Over the past 160 years, dozens of London Underground stations have been renamed for various reasons, such as reducing passenger confusion, reflecting local landmarks, and adapting to changing neighbourhood identities.
Some of the capital's best-known stations were once called something completely different.
Queensway
The Central line station in Bayswater originally opened as Queen's Road in July 1900.
It was renamed Queensway on September 1, 1946, to match the name of the road outside the station.
Oakwood
When the Piccadilly line reached north London in 1933, today's Oakwood station opened as Enfield West.
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It briefly became Enfield West (Oakwood) before finally adopting the simpler name Oakwood in 1946.
Tower Hill
Before becoming one of London's most recognisable tourist gateways, the station was known as Mark Lane.
The station was renamed Tower Hill in 1946 to better reflect its proximity to the Tower of London.
Bayswater
The Circle and District line station has had one of the longest names in Tube history.
During the 1920s, it became Bayswater (Queen's Road) & Westbourne Grove, before later being shortened to Bayswater (Queen's Road) and eventually Bayswater (Queensway).
The extra wording was gradually dropped, leaving simply Bayswater.
Bank
One of the Underground's busiest interchanges owes part of its identity to a former neighbour.
The Waterloo & City line originally terminated at a station called City, which was later renamed Bank.
Although the station name changed, the line retained its original title: the Waterloo & City line.
Shepherd's Bush Market
Passengers using the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines may remember that Shepherd's Bush Market was simply called Shepherd's Bush until 2008.
The change was introduced to avoid confusion with the nearby Central line and Overground stations of the same name.
Temporary name changes
Not all renamings are permanent.
In 2018, Southgate station was temporarily rebranded as Gareth Southgate for two days during England's World Cup campaign.
Transport for London has also occasionally allowed short-term promotional rebrands, including temporary changes linked to advertising campaigns and major events.
Why do stations get renamed?
Station names are usually changed to make navigation easier, reflect local geography, or highlight major landmarks.
In many cases, the changes were designed to help visitors identify destinations more easily, particularly in central London.
While many historic names have disappeared from the Tube map, traces of them remain in old signs, maps, and photographs, offering a glimpse into how London's transport network has evolved over the decades.
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