Best looking London Underground stations?

[Metro95]

What are the best looking stations on the London Underground? Can be best looking either from the inside or the outside.

 

[yorksrob]

Baker Street obviously - for the Sherlock Holmes tiles.

 

[Mike99]

From the outside, Regents Park , How I chuckled when I thought of that

 

[Snow1964]

From the outside, would probably go for Uxbridge which was resited about 1938, even has what looks like wheels and springs in stonework, and almost Cathedral like as you enter.

1938 was probably the pinnacle of expansion before wartime cut the materials and ambition

Inside would have gone for the station originally nicknamed hub of the Empire, the new sub surface at Piccadilly Circus, which was restored few years back

I know the Jubilee line extension and Elizabeth line stations have big spaces, but I find them rather sterile and soulless

 

[bramling]

What are the best looking stations on the London Underground? Can be best looking either from the inside or the outside.

Without wishing to sound flippant, any one which managed to be left untouched by Metronet or Tube Lines during the PPP years.

In terms of surface buildings in no particular order

Kennington
Oakwood
Arnos Grove
Sudbury Hill
Acton Town
Northfields
Boston Manor
Russell Square
Tufnell Park
East Finchley
Brent
Maida Vale
Queensway

At platform level Holloway Road still retains its original tiling so should be in with a shout. Most stations have become very bland at platform level in the last 20 years or so.

 

[matt_world2004]

Gloucester Road. The lighting can make the station look amazing

 

[J-2739]

Canary Wharf and North Greenwich are the first ones that come to my mind. Uxbridge is also pretty decent.

 

[Metro95]

From the outside, would probably go for Uxbridge which was resited about 1938, even has what looks like wheels and springs in stonework, and almost Cathedral like as you enter.

1938 was probably the pinnacle of expansion before wartime cut the materials and ambition

Inside would have gone for the station originally nicknamed hub of the Empire, the new sub surface at Piccadilly Circus, which was restored few years back

I know the Jubilee line extension and Elizabeth line stations have big spaces, but I find them rather sterile and soulless

The Elizabeth line isn't a London Underground line.

 

[Farigiraf]

Surprised no one's mentioned Southgate yet

Charing Cross northern line platforms

 

[LUYMun]

Chiswick Park has a beautiful station building, and a unique view at platform level as one can see the Piccadilly rush through with the Districts stopping either side.

 

[BrianW]

From the outside, would probably go for Uxbridge which was resited about 1938, even has what looks like wheels and springs in stonework, and almost Cathedral like as you enter.

1938 was probably the pinnacle of expansion before wartime cut the materials and ambition

Inside would have gone for the station originally nicknamed hub of the Empire, the new sub surface at Piccadilly Circus, which was restored few years back

I know the Jubilee line extension and Elizabeth line stations have big spaces, but I find them rather sterile and soulless

I support your views on Uxbridge and Piccadiily Circus. Charles Holden's approach to design is both easy on the eye and functional. I note a number of 'his' stations in Brambling's list too!

 

[rebmcr]

Westminster Jubilee

 

[stuu]

Surprised no one's mentioned Southgate yet

Charing Cross northern line platforms

+1 for Southgate, including the adjacent bus stops/shopping parade. Very elegant

The intermediate level at Southwark is very good too. And Canary Wharf still has a wow factor when you first start down the escalators

 

[urbophile]

All of the Holden stations must be in the top 10%. The Jubilee extension stations especially Westminster for brilliant brutalism and dizzying Escher-like perspectives. Some of the historic ones especially Earls Court and the others on the District that still have overall roofs. The country-town vibe of Hammersmith H&C. And the rural ones like Chesham.

 

[dlj83]

A modern station I have always loved is Southwark.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Westminster Jubilee

That gets my vote for the interior too. For the exterior it's a little bit tougher. Purely for it's uniqueness I'll go with Hammersmith (H&C/Circle).

 

[ScottGallagher]

Out of the Yerkes era stations, Russell Square certainly from the exterior is probably the best surviving and pleasing to look at.

Interior is Baker St Circle and Hammersmith line platforms, gloomy and beautiful!

 

[pitdiver]

Arnos Grove, my old local station

 

[Mikey C]

At platform level, Gants Hill is very impressive, with its Moscow Metro feel.

 

[GatwickDepress]

I quite like Brent Cross. It seems Stanley Heap was quite fond of porticos and the small station building really makes them stand out there, especially when compared to the rather large building at Hendon Central.

 

[NorthKent1989]

automerge]1695572926[/automerge]
Baker Street station, for me it’s my favourite underground station, it’s a mix of a small London terminal on the “Metropolitan side” and the underground through station on the “Circle/Hammersmith side”

Others are Uxbridge, similar to Baker Street it has a end of suburban railway feel to it, but more modern.

Charing Cross underground has a distinctive 1970s time capsule vibe to it.

The Jubilee line extension stations - in particular North Greenwich, have aged very well after twenty years.

 

[Purple Train]

Anything designed by Charles Holden or Leslie Green. Or some of the JLE stations, especially Canary Wharf or Southwark.

OK I may be biased: I did an art history project on them! But they are beautiful, in their own different ways.

 

[Parjon]

St Johns Wood

 

[BrianW]

Anything designed by Charles Holden or Leslie Green. Or some of the JLE stations, especially Canary Wharf or Southwark.

OK I may be biased: I did an art history project on them! But they are beautiful, in their own different ways.

I note from this item that Green died aged 33, allegedly as result of undue pressures from Yerkes for high quality and low cost:

Architect who designed over 50 Tube stations but died before they were finished

He even inspired Eastenders creators on the design for Walford's tube station!

www.mylondon.news

That's a high price to pay.
Holden, however, died at 84 much lauded in his lifetime, although some of his later work was apparently thought rather dull

Charles Holden - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[busesrusuk]

How about this one?

Sudbury Town Aug23

Sudbury Town Station, Aug 2023

www.flickr.com

 

[Purple Train]

I note from this item that Green died aged 33, allegedly as result of undue pressures from Yerkes for high quality and low cost:

Architect who designed over 50 Tube stations but died before they were finished

He even inspired Eastenders creators on the design for Walford's tube station!

www.mylondon.news

That's a high price to pay.

Interesting biography of the man himself, though besides that I'm not altogether keen on that article. Indeed it is a tragedy that Green died so early, and his contribution to architecture remains largely forgotten.

Pleasingly, the works of Green and Holden are connected via Stanley Heaps, who worked with both, and produced designs inspired by both (amongst others).

 

[urbophile]

Holden, however, died at 84 much lauded in his lifetime, although some of his later work was apparently thought rather dull

Charles Holden - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Holden's London University Senate House is unutterably pompous and was Orwell's inspiration for the Ministry of Truth in 1984. A bit like Lutyens I suppose whose early work was warm and humane. Probably both of them were seduced by fame and visions of Empire.

 

[Mikey C]

Holden's London University Senate House

I love Senate House. Stunning interior too.

 

[BrianW]

As yes, Urbophile and Mikey C- ain't that the 'truth'?: George Orwell, another victim of TB: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smar...rote-1984-while-dying-tuberculosis-180962608/

ADDING- I'm not sure that Holden's 'gateway to the South' at Balham does him great credit either! https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=balham+station#vhid=X-G6Mt_V3J_nmM&vssid=l

 

[Ian79]

Morden is one of the most impressive I think - a shame they added that office block around it in the 1960s spoiling the look from the outside. Inside though, with the big canopy over the platforms it's far grander than most tube station termini.