Barbican tube station

Barbican is a London Underground station situated near the Barbican Estate, on the edge of the ward of Farringdon Within, in the City of London in Central London. It has been known by various names since its opening in 1865, mostly in reference to the neighbouring ward of Aldersgate. The station is served by the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines, and is situated between and Moorgate stations, in Travelcard Zone 1. Platform 2, serving westbound trains, is connected by a single lift to station on the Elizabeth line. Until 2009 Barbican was additionally served by Thameslink services to and from Moorgate. Barbican station lies in an east–west-aligned cutting with cut-and-cover tunnels at either end. The modern entrance gives access from Aldersgate Street, through a 1990s building, to a much older footbridge leading to the eastern end of the platforms. To the north of the station are the rears of buildings that face onto Charterhouse Street, Charterhouse Square and Carthusian Street. To the south are the rears of buildings that face onto Long Lane, and to the west is Hayne Street. The station is close to the Barbican Estate, Barbican Centre, City of London School for Girls, St Bartholomew-the-Great, and Smithfield. The Barbican entrance to Elizabeth line station is one street west of the station entrance (though a single lift does connect directly into the station). The station was opened with the name Aldersgate Street on 23 December 1865 on the Moorgate extension from Farringdon. It was built on the site of an earlier building at 134 Aldersgate Street, which for many years had a sign claiming "This was Shakespeare's House". The building was very close to the nearby Fortune Playhouse, and a subsidy roll from 1598 shows a "William Shakespeare" as the owner of the property, however, there is no documentary evidence indicating they and the playwright were the same person. The station, which has no surface building, had its name shortened to Aldersgate on 1 November 1910 and was renamed again on 24 October 1924 as Aldersgate & Barbican, although tube maps and London A to Zs continued to show it as Aldersgate.