Little evidence remains on the surface to indicate where a former north London Underground station once operated.
However, when it first began service in 1901, City Road functioned as a fully operational stop along what was then known as the City and South London Railway, situated between Moorgate and Angel stations.
A devastating incident occurred at the location in August 1916 when a guard gave the signal for a train to leave before all passengers had disembarked, resulting in one fatality.
Negotiations regarding its future were already underway in 1908 due to its location in an impoverished, deteriorating section of Islington and extremely low passenger numbers.
The Bunhill 2 Energy Centre now occupies the former City Road Underground station premises, utilizing recycled air from the tunnels to provide heating for a residential development and an educational institution. (Image: Wikimedia commons)
When tunnel expansion became necessary in 1922 to accommodate longer trains, the expense required to lengthen the platforms could not be justified.
Consequently, when the line resumed service on April 20, 1924, City Road stayed shuttered.
Similar to another underutilized station, Kentish Town South, the tunnels lying 65 feet beneath the surface served as an emergency air-raid shelter during wartime bombing raids, featuring a newly constructed staircase within the former lift shaft, restroom facilities, a cafeteria, and medical treatment area.
By 1970, the decaying brick structure at the intersection of City Road and Moreland Road had been removed, with only the original lift shaft remaining visible above ground.
In 2009, the serving London mayor Boris Johnson addressed inquiries about reviving abandoned Underground stations in response to London’s rapid population expansion but responded: “There are no plans to reopen the disused City Road Tube station which was closed due to low usage. Local residents are already well-served by the nearby Angel and Old Street stations as well as local buses.”
Subsequently, in 2015, Islington Council devised a plan to warmth the adjacent King Square council housing development and Moreland Primary School by harvesting waste thermal energy from Northern line tunnels.
The remaining infrastructure was demolished and substituted with The Bunhill 2 Energy Centre, which commenced operations in 2020.
Presently, travelers journeying between Old Street and Angel might catch sight of the white tiled surfaces lining the abandoned platforms of what was once City Road Tube station.