South Kensington tube station
Circle line, District line and Piccadilly line · Zone 1 · Kensington and Chelsea
About South Kensington station
Two stations stacked together make up South Kensington. The sub-surface part opened on 24 December 1868, shared by the Metropolitan and District railways as their Inner Circle reached east from Gloucester Road to Westminster; the first station, by the Metropolitan’s engineer John Fowler, had just two platforms. It was enlarged in 1871 and rebuilt in 1907 to designs by George Campbell Sherrin, with an arcaded entrance and new ticket hall. Platforms were closed and removed in the 1960s, and one was demolished in the early 1970s to make way for escalators to the Piccadilly line.
The deep-level platforms were opened on 15 December 1906 by the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway, eastbound above westbound, originally reached by lifts in a Leslie Green building on Pelham Street. The District also planned an express tube from here to Mansion House; a partial 120-foot section of its westbound platform was built and tiled, then closed off. In 1885 the District opened a tiled pedestrian subway under Exhibition Road to the new museums, charging a 1-penny toll; free to the public since 1908, it is Grade II listed, as are the arcaded entrance and sub-surface retaining walls. This is the busiest Underground station without step-free access.
First and last trains from South Kensington
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circle towards Hammersmith (Circle and H&C lines), Aldgate or Edgware Road (Circle line) | 05:40 to Aldgate – 00:16 to Edgware Road (Circle line) | 05:40 to Aldgate – 00:16 to Edgware Road (Circle line) | 05:40 to Aldgate – 00:16 to Edgware Road (Circle line) | 07:18 to Aldgate – 23:51 |
| Circle towards Edgware Road (Circle line) | 05:35 – 00:29 | 05:35 – 00:29 | 05:35 – 00:29 | 07:21 – 00:22 to Baker Street |
| District towards Wimbledon, Ealing Broadway or Richmond | 05:57 to Richmond – 00:45 to Ealing Broadway | 05:57 to Richmond – 00:45 to Ealing Broadway | 05:57 – 00:45 to Ealing Broadway | 07:13 to Richmond – 00:10 |
| District towards Upminster, Tower Hill or Barking | 05:18 – 00:31 | 05:18 – 00:31 | 05:18 – 00:31 | 06:45 – 23:55 |
| Piccadilly towards Northfields, Heathrow Terminal 5 or Heathrow Terminal 4 | 05:54 to Heathrow Terminal 5 – 00:40 to Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 | 05:54 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 23:46 to Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 |
| Piccadilly towards Cockfosters, Arnos Grove or Oakwood | 05:42 – 00:25 | 05:42 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 00:09 |
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 7 Circle trains an hour per direction, 23 District trains an hour per direction and 24 Piccadilly trains an hour per direction from South Kensington, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from South Kensington
Running times between South Kensington and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Circle | Gloucester Road | 2.5 min |
| Circle | Sloane Square | 2 min |
| District | Gloucester Road | 1.8 min |
| District | Sloane Square | 2 min |
| Piccadilly | Gloucester Road | 1.7 min |
| Piccadilly | Knightsbridge | 2.8 min |
Connections
- Tube: change here between the Circle line, District line and Piccadilly line.
Station facilities
What is near South Kensington station
The main entrance faces the junction of Old Brompton Road, Thurloe Place, Harrington Road, Onslow Place and Pelham Street, while entrances in Exhibition Road lead through the pedestrian tunnel towards the Natural History Museum (about 290 m), the Victoria and Albert Museum (340 m) and the Science Museum (390 m). The Royal Albert Hall, Imperial College London and the Royal College of Music are also close. Nearer are Onslow Square, Thurloe Square Garden, the Thin House, Ciné Lumière and the Yalta Memorial Garden, all within about 220 m, plus a Saturday farmers’ market at 160 m.
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| Onslow Square | 190 m |
| Thurloe Square Garden | 200 m |
| Yalta Memorial Garden | 220 m |
| Natural History Museum | 290 m |
| Victoria and Albert Museum | 340 m |
| The Clockmakers' Museum | 370 m |
| Science Museum | 390 m |
| McMillan Fine Art | 160 m |
Frequently asked questions
Entrances in Exhibition Road connect to a pedestrian tunnel that runs beneath the street towards the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Opened by the District Railway in 1885 with a 1-penny toll, it has been free since 1908 and is Grade II listed.
Yes. When the deep-level station opened in 1906, a partial 120-foot (37 m) section of a westbound platform was built for a planned District Railway express tube to Mansion House. The scheme was postponed, and the platform was closed off from the rest of the station, though it was tiled to match the others.