Wanstead tube station, a Central line stop with a secret past

Picture the unfinished tunnels under Wanstead in the war years: no trains, and a secret factory making parts for aircraft. That's the odd backstory of a station most of us use just to get into town. It was planned in the 1930s, built, abandoned during the war and finally opened to passengers in December 1947.

Facts come from Transport for London, Redbridge Council, the London Transport Museum and the Wanstead Architecture project. Service patterns change, so check TfL before you travel.

At a glance

• Line: Central
• Zone: 4 (TfL)
• Address: The Green, London E11 2NT
• Neighbours: Leytonstone to the west, Redbridge to the east, on the Hainault loop, per Wikipedia's station entry
• Platforms: two
• Facilities listed by TfL: car park, ticket gates, WiFi, escalators, ticket hall

Eastbound, trains run towards Hainault via Newbury Park. Westbound, TfL's live page lists Ealing Broadway, with West Ruislip trains shown as last departures. Timetable and live arrivals are on TfL's Wanstead page. TfL flags a night service; check TfL's status page for Night Tube nights. Wikipedia, citing TfL's annual figures, records about 1.87 million entries and exits in 2025, up from 1.18 million in 2021.

The station isn't step-free. TfL lists two escalators and no lifts, so use TfL's step-free Tube guide to plan an alternative route. It lists no toilets or cash machines either. It does list a car park, but gives no prices or hours, so check the signs on site. We found no published plans for lifts, and if TfL announces any, we'll report it.

Walking from the station

The station is on The Green, beside George Green. Redbridge Council's Wanstead Jubilee Walk, a 2-mile, 90-minute route, starts here, taking in St Mary's Church (the borough's only Grade I listed building, built 1787–90), the Jubilee Fountain, Christ Church, the war memorial and the George pub.

• Wanstead Park: 1km (0.6 miles), according to the City; see our Wanstead Park guide.
• Wanstead High Street: a few steps away.
• George Green: right outside; see our parks guide.
• Snaresbrook: its own Central line station, on the original railway route, and the nearest to Snaresbrook Crown Court; see our Snaresbrook guide.

The station that opened late

The Jubilee Walk gives the outline: the station "was built in the 1930s but was not opened owing to the outbreak of World War II". It opened in 1947 as part of the Hainault loop, and stands, with Eastern Avenue, on the site of The Elms, a house built in 1740.

The London Transport Museum tells the next chapter. The unfinished tunnels between Leytonstone and Gants Hill became a secret wartime factory for Plessey, with workers entering via Wanstead, Redbridge or Gants Hill. Redbridge says about 2,000 people worked there, with their own railway, canteen and rest areas, and a panel at the foot of the escalator tells the story. Opening day was 14 December 1947; the museum holds a Fox Photos print of the opening of the eastern extension.

The architect was Charles Holden, of the celebrated 1930s Piccadilly line stations such as Arnos Grove and Southgate. The Wanstead Architecture project, citing the Redbridge local list, says it was one of his last commissions, with Redbridge and Gants Hill, and is locally listed.

Work began in early 1940, stopped within months and resumed after the war. Post-war austerity left it, in the project's words, "somewhat spartan": a rectangular booking hall linked by a low porch to a tall ventilation tower with a glazed roundel, in light grey concrete render rather than Holden's smooth brick. Below ground, the concourse and platforms are tiled in cream with a narrow green strip and a raised name frieze, and an original clock has roundels instead of numerals. Wikipedia adds that the original wooden escalator lasted until 2003.

The last Tube changes by day, so check TfL's live station page for last departures before you travel.

Facts checked on 28 October 2026.