The 270

050/270: #Vauxhall – The Russian

ImageAndy Carter 1 Comment

It is said that the Russian word for station – vokzal – is derived from Vauxhall. When an early parliamentary delegation of Russians visited the area, to view the brand new invention of the railway, they asked their British guides what it was that they saw in front of them. Misunderstanding the delegates, and rather than telling them what the actual type of building was, the British replied, “This is Vauxhall,” instead of “This is a station.”

Now, it’s more than likely that this is an old wives tale, as evidence to back this up is virtually non-existent. Still, it’s nice story to tell. Vauxhall now forms an important interchange between tube, bus, road and that very same mainline station the Russian delegates supposedly saw all those years ago.

Image copyright A Carter – CallingAllStations.co.uk

049/270: #Kennington – The Original

ImageAndy Carter 3 Comments

Here we have the oldest tube station on the network. Not the oldest station… nor the oldest underground station… but the oldest tube station. And believe me we’ll get onto the differences at a later date.

We choose Kennington over all the other stations from Stockwell through to Borough, as this original City & South London Railway structure has remained relatively unaltered since it’s conception in 1890. This was the first deep level electric tube railway to be built anywhere in the world, and of all the original stations only Kennington retains it’s 1890 surface level ticket hall.

At one stage the other CSLR station would have all looked very similar, all sporting a distinctive lead-covered dome structure that housed lift equipment

Image copyright A Carter – CallingAllStations.co.uk

048/270: #Oval – The Cricket

ImageAndy Carter Leave a comment

The outside of Oval has suffered from yet another uninspiring millennial refresh, so let’s instead dwell on what’s going on on the inside – which is a lot. This is another “garden” station with pleasing pot plants lining the perimetre walls of the ticket hall – perhaps the staff on this part of the Northern Line are all trying to out do their green-fingered neighbours. Other features include posters of Frank Pick, a mini library and it’s also been suggested that Oval was one of the original stations to post a “thought of the day” on their service update boards.

Yes. There’s certainly a lot going on…

Image copyright A Carter – CallingAllStations.co.uk

047/270: #Stockwell – The Memorial

ImageAndy Carter Leave a comment

Stockwell was extensively rebuilt in the early 1970’s for the advent of the Victoria Line. The original City & South London Railway surface level building was replaced with an uninspiring box structure, though the flats above the station were added at a much later date. Nevertheless it’s a clean and well-kept station with a spacious ticket hall. A shrine to the late Jean Charles de Menezes, shot here by police in 2005, was made into a permanent mosaic mural on the outside wall of the station in 2010.

Opposite the station sits another deep level shelter entrance. This one has been turned into a colourful War Memorial and was decorated by students at a local school.

Image copyright A Carter – CallingAllStations.co.uk

046/270: #Brixton – The Tribute

ImageAndy Carter Leave a comment

It’s going to be hard to come to Brixton and not in some way feature the David Bowie mural on the wall opposite the station.

An imposing roundel looks down on a hive of activity. Steel Drummers are knocking out the hits of Abba underneath a market stall as people rush by. Brixton is alive and well and it’s thriving.

Across the street there is a moment of calm. Passers by pause to stand a while, take photos, or read the eulogies scrawled on the wall. Fresh flowers are still being lain in some quantity over a year after the stars departure. Even the nearby billboards have been graffitied so that their subjects sport Aladdin Sane lightning bolts.

Brixton is proud of its humble yet foremost resident and isn’t going to let you forget that in a hurry. Sleep well Star Man.

Image copyright A Carter – CallingAllStations.co.uk