Images

051/270: #Pimlico – The Exception To The Rule

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Pimlico is the only station on the Victoria Line not to offer an interchange with another railway or tube line. This in some ways is an often neglected attribute of the Victoria Line, it’s a transport hub of hubs if you will. It’s an exceptionally clever piece of urban planning that to this day makes the Victoria Line one of the most efficient lines in the city. Naturally there has to be an exception to the rule, and that exception is Pimlico.

Different too are the backlit roundels, which used to be a feature of all the stations on the Victoria Line. For whatever reason they were replaced with basic enamel ones, except of course at Pimlico.

Image copyright A Carter – CallingAllStations.co.uk

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

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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

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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