Abandoned railway stations in central London

FINSBURY PARK TO ALEXANDRA PALACE DISUSED RAILWAY LINE (4.4 miles)
00:00 Finsbury Park abandoned only the platforms 9 and 10 for Alexandra Palace
00:17 Stroud Green
01:27 Crouch End
02:42 Highgate Station
03:23 Cranley Gardens
04:52 Muswell Hill
06:47 Alexandra Palace

The railway, which opened in 1867, initially ran between Finsbury Park and Highgate before being extended in 1873 to take people to the newly opened Alexandra Palace; in its heyday the line carried 60,000 passengers on one Whit Monday. Its demise was due to the advent of electric trains and the opening of the Hampstead to Highgate tube. Ironically, in 1954, when the last passenger train ran, it was lengthened from two to eight carriages to meet public demand. Freight continued to use the line until its complete closure in 1971.

[MissWizard]

If only most of the station buildings themselves could have been preserved. Everyone knows that buildings built back then were of far better quality, than anything built today. Great video.

[alexistarr]

I would highly recommend the walk between Finsbury Park and Alexandra Palace along the disused railway track connecting the two. This is a great video showcasing the history of the line, its abandonment and evolution into a walk.

[petersilvester]

Excellent - the Northern Heights (that never really was) has always intrigued me.

[Roland-mbov]

Nice vid. Not a rail enthusiast but have always had a liking for old stations. All that hard labour to produce a rail network across Britain, then the private car does to the railway what the railways did to the canals.

[JelMain]

You should be playing Fairport Convention. Fairport's just up the hill from Muswell Hill.

[damianharris]

If only the Northern Heights project had gone ahead then virtually all of these lost stations would now be part of the London Underground

[jonpick]

That's a really well researched and presented little video. Earned a sub. I found the music intrusive and watched it on mute but am fully aware others might not feel the same.

[godfreytables]

Many thanks for making and posting this. I live in the area and often walk along this route, so this is really fascinating to see.

[bertspeggly]

I think of myself as an expert on this line but you have some photos I have never seen! Where did you get the picture of the battery loco and 1938 stock at 1:44 please? And that great shot of the push-pulls at 7:39.

[alastairmc]

Great stuff, well researched. Well done!

[OlafProt]

I love the ones that have become greenways but they have really Maintained the feel of a station having once been there. Crouch End was a glorious station! Highgate is almost creepy... fascinating.
The car was never, and still isn't, the answer.

[drevo]

Excellent - Alexandra Palace could do with a direct rail link - always tedious to walk up from the main line station at Wood Green. Wasn't there also a line from Liverpool St to Palace Gates?

[jackmartinleith]

The rail map that appears in various places is © Alan Young.

[seongyi]

There are many abandoned railroads in London!! Amazing!!

[JHS]

Great clip some great scenes... AND a great musical track .

[simplesimon]

a lovely collection of views, however even better would have been for the line to still be carrying passengers today - this is a densely populated area with overcrowded roads that are now also subjected to snail slow 20 mph limits ... had the line remained open it would have been very busy.

[RichardFelstead]

Thanks for sharing. I like the music you used.I may use them in some of my videos. Greetings from Australia.I've subscribed.

[MichaelBeeny]

Sorry, I don't think the music is appropriate.

[jamesecroucher]

0:15 confused how Finsbury Park station counts as abandoned? The shot is taken from a live platform at Finsbury Park station?

[jakeeiseman-renyard]

4:25 That's not the base of a footbridge; it's a bricked-up shelter that dates back to Wirld War 2.