The London Underground tends to conjure memories of clanky plastic barriers, echoey speaker announcements and the metallic churning of escalators, all illuminated by glaring fluorescent lights.
However, across the capital’s travel network, there are a handful of stations that have maintained their historic beauty. Chesham station, located at the far end of the westbound Metropolitan Line service, has been dubbed one of the most aesthetic TfL travel hubs.
Surrounded by greenery on the edge of Zone 9, the Grade II listed building is an admirable example of late 19th century architecture. From the outside, it’s difficult to believe the stone Buckinghamshire station is part of London’s bustling travel network.
The above ground station is considered the most complete example of an 1800s rural Metropolitan station, serving as a significant reminder of city railway’s early expansion into surrounding commuter towns.
Though the station’s wooden signal box went out of service in the sixties, the 20 levers are now preserved alongside the station’s unusually intact water tower.
Inside the station itself, a framed timeline tracking the site through the years proudly displays its evolution into part of the modern transport system.
Red and white painted metal pillars along the platform and the surrounding shrubbery help to create a distinct small town feel.
Chesham station is the furthest station from central London, some 25 miles from Charing Cross.The journey into Zone 1 takes a little under an hour, with Metropolitan line services calling at the station roughly every 30 minutes.
Up to the 1960s, the station had a large goods yard which managed up to 5,000 tonnes of freight per month.
Today, the yard is now a car park which is shared between the station and the neighbouring Waitrose supermarket.