The station was opened on 9 September 1874 by the District Railway (DR, now the District line) as the western terminus of the railway when it was extended from Earl's Court. In 1877, Hammersmith became a through station when the DR was extended west to meet the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) at Ravenscourt Park and services over the L&SWR tracks started to Richmond. On 15 December 1906, the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (GNP&BR, now the Piccadilly line) opened with Hammersmith as its western terminus. The opening of the western extension of the Piccadilly line from 4 July 1932 required the reconstruction of the station at track level to increase the number of platforms to four and much of the station was rebuilt behind the Harry W Ford designed station building on Hammersmith Broadway. Charles Holden designed a secondary entrance for Queen Caroline Street virtually identical to one he designed at the same time for Highgate (now Archway) station, since demolished. In the early 1990s, the station buildings were demolished along with the neighbouring bus garage and incorporated into a modern shopping centre and Underground and bus interchange. During the redevelopment the designers commissioned to undertake the station's re-design, Minale Tattersfield, salvaged parts of the tiling from the Harry W Ford façade showing the station name and the lines serving it and preserved them. They now form a frame to a decorative mosaic of Hammersmith Bridge in the station's north ticket hall.
NOTE: The Hammersmith & City line's and Circle line's station of the same name is a separate station to the north-west. The two stations are separated by Hammersmith Broadway. The lifts at this station, which were replaced towards the end of 2013, provide step-free access between the platforms and the main entrance on Hammersmith Broadway. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2. The station has cash machines, Euro cash machines, lifts, wi-fi, payphones and a waiting room.
Connections: District Line. London Buses routes 9, 10, 27, 33, 72, 190, 209, 211, 220, 266, 267, 283, 295, 391, 419, 485 and H91 and night routes N9, N11 and N97 serve the station and the bus station.
