150 Years London Tube

please read this beautiful piece from the bally studios

Happy 150th Birthday to the London Underground!!

Today sees the London Underground celebrate it's 150th birthday, and looking down my Facebook timeline, it seems that a lot of the people that I have befriended over the last few years share my love of, in my opinion, one the world's greatest engineering feats: one of the most groundbreaking projects ever undertaken, and also one of the most endearing and evocative parts of one of the biggest and greatest cities in the world. It has almost become a cliche, that the London Underground, much like the Thames was in the 17th and 18th century, is the lifeblood of London. In fact, I think that this would be doing it a disservice. I believe it is not only the lifeblood, but also the city's beating heart.

It was the Tube that opened up possibilities in life to me, and allowed me to discover London over the last 15 years. My business relies on the tube, and on days when there is a tube strike or maintenance on the Victoria line, my business is routinely 40% down in takings and 85% down in profits. Days like this, whilst a major source of annoyance and an economic irritation, simply serve to show exactly how reliant we are on the London Underground. A few weeks ago, on Boxing Day, Arsenal had to cancel their home game against West Ham when the London Underground staff went on strike, and the network ground to a halt. When the London Underground stops, even multi-billion pound sport stops. One of the greatest testament to it's success is how much businesses routinely base their operating hours around its limitations.

The London Underground also acts as a marker in the sand for its era. Compare the intricate and ornate curved brickwork at Baker Street, with its intimate low ceilings and narrow walkways that were as much loved in 1863, when they were built, as they are now, and you are taken to an era when the train was the most glamorous of all forms of transport. To arrive in central London on the steam train was to arrive in style, and the station's beauty reflected this. Whilst the route from the train to the station's exit may have involved more stairs than necessary, the blow was softened by the gorgeous architecture and European style arches. Compare this to the modern logistical cathedral-of-bareness that is Canary Wharf tube station. Only 9 stops along on the same Jubilee line, but a world away in style and practicality. Here, minimalist, wide open expanses and multiple escalators take precedent over ornate and intricate architectural flourishes. In 1999, when the station was built, the need for quick transport, getting from A to B in the shortest amount of time and the prevention of overcrowding was infinitely more important then any reason to linger at the tube station. Times change, and with it too, so do our needs, and the tube stations that we build reflect this. In this way, our tube stations say more about London society then most of us realise.

Much of our love for the London Underground stems from the fact we recognise its imperfections and plan our journeys around them. You only have to take the interchange at Green Park, and how many people avoid it like the plague, to understand this. But when you compare it to other cities transport hubs, it has a rare balance of style, substance, romance and practicalness that to me is unsurpassed. It also has some of the best names of transport hubs in the world. “Elephant and Castle” “Swiss Cottage” “Maida Vale” and “Picadilly Circus” trip off the tongue beautifully.

to be continued....

source:

bally studios