059/270: #Blackfriars – The Station On The Bridge

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The mainline station at Blackfriars is unlike any other in London. Spanning the width of the Thames, this impressive structure was completed in 2012 and offers Thameslink passengers spectacular views of the river in both directions as they wait for their trains. The station also intelligently uses recycled piers left over from the 1864 bridge leading into Holborn Viaduct.

Refurbished in the same year, the District and Circle Line platforms are of a simple and spacious design. Escalators lead up to a shared concourse which fronts the street with a sweeping curved glass and metal facade.

Despite it being a reasonably major player, this is one of those stations I rarely use in day-to-day life. The edge-of-the-financial-district location doesn’t offer much for me in terms of surroundings, whilst the interchange from Tube to Thameslink is not one I find myself needing to do all that often… And besides most North East to South East journeys are more efficiently completed through London Bridge or Canada Water. This is a shame as the whole complex is truly a pleasure to use.

Image copyright A Carter – CallingAllStations.co.uk

058/270: #BethnalGreen – The Interruption

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Ah Bethnal Green. The station that has long but puzzled the Essex commuters. Nobody ever seems to get on or off at Bethnal Green during rush hour and the trains always seem to linger here slightly longer than is necessary. It’s existence also rather spoils the sense of efficiency on this part of the Central Line, interrupting what would otherwise be a 2.5 mile stretch of unadulterated speed between Mile End and Liverpool Street.

Lying both slightly too far south of Cambridge Heath and slightly too far north of it’s mainline name sake, Bethnal Green is a missed opportunity in supplying a useful interchange to National Rail (now Overground). As it also encroaches on Stepney Green and Whitechapel’s respective patches it’s easy to ask what is it’s purpose? Judging eyes wonder how much of their busy lives would been saved not stopping at Bethnal Green every day. How much longer would I have in bed? How much longer would I have to close that big city deal? You can sense the resentment the suburbanites have in stopping at Bethnal Green.

That’s a shame, because it’s actually quite an attractive station. Upstairs isn’t much to write home about but the tile scheme is a classic example of Holden’s interior work. Next time you’re waiting for what seems like an eternity for that train to depart Bethnal Green, admire the 2007 renovation. It really does Holden’s original decoration and tile scheme justice. Well… that is until you spend time too much time looking at the tiled lettering. Some of the H’s and N’s haven’t been put on the right way round. Once you see it, it cannot be unseen.

Image copyright A Carter – CallingAllStations.co.uk

057/270: #NorthGreenwich – The Plastic Tent

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After Canary Wharf, North Greenwich is always a bit of a disappointment. Don’t get me wrong, its got it’s merits and features, but it’s probably my least favourite of the Jubilee Line extension stations. It’s just a bit too plastic-y for me. In fact quite a lot of the Greenwich Peninsula has that cheap and nasty feel to it. Not that it actually is cheap mind…

Perhaps it’s the tube driver’s announcement that 11-year-old me heard when I took a ride on this line for the first time that’s stuck: “Alight here for the giant plastic tent.”

Image copyright A Carter – CallingAllStations.co.uk

056/270: #CanaryWharf – The Death Star

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Asking me to name my definitive favourite station is something I find difficult, if not impossible, to answer. There’s far too much to choose from, and setting one above the rest is very tough. What I can tell you however is that Canary Wharf will always be in my Top 5.

This gargantuan Temple of Transport is the redeeming centre piece of the Jubilee Line Extension. Sitting in the site of a former dock, the station would comfortably accommodate One Canada Square (that’s the building most commonly associated with The Wharf) in its footprint. The architecture of the station is fitting of both the Isle Of Dogs’ past and it’s present. The industrial concrete and metal walls are complemented by the space-age curving roof, glass and lighting.

I was once lucky enough to call Canary Wharf my ‘local’ and using it was always such a joy. Entering the station is done so via the vertigo-inducing escalators, descending into the vast cavernous ticket hall underneath an equally large glass dome. Shopping malls flank the sides of the concourse as a series of concrete columns hold up the garden above. Everywhere you look, up, down, forward, side-to-side, there is space.

It’s no wonder that this station occasionally moonlights as The Death Star.

That’s right, so massive and so brutally industrial is Canary Wharf that it was used as a set for the latest Star Wars film. I waited a while to see if any storm troopers got off the trains from Stratford. Allas, jumped up city-types from Essex were the only clientele of the day…

Image copyright A Carter – CallingAllStations.co.uk