Balham tube station
Northern line · Zone 3 · Wandsworth
About Balham station
Balham’s tube station belongs to the Morden extension of the City and South London Railway, which pushed south from Clapham Common in 1926. The line through it opened on 13 September that year, but Balham itself did not open to passengers until 6 December. Its buildings, now Grade II listed, were part of Charles Holden’s first major project for the Underground; Frank Pick had chosen him after rejecting designs by the company’s own architect, Stanley Heaps. On each side of Balham High Road stands a double-height screen of white Portland stone, with a three-part glazed centre, a large roundel in the middle panel and columns whose capitals are three-dimensional roundels. A subway links the two entrances, and Balham is the only station on the Morden branch joined to a National Rail station.
On the evening of 14 October 1940, while the platforms were in use as an air-raid shelter, a heavy bomb struck the road above the northern end of the platform tunnels; a bus crashed into the crater, and earth and water from broken mains and sewers poured into both platforms. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records sixty-six people killed in the station. The line reopened on 12 January 1941. An official memorial stone in Welsh slate was unveiled on 14 October 2016, and the disaster appears in Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement and Steve McQueen’s 2024 film Blitz.
First and last trains from Balham
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern towards Morden | 06:12 – 00:56 | 06:12 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 00:07 |
| Northern towards Edgware, High Barnet or Mill Hill East | 05:24 to High Barnet – 00:14 to High Barnet | 05:24 to High Barnet – all night | 24 hours | all night – 23:21 to High Barnet |
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 31 Northern trains an hour per direction from Balham, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from Balham
Running times between Balham and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Northern | Clapham South | 2 min |
| Northern | Tooting Bec | 1.7 min |
Connections
- National Rail: Southern.
Station facilities
What is near Balham station
Central Balham has tube entrances on both sides of Balham High Road plus a shared entrance with the Southern-run National Rail platforms, which lie on an embankment and are reached through an underpass. That makes it a busy change point between the Northern line and trains towards Victoria. On the high brick wall along Balham Station Road hang four bronze reliefs, Impressions of Balham, showing local people and everyday scenes, installed in 1991. Nearby are the Social Pottery studio (about 100 m), a TK Maxx store (130 m) and Balham Library (about 250 m).
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| TK Maxx | 130 m |
| Balham Library | 250 m |
Frequently asked questions
On 14 October 1940 a bomb fell on the road above the northern end of the platform tunnels while people were sheltering below. The northbound tunnel partly collapsed and flooded with earth and water. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records sixty-six deaths. A memorial stone in Welsh slate was unveiled in the station on 14 October 2016.
Charles Holden designed it, along with the other Morden extension stations, his first major work for the Underground. The entrances on both sides of Balham High Road are Portland stone screens with roundel-shaped column capitals and a large roundel in the central glazed panel. The buildings are listed Grade II.