Highbury & Islington station

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Image:Highbury Station 2005.jpg Highbury & Islington station is a National Rail and London Underground station, in the London Borough of Islington in North London. The current station is an amalgamation of two older stations. The first stood on the site of the existing station. It was built in 1872 as an impressive victorian-gothic building with a drive-in forecourt. Sadly it had to be pulled down after a V-1 flying bomb destroyed Highbury Corner on 27th June 1944. There are still some remnants of the original design to the left of the main entrance into the station. This station served the overland North London Line.

The second station stood on the opposite side of Holloway Road. It opened on 28 June 1904 to serve the Northern City Line to Moorgate. This entrance still exists, although it is not used.

When the Victoria Line was built during the 1960s the current unattractive single-storey structure was built on the site of the old victorian building as the station entrance and the escalators which go underneath Hollway Road were put in.

The station is on the Underground's Victoria Line, between Finsbury Park and King's Cross St. Pancras. It is also on the National Rail North London and Northern City lines. It is in Travelcard Zone 2.

Highbury & Islington station will be the northern terminus of the East London Line when its northern extension is built and the former station of the North London line on the opposite side of the A1 has been partially renovated for that purpose.

Islington Council is currently considering redeveloping the site of the current station, and Highbury Corner generally, including possibly covering over the North London Line tracks and building an office block above the site.

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