Temple tube station
Circle line and District line · Zone 1 · City of Westminster
About Temple station
As first opened on 30 May 1870, the station was “The Temple”, named after the district around Temple Church and the Inner and Middle Temple, two of London’s four Inns of Court; the definite article was dropped quite early. The District Railway built it when extending from Westminster to a station then called St. Paul’s, now Blackfriars. That stretch was planned together with the Victoria Embankment and dug by cut and cover, roofing over a shallow trench, which is why the line runs just beneath the riverside road.
The present building, by the architect Harry Ford, is only one storey high because local property owners insisted on it. Its flat roof has since been put to use as The Artist’s Garden, an open-air art exhibition space. Like its neighbours, Temple saw the Inner, Outer and Middle Circle services of the late 19th century pass through, and the Inner Circle became the Circle line in 1949. Early in the 20th century the Great Northern and Strand Railway proposed running to Temple, but the idea was rejected and that line ended instead at Aldwych, about 200 metres north. For many years the station was shut on Sundays, until Sunday opening began on 8 May 2005.
First and last trains from Temple
| 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) | 05:51 to Aldgate – 00:26 to Edgware Road (Circle line) | 05:51 to Aldgate – 00:26 to Edgware Road (Circle line) | 05:51 to Aldgate – 00:26 to Edgware Road (Circle line) | 07:29 to Aldgate – 00:01 |
| Circle towards Edgware Road (Circle line) | 05:37 – 00:18 | 05:37 – 00:18 | 05:37 – 00:18 | 07:10 – 23:57 |
| District towards Wimbledon, Ealing Broadway or Richmond | 05:46 to Richmond – 00:35 to Ealing Broadway | 05:46 to Richmond – 00:35 to Ealing Broadway | 05:46 – 00:35 to Ealing Broadway | 07:03 to Richmond – 23:59 |
| District towards Upminster, Tower Hill or Barking | 05:28 – 00:41 | 05:28 – 00:41 | 05:28 – 00:41 | 06:55 – 00:06 |
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 and 23 District trains an hour per direction from Temple, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from Temple
Running times between Temple and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Circle | Blackfriars | 1.4 min |
| Circle | Embankment | 1.6 min |
| District | Blackfriars | 1.5 min |
| District | Embankment | 1.6 min |
Connections
- Tube: change here between the Circle line and District line.
Station facilities
What is near Temple station
Standing on Victoria Embankment near the border with the City of London, Temple serves lawyers, students and gallery-goers alike. Two Temple Place is about 150 m away; Somerset House, Middle Temple Garden and the Gladstone statue are all around 220 m; The Courtauld Gallery is about 250 m and King’s College London’s Strand Campus roughly 280 m. Further on, Inner Temple Garden and the Temple Bar memorial are about 340 m, with Temple Church and the Royal Courts of Justice at roughly 370 m.
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| Two Temple Place | 150 m |
| William Gladstone (statue) | 220 m |
| Middle Temple Garden | 220 m |
| George III and the River Thames (statue) | 220 m |
| Somerset House | 220 m |
| National Submarine War Memorial | 230 m |
| The Courtauld Institute of Art | 230 m |
| Civil Service Rifles War Memorial | 240 m |