View source for Arsenal tube station

{{short description|London Underground station}}
{{About||the [[Paris Métro]] ghost station called Arsenal|Arsenal (Paris Métro)|all other uses|Arsenal (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox London station|symbol=underground
| name        = Arsenal
| image_name  = Arsenal station entrance.JPG
| caption     = Station entrance
| locale      = [[Highbury]]
| borough     = [[London Borough of Islington]]
| manager     = [[London Underground]]
| platforms   = 2
| fare_zone   = 2
| years1 = 15 December 1906
| years2 = 31 October 1932
| years3 = c. 1960
| events1 = Opened as ''Gillespie Road''
| events2 = Renamed ''Arsenal (Highbury Hill)''
| events3 = Renamed ''Arsenal''
<!--| tubeexits03 = 1.975
| tubeexits04 = {{increase}} 2.005
| tubeexits05 = {{decrease}} 1.88
| tubeexits06 = {{increase}} 2.256
| tubeexits07 = {{increase}} 2.735
| tubeexits08 = {{increase}} 3.21
| tubeexits09 = {{decrease}} 3.05-->
| coordinates = {{coord|51|33|31|N|0|06|21|W|type:railwaystation_region:GB|display=inline,title|format=dec}}
|original = [[Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway]]
}}
'''Arsenal''' is a [[London Underground]] station located in [[Highbury]], [[London]]. It is on the [[Piccadilly line]], between [[Holloway Road tube station|Holloway Road]] and [[Finsbury Park station|Finsbury Park]] stations, in [[London fare zone 2]].<ref>{{cite map/Standard Tube Map}}</ref> Originally known as '''Gillespie Road''', it was renamed in 1932 after [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal Football Club]], who at the time played at the nearby [[Arsenal Stadium|Highbury Stadium]]. It is the only tube station named directly after a [[football club (association football)|football club]].{{efn|Several tube stations, including [[West Ham station|West Ham]] and [[Wimbledon station|Wimbledon]], share their names with football clubs, but only Arsenal was named directly after a club rather than the associated area.}} Although Highbury Stadium closed in 2006, the station retains its name and is still used by spectators attending matches at Arsenal's nearby [[Emirates Stadium]].

==Location==
The station is located on a narrow [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] residential street, away from any main roads.<ref>[https://www.google.com.my/maps/place/Arsenal/@51.55865,-0.10743,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x48761b9d15de8e2b:0xd3d3fe7f68567029 Google Maps – Arsenal Tube Station]</ref> It is also unusual in not having any bus routes pass its entrance, though routes [[London Buses route 4|4]], [[London Buses route 19|19]], [[London Buses route 106|106]] and [[London Buses route 236|236]] serve nearby [[Blackstock Road]].<ref name="tfl_12926">{{cite web | url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/pdf/arsenalemiratesstadium-12926.pdf | title=Buses from Arsenal / Emirates Stadium | publisher=[[Transport for London]] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927190007/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/pdf/arsenalemiratesstadium-12926.pdf | archive-date=27 September 2007 | url-status=live }}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Arsenal tube station interior.jpg|thumb|left|Tiling on the platform indicates the station's previous guise as "Gillespie Road".]]
Arsenal tube station was opened by the [[Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway]] (GNP&BR) as '''[[Gillespie Road]]''' on 15 December 1906.<ref name="lu_history">{{cite web | url=http://www.hylte6.se/lu/1900s.html | title=London Underground history 1900-1909 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321141631/http://www.hylte6.se/lu/1900s.html | archive-date=21 March 2012 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=culgnorthern>{{cite web | url=http://www.davros.org/rail/culg/piccadilly.html | work=Clive's Underground Line Guides | title=Piccadilly line |access-date=8 April 2015 | last=Feather | first=Clive |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403113206/http://www.davros.org/rail/culg/piccadilly.html |archive-date=3 April 2015}}</ref> The GNP&BR was later renamed the [[Piccadilly line]] after the consolidation and nationalisation of the Tube network as [[London Underground]]. The original station building and ticket hall were [[Terracotta|red terracotta]]-clad buildings designed by [[Leslie Green]], similar to neighbouring stations such as [[Holloway Road tube station|Holloway Road]] and [[Caledonian Road tube station|Caledonian Road]].

At the time of Gillespie Road's construction, it served a residential area and a local divinity college.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} In 1913, [[Arsenal F.C.]] moved from [[Woolwich]] to [[Arsenal Stadium|Highbury]] on the site of the college's playing fields, and the club's presence there eventually led to a campaign for a change of name. Arsenal manager [[Herbert Chapman]] was a particularly keen advocate, and on 31 October 1932 it was renamed '''Arsenal (Highbury Hill)'''.<ref name="arsenal_469699">{{cite web | url=http://www.thearsenalhistory.com/?p=12035 | title=Arsenal Underground Station Renamed Earlier Than Believed | work=TheArsenalHistory.com |date=31 October 2015 }}</ref> The station was expanded in the 1930s, when the original station building was demolished and replaced by a wider building of a more modern design.

The suffix was dropped from the station's name some time around 1960, giving the current name of '''Arsenal'''.{{efn|An early 1960 edition<ref name="billson_1960">{{cite web | url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/1960.html | title=Early 1960 tube map | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021204140243/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/1960.html | archive-date=2002-12-04 | url-status=dead}}</ref> of the [[Tube map]] shows the "Highbury Hill" suffix but one from later in 1960<ref name="clarksbury_1960">{{cite web | url=http://www.clarksbury.com/cdl/maps/tube60.jpg | format=JPG | title=Late 1960 tube map | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041106032602/http://www.clarksbury.com/cdl/maps/tube60.jpg | archive-date=2004-11-06 | url-status=live }}</ref> shows it without. No subsequent maps include the suffix.<ref name="clarksbury">{{cite web | url=http://www.clarksbury.com/cdl/maps.html | title=The London Tube Map Archive | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811163253/http://www.clarksbury.com/cdl/maps.html | archive-date=2007-08-11 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="billson">{{cite web | url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/tube.html | title=A History of the London Tube Maps | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815041850/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/tube.html#The%20Real%20Underground%20Map | archive-date=15 August 2007 | url-status=live }}</ref>}} The original tiled walls of the platforms still bear the Gillespie Road name, spelt out in large letters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geofftech.co.uk/tube/facts.html |work=Tube Facts and Figures |title=Tube Stations with other/alternative names |publisher=Geofftech |access-date=3 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403155732/http://www.geofftech.co.uk/tube/facts.html |archive-date=3 April 2015}}</ref> In 2007, the station underwent a major upgrade;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lurs.org.uk/documents/pdf%2007/july/STATION%20REFURBISHMENT%20SUMMARY%20JULY.pdf |title=Station Refurbishment Summary |website=London Underground Railway Society |date=July 2007 |access-date=8 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108094151/http://www.lurs.org.uk/documents/pdf%2007/july/STATION%20REFURBISHMENT%20SUMMARY%20JULY.pdf |archive-date=8 November 2014}}</ref> as part of this the wall tiling was completely restored, the floor resurfaced and an electronic [[Tannoy]] system was introduced.<ref name="tfl_4560">{{cite news | url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/static/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/4560.html | title=Modernisation of Arsenal station continues | publisher=[[Transport for London]] | date=21 February 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425185233/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/static/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/4560.html | archive-date=25 April 2012 | url-status=live }}</ref>

==Station layout==
{{unreferenced section|date=April 2015}}
[[File:Tidal segregation at Arsenal, 2021.jpg|thumb|left|235px|Passageway linking the ticket office to the platforms, looking towards the latter. Note tidal flow segregation, in operation on football match days. The fans would use the wider section.]]
When it was first built, the station building was squeezed between residential properties on each side, occupying the width of just two terraced houses. Even after the surface building was rebuilt and widened in the early 1930s, with a further house being demolished, it has one of the narrowest frontages of any Underground station.

Unusually for a "deep level" tube station, Arsenal possesses neither [[escalators]] nor [[elevator|lifts]].  Instead, a sloping passageway leads down to the platforms. This is due to the tunnels being both relatively shallow at this point and situated some distance from the station entrance (being underneath the [[East Coast Main Line]]). There are short flights of [[stairs]] at both ends of the passageway, so the station is not [[wheelchair accessible]]. When the station was rebuilt in the early 1930s, an extra tunnel was dug to platform level from the main access passage in anticipation of increased traffic. This is now used to handle the large crowds on match days. The station has a "tidal" system unique on the Underground network, with a narrow section on one side divided from the main passageway by a full-height fence. The narrow section is used on match days for the lighter flow, according to time of day—for passengers catching trains before matches, or leaving the station afterwards.

{{clear|left}}

==Usage==
[[File:Ashburton Grove.svg|thumb|right|Map of Arsenal's old and new stadiums in relation to Arsenal tube station]]
The station is considerably less busy than other stations on the same stretch of line. In 2007 only 2,735,000 entries and exits were recorded, compared with [[Holloway Road tube station|Holloway Road]]'s 7,487,000 and [[Caledonian Road tube station|Caledonian Road]]'s 5,333,000.<ref name="tfl_entry">{{cite web | url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/modesoftransport/tube/performance/entriesandexits.asp?id=10&agekey=2007 | title=London Underground: Entries and exits | publisher=Transport for London | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925005023/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/modesoftransport/tube/performance/entriesandexits.asp?id=10&agekey=2007 | archive-date=25 September 2012 | url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2006 Arsenal F.C. moved to a new stadium, the [[Emirates Stadium]]. The stadium is on the site of [[Ashburton Grove]], a former industrial estate approximately {{convert|500|m}} west of Highbury, and marginally closer to [[Drayton Park station|Drayton Park]] (on the [[Northern City Line]]) and Holloway Road stations.{{efn|This is as measured from the pitch itself; measured from the main entrance to the stadium complex in the northeast corner, Arsenal remains the closest station.}} However, Drayton Park is closed on match days due to its small platform size and infrequent service (before 2015 it had no weekend service at all), and trains do not stop at Holloway Road before and after matches to prevent overcrowding. Arsenal station meanwhile is still within easy walking distance of the new stadium's main entrance and is recommended by the club for use on match days.<ref name="get_to">{{cite web | url=http://www.arsenal.com/semsconference/get-to...-emirates-stadium | title=Get to... Emirates Stadium | work=Arsenal.com | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408144013/http://www.arsenal.com/semsconference/get-to...-emirates-stadium | archive-date=8 April 2015}}</ref> The station thus still retains the "Arsenal" name and, along with Finsbury Park and Highbury & Islington, is still used by many Arsenal supporters to get to matches.

As part of the commemoration of Arsenal F.C.'s move, a temporary [[mural]] was placed along the walls of the station passageways as part of London Underground's [[Art on the Underground]] scheme.<ref name="tfl_corp">{{cite web | url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/projectsandschemes/artmusicdesign/pfa/artists/arsenal.asp | title=Platform for Art: Arsenal Football Club's last season at Highbury | publisher=[[Transport for London]] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930180856/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/projectsandschemes/artmusicdesign/pfa/artists/arsenal.asp | archive-date=30 September 2007 | url-status=live }}</ref> It was unveiled in February 2006 and removed in September.

==Services and connections==
[[File:Arsenal Underground Station.jpg|thumb|left|Piccadilly line train at Arsenal]]
Train frequencies vary throughout the day, but generally operate every 2–6 minutes between 06:22 and 00:19 in both directions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube/timetable/piccadilly?FromId=940GZZLUASL&ToId=940GZZLUFPK&SelectedTime=6 |title=Piccadilly line timetable: From Arsenal Underground Station to Finsbury Park Underground Station |website= [[Transport for London]] |access-date=8 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube/timetable/piccadilly?FromId=940GZZLUASL&ToId=940GZZLUHWY&SelectedTime=5 |title=Piccadilly line timetable: From Arsenal Underground Station to Holloway Road Underground Station |website= [[Transport for London]] |access-date=8 April 2015}}</ref>

No bus routes directly serve the station. However, [[London Buses|London Bus]] routes [[London Buses route 4|4]], [[London Buses route 19|19]], [[London Buses route 29|29]], [[London Buses route 91|91]], [[London Buses route 106|106]], [[London Buses route 153|153]], [[London Buses route 236|236]], [[London Buses route 253|253]], [[London Buses route 254|254]] and [[London Buses route 259|259]] and night routes [[London Buses route N19|N19]], [[London Buses route N29|N29]], [[London Buses route N91|N91]], [[London Buses route N253|N253]] and [[London Buses route N279|N279]] are all nearby.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/bus-route-maps/arsenalemiratesstadium-a4-260714.pdf |title=Buses from Arsenal (Emirates Stadium) |publisher= [[Transport for London]] |date=July 2014 |access-date=8 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/bus-route-maps/arsenalenight-a4.pdf |title=Night buses from Arsenal (Emirates Stadium) |publisher= [[Transport for London]] |date=July 2014 |access-date=8 April 2015}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{Butt-Stations}}
*{{Jowett-Nationalised}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Arsenal tube station}}
* [https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/photographs London Transport Museum Photographic Archive]
** {{LTM archive|1998-87773|Station exterior, 1907}}
** {{LTM archive|1998-84817|Rebuilt station building in 1934}}.

{{Adjacent stations|system=London Underground|line=Piccadilly|left=Holloway Road|right=Finsbury Park}}

{{Piccadilly line navbox}}
{{Arsenal F.C.}}

[[Category:Piccadilly line stations]]
[[Category:London Underground Night Tube stations]]
[[Category:Former Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway stations]]
[[Category:Tube stations in the London Borough of Islington]]
[[Category:Arsenal F.C.]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1906]]