion House via the North London Railway,, the West London Railway and Earl's Court, replacing a service that had run along much of the same route to London Victoria. This service became known as the 'outer circle' and was worked with L&NWR locomotives and carriages and there was a train every thirty minutes. When the District electrified in 1905, it built electric locomotives to haul the carriages between Earl's Court and Mansion House. The service appears on the 1908 'London Underground' map between Earl's Court and Uxbridge Road as a District Railway service.The service ceased to run east of Earl's Court from 1 January 1909. The L&NWR electrified the West London Railway and an electric service between Willesden Junction and Earl's Court on started 1 May 1914. This was initially with electric multiple units provided by the District Railway until 24 November 1914 when LNWR electric units took over. Passenger services on the West London Railway ended on 19 October 1940 following bomb damage to the line
Uxbridge Road station closed with the line in 1940 and opened on the same site in 2008. The line is currently served by the District line between Mansion House and Kensington and then the London Overground to Haggerston.
List of stations
The following stations were served by the Outer Circle:| Station | Comments | - |
| Broad Street | Closed 1986, now demolished | - |
| Shoreditch | Closed 1940 | - |
| Haggerston | Closed 1940, reopened 2010 as part of the London Overground | - |
| Dalston Junction | Closed 1986, reopened 2010 as part of the London Overground | - |
| Mildmay Park | Closed 1934 | - |
| Canonbury | - | |
| Highbury | Opened 1872, now Highbury & Islington | - |
| Barnsbury | Now Caledonian Road & Barnsbury) | - |
| Maiden Lane | Closed 1916 | - |
| Camden Town | Opened 1870, now Camden Road | - |
| Kentish Town | Now Kentish Town West | - |
| Gospel Oak | - | |
| Hampstead Heath | - | |
| Finchley Road | Now Finchley Road & Frognal | - |
| West End Lane | Opened 1888, now West Hampstead | - |
| Brondesbury | - | |
| Brondesbury Park | Opened 1904 | - |
| Kensal Green & Harlesden | Opened 1873, now Kensal Rise) | - |
| Willesden Junction | - | |
| Wormwood Scrubs | Later St. Quintin Park, closed 1940 | |
| Uxbridge Road | Closed 1940. Shepherd's Bush station opened on the same site in 2008. | - |
| Addison Road | - | |
| Earl's Court | - | |
| Brompton | Service withdrawn 31 December 1908 | - |
| South Kensington | Service withdrawn 31 December 1908 | - |
| Sloane Square | Service withdrawn 31 December 1908 | - |
| Victoria | Service withdrawn 31 December 1908 | - |
| St. James's Park | Service withdrawn 31 December 1908 | - |
| Westminster Bridge | Service withdrawn 31 December 1908 | - |
| Charing Cross | Service withdrawn 31 December 1908 | - |
| Temple | Service withdrawn 31 December 1908 | - |
| Blackfriars | Service withdrawn 31 December 1908 | - |
| Mansion House | Service withdrawn 31 December 1908 | - |