#transportedbydesign

Stations Week continues at Transported by Design! Today, we’re focusing on architect Charles Holden, who designed more than 50 stations on our network, including many that have been nominated for design icons.

In the 1920s, Holden designed the Northern line extension to Morden. The stations here all feature Portland stone exteriors, prominent roundel branding, and lighting schemes which turn the stations into a beacon at night. 

In the 1930s, Holden was responsible for overseeing the design of the stations on the Piccadilly line extensions to the north and west of London. In his extension to Cockfosters, Holden produced two circular stations – Southgate and Arnos Grove – considered to be some of his best work, while on the western part of the line, Holden developed what is now called the ‘Sudbury Box’ – a brick structure with a concrete lid.  These buildings are deceptive in their simplicity, with their clean lines creating a modern look that is still fresh more than 80 years after their construction.

Roundel week continues!

Roundel week! 

Roundel week!

The Roundel was introduced in 1908 on the Underground Electric Railways of London, one of the forerunner companies of today’s Underground. In its original use, the roundel was designed as a platform sign, intended to stand out from the many advertisements pasted on the walls. At that time, it was just a red circle with a station name in a blue bar – like the roundel at top left, which is from Tufnell Park station (and now in the London Transport Museum depot).

In just a few years, the symbol had progressed from a platform sign to a symbol of the entire Underground network. By the 1910s, it was common to see the front of stations marked with the ‘UndergrounD’ roundel, complete with a capital U and D at the ends of the blue bar. An example can be seen in the top left image from 1914 of the entrance to Trafalgar Square (now Charing Cross) station.