Clapham Common is a London Underground station in Clapham within the London Borough of Lambeth. It is on the Northern line, between Clapham North and Clapham South stations, and is in Travelcard Zone 2.

History

The station is at the eastern tip of Clapham Common and was opened on 3 June 1900 as the new southern terminus of the City and South London Railway, which was extended from Stockwell. It remained the terminus until the Morden extension was opened on 13 September 1926. In May 2023, a carriage of a packed rush-hour train began to fill with smoke, with passengers smashing windows to escape. The subsequent Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) investigation noted that passengers became panicked by a combination of factors, including smoke and a burning smell, closed train doors, no onboard announcement and "perceived inaction" by staff. The RAIB also noted that the narrow platforms at the station meant the incident “had the potential to have more serious consequences”.

Advertising

For 2 weeks in September 2016, all of the adverts used in the station were replaced by photos of cats. This was an initiative paid for on crowdfunding site Kickstarter and organized by an organisation called The Citizens Advertising Takeover Service (C.A.T.S). In January 2017, as part of the initiative Veganuary, PETA took over the station informing and encouraging commuters to adopt veganism for the month.

The station today

The station has two entrances, one at the west via a domed building dating from the 1920s, and one at the east via a modern curved-steel and glass pavilion. Clapham Common and Clapham North are the only stations left on the network that are physically underground with narrow island platforms, around 3.7 m wide. In September 2024, TfL indicated that they had no plans to widen the platforms due to the high cost of doing so – despite safety concerns raised by the RAIB. Clapham Common is one of eight London Underground stations that have a deep-level air-raid shelter underneath them. Both entrances to the shelter are north of the station on Clapham High Street.

Services

Train frequencies vary throughout the day, but generally operate every 2–6 minutes between 06:09 and 00:21 in both directions.

Connections

A large number of London Buses routes serve the station day and night.