South Kenton

 

The station opened on 3 July 1933 with access from both sides of the railway via a footbridge to the single island platform serving only the Euston-Watford DC line; this footbridge (which started at the bottom of the embankment) was later replaced by a pedestrian tunnel, cutting out a long climb for passengers entering the station. The station was built in a more modern "concrete and glass" style construction including a "streamlined" waiting room rather than the brick and woodwork LNWR stations elsewhere on the DC line. The hamlet was recorded as "Keninton" in 1232. The name derives from the personal name of the Saxon "Coena" and the Old English "tun", a farm - and means "the farm of Coena" and his family who once lived on a site near here. Before the 20th century, the tiny settlement was concentrated around in what was Kenton Lane (the easternmost part of which remains as Old Kenton Lane to the east of Kingsbury station) and is now part of the present day Woodgrange Avenue and Kenton Road.

 

Apart from the infamous appearance of several of Kenton's streets in the Gourmet Night episode of the cult BBC TV series "Fawlty Towers" starring John Cleese, the only known reference to Kenton in modern popular culture is the song "Kenton Kev", by the Berlin-based punk-jazz band The Magoo Brothers on their album "Beyond Believable", released on the Bouncing Corporation label in 1988.The station is an island platform and Bakerloo line train doors are not level with it. Therefore, there is a downward step to the train from the platform. The ticket office is at platform level and occupies the north end of the streamlined 1933 building. It is one of the very few stations served by London Underground which has no ticket gates and due to the restrictive layout here there are no plans for these to be installed in the immediate future. There is no wheelchair access. Monday to Saturday daytimes there is the London Overground service every 20 minutes to London Euston southbound and to Watford Junction northbound. The service is every 30 mins evenings and Sundays. It is in Travel Card Zone 4. The station has help points, wi-fi, a waiting room and a bridge but no toilets.

 

Connections: Bakerloo Line. London Buses route 223 serve the station.

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