Elephant & Castle tube station
Bakerloo line and Northern line · Zones 1 and 2 · Southwark
About Elephant & Castle station
Two railways, two buildings and a big road junction between them: that is the shape of Elephant & Castle. The City and South London Railway opened the Northern line part on 18 December 1890 as part of the first successful deep-level tube railway, running between King William Street and Stockwell. Its building, by Thomas Phillips Figgis, was partially rebuilt in the 1920s, rebuilt again in the 1960s for the shopping centre and roundabout, and replaced by the current ticket hall on 12 December 2003. The Baker Street and Waterloo Railway arrived on 5 August 1906, and its Leslie Green building with deep-red faience arches survives, now also a drivers’ depot with offices above.
Neither ticket hall has escalators, so lifts or spiral stairs are the only way down, and the only step-free platform is the southbound Northern line one. The multi-coloured Northern line platform tiles date from a 1920s reconstruction and were carefully replicated in 2006. In November 1923 a tunnel collapse near the station, followed by a gas explosion, closed the line, and on 13 May 1924 Mary Ashfield Eleanor Hammond became the first baby born on the Underground network, with railway chairman Lord Ashfield as her godfather.
First and last trains from Elephant & Castle
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakerloo towards Queen's Park, Harrow & Wealdstone or Stonebridge Park | 05:37 to Harrow & Wealdstone – 00:23 | 05:37 to Harrow & Wealdstone – 00:23 | 05:37 to Harrow & Wealdstone – 00:23 | 07:16 to Harrow & Wealdstone – 23:37 |
| Northern towards Morden | 06:04 – 00:43 | 06:04 – 00:43 | 06:04 – 00:43 | 07:36 – 23:52 |
| Northern towards Edgware, High Barnet or Mill Hill East | 05:40 – 00:28 to High Barnet | 05:40 – 00:28 to High Barnet | 05:40 – 00:28 to High Barnet | 07:21 to High Barnet – 23:34 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 18 Bakerloo trains an hour per direction and 26 Northern trains an hour per direction from Elephant & Castle, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from Elephant & Castle
Running times between Elephant & Castle and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bakerloo | Lambeth North | 2.9 min |
| Northern | Borough | 2.2 min |
| Northern | Kennington | 2 min |
Connections
- Tube: change here between the Bakerloo line and Northern line.
- Buses: 1, 53, 63, 172, 188, 363, 415, 453, BL1 (night buses N1, N53, N63).
- National Rail: Southeastern and Thameslink.
Station facilities
What is near Elephant & Castle station
Inside the station, the northern exit is signed “London South Bank University” and the southern one “Shopping Centre”, which also leads to the National Rail station for an out-of-station interchange. The Michael Faraday Memorial is about 60 m away and the London College of Communication about 80 m. Within 300 m are the Nursery Gallery, IDA Garden, St Mary’s Churchyard, Elephant Park and Elephant Park Market and Southwark Playhouse Elephant. A little further are West Square Gardens, Southwark Playhouse Borough and The Cinema Museum, about 390 m away. Northbound Bakerloo trains start here, with Lambeth North the first stop.
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| Michael Faraday Memorial substation | 60 m |
| London College of Communication | 80 m |
| Southwark Playhouse Elephant | 280 m |
| West Square Gardens | 350 m |
| Southwark Playhouse Borough | 370 m |
| The Cinema Museum | 390 m |
| IDA Garden | 140 m |
| Elliott's Row Pocket Park | 180 m |