Ruislip Manor Underground station

Image: © Marathon Taken: 13 Apr 2016

Metropolitan trains started running between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Uxbridge on 4th July 1904. Traffic was at first extremely disappointing. The District Railway opened its new extension from north of Ealing Common to Park Royal & Twyford Abbey on 23rd June 1903. The line was opened fully to South Harrow on 28th June 1903. District line trains started to run beyond South Harrow on 1st March 1910 to meet the Metropolitan Railway at Rayners Lane and continue on to Uxbridge, but they were only hourly for much of the day, increasing to a 20 minute service the following year. In response to pressure from Ruislip Manor Ltd, which had started to develop the 133 acre Ruislip Manor Garden Village near the line in 1911, Ruislip Manor Halt was opened on 5th August 1912. At first it was only accessible from a field path. By 1914 the estate had not proceeded beyond the laying out of roads and the erection of 200 homes, many of which were unsold. Ruislip Manor was slow to start. Ruislip Manor Co. did not prosper and much of its land was sold off. When nothing had happened by mid-1926, the Metropolitan threatened to close the halt. This was avoided and towards the end of 1926 building materials were being brought in. This new extension was, together with the existing tracks between Ealing Common and Acton Town, the first section of the Underground's surface lines to be electrified and operate electric instead of steam trains. In the early 1930s, Government money was on offer to combat unemployment and using some of this the Piccadilly line was extended to run west of its original terminus at Hammersmith sharing the route with the District line to Ealing Common. This change took place in two stages. From 4th July 1932 between Ealing Common and South Harrow, the District line was replaced by the Piccadilly line. On 23rd October 1933 Piccadilly line trains continued from South Harrow to Uxbridge and District line trains to Uxbridge ceased on the same date. At Ruislip Manor the 17,000 passengers of 1931 grew to over one and a quarter million in 1937. Suburban growth took off at the end of the 1920s and by 1939 large-scale construction of small houses had covered most of the area. This is the view from the up platform. The next station in this direction is Eastcote.

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