Osterley tube station
Piccadilly line · Zone 4 · Hounslow
About Osterley station
A station called Osterley & Spring Grove opened on 1 May 1883 on Thornbury Road, about 300 m east of today’s site. In June 1931 it was decided to move it west, next to the Great West Road that had opened in 1925, and the new Osterley opened on 25 March 1934, when the old station closed; its building and platforms still remain.
Stanley Heaps designed the replacement from a preliminary plan by Charles Holden, in the modern European style used elsewhere on the Piccadilly line: brick, reinforced concrete and large areas of glass. Its signature is a brick tower topped by a concrete ‘obelisk’, possibly inspired by the De Telegraaf Building in Amsterdam, which Holden visited on a study trip to the Netherlands. Frank Pick, London Transport’s chief executive, felt that stations by other architects following Holden’s style lacked attention to detail, and dubbed them ‘Holdenesque’. Osterley was listed at Grade II in 1987, and District line trains served it alongside the Piccadilly until 9 October 1964. Step-free work was halted in 2009 for financial reasons, partly because Hounslow East nearby already had it, but funding came in 2017, and in October 2021 two new lifts made Osterley the 89th step-free Tube station.
First and last trains from Osterley
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piccadilly towards Heathrow Terminal 5, Heathrow Terminal 4 or Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 | 04:48 to Heathrow Terminal 4 – 01:07 to Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 | 04:48 to Heathrow Terminal 4 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 00:13 to Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 |
| Piccadilly towards Cockfosters, Arnos Grove or Oakwood | 05:23 – 00:34 to Acton Town | 05:23 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 00:08 to Acton Town |
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 12 Piccadilly trains an hour per direction from Osterley, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from Osterley
Running times between Osterley and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Piccadilly | Boston Manor | 3.7 min |
| Piccadilly | Hounslow East | 2 min |
Connections
Osterley is served by the Piccadilly line only; there is no interchange with other rail lines here.
Station facilities
What is near Osterley station
Osterley stands on the Great West Road (A4), close to the National Trust-owned Osterley Park. The nearest place recorded around the entrance is Great Oaks College, about 260 m away. It is also the closest Tube station to Sky’s offices near Gillette Corner, and Sky runs a private shuttle bus to and from the station every 15 minutes during extended office hours for visitors and staff. London Buses route H91 serves the station, which also has a car park.
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| Great Oaks College | 260 m |
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The original station, opened in 1883 on Thornbury Road about 300 m east of the current site, closed when the new Osterley opened in 1934, but its buildings and platforms remain.
The brick tower is topped with a concrete ‘obelisk’, possibly inspired by the De Telegraaf Building in Amsterdam, which Charles Holden visited on a study trip to the Netherlands. Stanley Heaps designed the station from Holden’s preliminary plan.