View source for Mornington Crescent tube station

{{short description|London Underground station}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox London station|symbol=underground
| name          = Mornington Crescent
| alt_name      = 
| manager       = [[London Underground]]
| manager1      =
| manager2      = 
| owner         =
| owner1        =
| owner2        =
| locale        = [[Mornington Crescent (street)|Mornington Crescent]]
| borough       = [[London Borough of Camden]]
| platforms     = 2
| fare_zone     = 2
| fare_zone_1   = 
| railcode      =
| railcode2     =
| image_name    = Mornington Crescent Station 2014.jpg
| image_alt     =
| caption       = Entrance on Hampstead Road
| coordinates   = {{coord|51.5344|-0.1386|type:railwaystation_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| map_type      = Central London
| years1        = 22 June 1907
| years2        = 23 October 1992
| years3        = 27 April 1998
| years4        = 
| years5        = 
| years6        = 
| years7        = 
| years8        = 
| years9        = 
| events1       = Opened (CCE&HR)
| events2       = Closed for refurbishment
| events3       = Reopened
| events4       =
| events5       =
| events6       =
| events7       =
| events8       =
| events9       =
<!--| tubeexits03   =
| tubeexits04   = 3.009
| tubeexits05   =
| tubeexits06   = 3.260
| tubeexits07   = {{increase}} 4.047
| tubeexits08   = {{increase}} 4.290
| tubeexits09   = {{increase}} 4.47-->
| listing_grade = II
| listing_start = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1987|4|24}}
| listing_entry = 1378713
| listing_reference = <ref name="eh_1378713">{{National Heritage List for England |num=1378713 |desc=Mornington Crescent London Railway Transport Station Including Features Underground |access-date=3 April 2015}}</ref>
}}

'''Mornington Crescent''' is a [[London Underground]] station in [[Somers Town, London|Somers Town]] in north-west [[London]], named after [[Mornington Crescent (street)|the nearby street]]. It is on the [[Charing Cross tube station|Charing Cross branch]] of the [[Northern line]], between [[Camden Town tube station|Camden Town]] and [[Euston tube station|Euston]] stations. It is located in [[London fare zone 2]].

The station was opened as part of the original route of the [[Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway]] (now the Charing Cross branch of the [[Northern line]]) on 22 June 1907. The surface building was designed by the [[Underground Electric Railways Company of London]]'s (UERL's) architect [[Leslie Green]] in the [[Modern Style (British Art Nouveau style)]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/feb/03/london-underground-design-ovenden-review|title = London Underground by Design by Mark Ovenden – review| website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date = 3 February 2013}}</ref> Prior to the station's opening, the name of "Seymour Street" had been proposed.  After opening, it was little used. For many years it was open only on weekdays, and before 1966 Edgware-bound trains passed through without stopping.

==Location==
The station is situated at the southern end of [[Camden High Street]], where it meets [[Hampstead Road, London|Hampstead Road]] and Eversholt Street. This junction forms the north-western corner of the boundary of [[Somers Town, London|Somers Town]], with [[Camden Town]] situated to the north and [[Regent's Park Estate]] to the south of the station.

The station's location on the [[Northern line]] is unusual due to the dual-branch nature of that line. On the [[Charing Cross tube station|Charing Cross branch]], Mornington Crescent is between {{stl|LUL|Camden Town}} and {{stl|LUL|Euston}}. The [[Bank and Monument stations|Bank branch]] also runs from Camden Town to Euston, but via tunnels which take an entirely different route to the Charing Cross branch and which do not pass through Mornington Crescent. Although modern-day tube maps show Mornington Crescent to the west of the Bank branch tunnels, it is actually to the east of them: the two branches cross over each other at Euston, so that between Euston and Camden Town, the Bank branch tunnels run to the west of the Charing Cross branch on which Mornington Crescent is situated. [[Harry Beck]]'s 1933 [[tube map]] represented this correctly.

There is a northwards facing crossover to the north of the station to enable trains from [[Camden Town tube station|Camden Town]] to terminate and head back north.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Detailled London transport map (track, depot, ...) |url=https://cartometro.com/cartes/metro-tram-london/ |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=cartometro.com}}</ref>

==Closure and reopening==
On 23 October 1992, the station was shut so that the then 85-year-old lifts could be replaced. The intention was to open it within one year. However, due to lack of funding and the state of neglect, the station remained closed for 6 years.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=29 April 1998|title=BBC News {{!}} UK {{!}} New every Mornington|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/81815.stm|access-date=2021-04-02|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref>

A concerted campaign to reopen the station was launched, with pressure from [[Camden Council (London)|Camden Council]], and assistance from the popular BBC Radio 4 panel game ''[[I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue]]''. The show frequently features the game ''[[Mornington Crescent (game)|Mornington Crescent]]'', which takes its name from the station.

During the station's rebuilding, the original distinctive light blue tiling pattern was restored to the station (though taking into account modern fire safety requirements). The ticket hall was reconstructed and the original emergency stairs closed. A second lift shaft was converted (losing the unnecessary extra two lifts) into a staircase on one side and a series of station facilities on the other.<ref name=":0" />

After substantial refurbishment, the station was reopened on 27 April 1998<ref name=":0" /> by the regular cast of ''[[I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue]]'' ([[Humphrey Lyttelton]], [[Barry Cryer]], [[Tim Brooke-Taylor]] and [[Graeme Garden]]).<ref>{{Cite web|date=27 April 1998|title=BBC News {{!}} UK {{!}} Mornington Crescent - the legend is reborn|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/79273.stm|access-date=2020-05-27|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> A [[blue plaque|memorial plaque]] to the late [[Willie Rushton]], one of the longest-serving panelists, was installed at the station in 2002.

Since its 1998 reopening, the station has been open at the same times as most other stations, including weekends, in an attempt to relieve the pressure on the increasingly busy nearby {{stl|LUL|Camden Town}} station.

== Services ==
Mornington Crescent station is on the Charing Cross branch of the Northern line between [[Camden Town tube station|Camden Town]] to the north and [[Euston tube station|Euston]] to the south. The typical offpeak service in trains per hour (tph) is as follows:<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Matters |first=Transport for London {{!}} Every Journey |title=Northern line timetable |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/tube/timetable/northern |access-date=2023-05-16 |website=Transport for London |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=CULG - Northern Line |url=https://www.davros.org/rail/culg/northern.html |access-date=2023-05-16 |website=www.davros.org}}</ref>

* 20 tph Southbound to [[Kennington tube station|Kennington]], of which 10 continue to [[Battersea Power Station tube station|Battersea power station]] 
* 10 tph Northbound to [[Edgware tube station|Edgware]]
* 8 tph Northbound to [[High Barnet tube station|High Barnet]]
* 2 tph Northbound to [[Mill Hill East tube station|Mill Hill East]]

{{Adjacent stations|system=London Underground|line=Northern|left=Camden Town|right=Euston|type=Charing Cross}}

==In popular culture==
{{more citations needed section|date=January 2018}}

===In film===
* The station was used as a location for the anthology film ''[[Tube Tales]]'' (1999).
*It was portrayed in the film ''[[Honest (film)|Honest]]'' (2000), although the station actually used was [[Aldwych tube station|Aldwych]].
* In ''[[Allt flyter]]'' (2008), Sara meets her mother (who has moved there from Sweden for a sportscasting job) outside the station during a Christmas trip to London.

===In radio===
* ''[[Mornington Crescent (game)|Mornington Crescent]]'' is a spoof game, featured since the 1970s in the [[BBC Radio 4]] comedy panel show ''[[I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue]]'', which satirises complicated strategy games. A Comic Heritage [[blue plaque]] honouring [[Willie Rushton]], one of the show's longest-serving panelists, was installed within the station in 2002. It is located behind the ticket barrier at the top of the stairs to the platform.

===In literature===
* [[China Miéville]] mentions this station and its long state of disuse during the 1990s in his novel ''[[King Rat (1998 novel)|King Rat]]'' (1998), also using it as scene of a brutal murder by dismemberment via a passing train.
* In ''[[The Atrocity Archives]]'' (2004) by [[Charles Stross]], the secret main entrance to the extremely secret Government establishment (the "Laundry") which the protagonist Bob Howard works for is situated in the gentlemen's toilets of Mornington Crescent tube station.
* In [[Christopher Fowler]]'s "Bryant & May" mysteries, the offices of the Peculiar Crimes Unit are above Mornington Crescent tube station.
* Mornington Crescent is used by [[Robert Rankin]] in many of his novels as the home of the Ministry of Serendipity, a fictional agency whose main activity is to ensure the British Empire rules the globe, the [[Classified information|top secret]] nature of the ministry being the main reason why the station was only open on weekdays and closed for "repairs" for much of the 1990s.

===In music===
* [[Belle & Sebastian]] released a song entitled "Mornington Crescent" on their 2006 album, ''[[The Life Pursuit]]''.
* [[My Life Story]]'s 1995 album ''Mornington Crescent'' takes its name from the station, featuring photos in its sleeve notes.
* The promotional video for "[[Be There (Unkle song)|Be There]]" by [[Unkle]] was filmed in this station.

==Connections==
[[London Buses]] routes [[London Buses route 1|1]], [[London Buses route 24|24]], [[London Buses route 27|27]], [[London Buses route 29|29]], [[London Buses route 46|46]], [[London Buses route 134|134]], [[London Buses route 214|214]], [[London Buses route 253|253]] and [[London Buses route 274|274]] and night routes [[London Buses route N5|N5]], [[London Buses route N20|N20]], [[London Buses route N28|N28]], [[London Buses route N29|N29]], [[London Buses route N31|N31]], [[London Buses route N253|N253]] and [[London Buses route N279|N279]] serve the station.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed>
File:Mornington Crescent stn southbound look south.JPG|Southbound platform looking south
File:Mornington Crescent stn northbound look north.JPG|Northbound platform looking north
File:Mornington Crescent stn tiling.JPG|Tiling on the platform
File:Mornington Crescent stn roundel.JPG|Station roundel
File:Willie Rushton's blue plaque in Mornington Crescent station.jpg|Willie Rushton blue plaque in station
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Mornington Crescent (street)]], the 1820s terrace after which the tube station is named

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Mornington Crescent tube station}}

{{Spoken Wikipedia|EN_Mornington_crescent_tube_station.ogg|date=2007-12-11}}
* [https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/photographs London Transport Museum Photographic Archive]
** {{LTM archive|1998-56473|Station exterior, 1925}}
** {{LTM archive|1998-56441|Station exterior, 1955}}
** {{LTM archive|1998-61936|Ticket hall, 1955}}

{{Northern line navbox}}

[[Category:Northern line stations]]
[[Category:Tube stations in the London Borough of Camden]]
[[Category:Former Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway stations]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1907]]
[[Category:Camden Town]]
[[Category:Leslie Green railway stations]]
[[Category:London Underground Night Tube stations]]
[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Camden]]
[[Category:Grade II listed railway stations]]