Chancery Lane tube station
Central line · Zone 1 · City of London Camden
About Chancery Lane station
Look for a station building here and you will not find one in use: Chancery Lane is one of the few Underground stations with no associated building above ground, reached instead by subways under the junction of High Holborn, Hatton Garden and Gray’s Inn Road. The Central London Railway opened it on 30 July 1900 with four lifts and an entrance at 31–33 High Holborn, about 122 m to the west, where the disused original building still stands. When escalators came in the early 1930s, the incline could not be built from that entrance, so a new ticket hall was dug beneath the road junction, opening on 25 June 1934. The station then became Chancery Lane (Gray’s Inn), a suffix that gradually dropped away.
To avoid vibration under buildings, the CLR followed the street, so here the eastbound tunnel runs above the westbound. Below lies one of eight deep-level air-raid shelters built beneath Underground stations, later turned into the Kingsway telephone exchange. On 25 January 2003 a train derailed at the station after a motor became detached, injuring 32 passengers and shutting the whole Central line and the Waterloo & City line while the trains were checked.
First and last trains from Chancery Lane
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central towards West Ruislip, Ealing Broadway or White City | 05:52 – 00:28 | 05:51 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 23:43 to Ealing Broadway |
| Central towards Hainault, Epping or Loughton | 05:52 to Epping – 00:34 to Epping | 05:51 to Epping – all night | 24 hours | all night – 23:45 to Hainault |
Times are TfL’s published timetable departures from this station; on Saturday the list follows TfL’s “Saturdays and public holidays” timetable.
At the busiest hour on a weekday there are up to 30 Central trains an hour per direction from Chancery Lane, counting both directions separately.
Connections
Chancery Lane is served by the Central line only; there is no interchange with other rail lines here.
Station facilities
What is near Chancery Lane station
The legal quarter surrounds the station, which has entrances in both Camden and the City of London. The Royal Fusiliers memorial is about 60 m away and Francis Bacon’s statue about 100 m. Gray’s Inn Hall is roughly 140 m off and Gray’s Inn itself about 200 m, with The Walks at 290 m; Lincoln’s Inn is around 240 m away. Leather Lane Market is about 280 m from the station, the Maughan Library roughly 350 m, and The Seven Stars pub around 390 m.
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| The Royal Fusiliers (statue) | 60 m |
| Lincoln's Inn | 240 m |
| Leather Lane Market | 280 m |
| Maughan Library | 350 m |
| The Seven Stars | 390 m |
| Francis Bacon (statue) | 100 m |
| Gray's Inn Hall | 140 m |
| Albert Prince Consort (statue) | 260 m |
Frequently asked questions
It is at 31–33 High Holborn, on the north side, about 122 m west of today’s entrances. It became redundant in 1934, when a new sub-surface ticket hall under the road junction opened with escalators, because an escalator shaft could not be built from the old entrance.
A deep-level air-raid shelter, one of eight built beneath Underground stations. After the Second World War it became the Kingsway telephone exchange. It was reached through the original station building and lift shaft and from entrances in Furnival Street and Took’s Court.