Oval originally opened as Kennington Oval in 1890, designed by Thomas Phillips Figgis with red brick, neo-classical detailing and a lead-covered dome. It was the first standard-gauge tube station and the first railway in London to use electric traction. The station building was rebuilt in the 1920s and then refurbished in 2008 with cricket-themed decorations; the station serves the Oval Cricket Ground about 500 yards away. The name Oval is taken from the shape of the cricket ground.

At the station, look out for the ‘Thought of the Day’ initiated by staff.

Nearby is the historical Kennington Park.