The Outer Circle was a London and North Western Railway service in London that operated from 1872 to 1908. The route was from the District Railway station at Mansion House to Earl's Court, then via the West London Railway to Willesden Junction and then via the North London Railway to . Although not a complete circuit, it was one of several 'circle' routes around London that opened at the same time, such as the 'inner circle' that is today's Circle line. Trains would run once every 30 minutes. In 1908 the service was cut back to run from Earl's Court to Broad Street.

The Midland Railway operated a kind of Super Outer Circle from to Earl's Court for two years from 1878 to 1880, via the Dudding Hill freight line.

Outer Circle History On 1 February 1872 the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR) began a railway service between and the District Railway station at Mansion House via the North London Railway, , the West London Railway and Earl's Court, replacing a service that had run along much of the same route to London Victoria. This service became known as the 'outer circle' and was worked with L&NWR locomotives and carriages and there was a train every thirty minutes. When the District electrified in 1905, it built electric locomotives to haul the carriages between Earl's Court and Mansion House. The service appears on the 1908 'London Underground' map between Earl's Court and Uxbridge Road as a District Railway service.For the 1908 London Underground Map see :File:Tube map 1908-2.jpg.

The service ceased to run east of Earl's Court from 1 January 1909. The L&NWR electrified the West London Railway and an electric service between Willesden Junction and Earl's Court on started 1 May 1914. This was initially with electric multiple units provided by the District Railway until 24 November 1914 when LNWR electric units took over. Passenger services on the West London Railway ended on 19 October 1940 following Second World War bomb damage to the line.

Uxbridge Road station closed with the line in 1940 and opened on the same site in 2008. The line is currently served by the District line between Mansion House and Kensington (Olympia) and then the London Overground to Haggerston.

List of stations

The following stations, listed anti-clockwise, were served by the Outer Circle:

Station Closed NotesBroad Street 1986 now demolishedShoreditch 1940 Haggerston 1940 reopened 2010 as part of the London OvergroundDalston Junction 1986 Mildmay Park 1934 Canonbury Highbury opened 1872; now Highbury & Islington Barnsbury now Caledonian Road & Barnsbury Maiden Lane 1916 Camden Town opened 1870; now Camden Road Kentish Town now Kentish Town West Gospel Oak Hampstead Heath Finchley Road now Finchley Road & Frognal West End Lane opened 1888; now West Hampstead Brondesbury Brondesbury Park opened 1904 Kensal Green & Harlesden opened 1873; now Kensal Rise Willesden Junction Wormwood Scrubs 1940 renamed St. Quintin Park Uxbridge Road 1940 Shepherd's Bush station opened on the same site in 2008 Addison Road now Kensington (Olympia) Earl's Court Brompton (Gloucester Road) service withdrawn 31 December 1908 now Gloucester Road South Kensington Sloane Square Victoria St James's Park Westminster Bridge now Westminster Charing Cross now Embankment Temple Blackfriars Mansion House

Super Outer Circle

The Midland Railway operated a kind of Super Outer Circle from 1878 to 1880. In 1876 the Midland had negotiated running rights over the Metropolitan District Railway from the London & South Western Railway at Hammersmith to South Kensington. The Midland's main interest was supplying coal to Kensington, and in 1878 it opened coal depots at Kensington High Street and West Kensington. From 1 May 1878 it also ran a passenger service from Earl's Court to St Pancras via Hammersmith, and the Dudding Hill freight line to . Two trains an hour ran until 30 September 1880. The coal depots closed in the 1960s.

See also Middle Circle Circle line (London Underground)

References Notes

Sources

External links Feather, Clive (14 June 2025). Clive's Underground Line Guides – Circle Line Retrieved 25 September 2026.