Angel was in the 1990s the closest station to a charity for the blind, making it a particularly catastrophic place to have a narrow island platform.
The first time that I went to Angel was as a child- say aged 7 or 8 to see Coppelia at Sadlers Wells. It was also my first time on the Northern Line. I was used to rumble of Central Line trains arriving at Gants Hill. They were 'standard' type stock and their tunnel sounds included a lot of clatter, so it was easy to guess when they would actually emerge from platform tunnel. However, arriving on the Central at Bank that day, first there was a walk down the spiral staircase to the Northern Line platforms, - giving a feeling of decending to a great depth, then there was the noise of the approaching train, a deep hollow sound totally unlike what I was used to which seemed to be coming for much longer than at Gants Hill. The 38 stock also looked way different, almost spaceship-like*, compared to the flat-fronted central line offering. On arriving at Angel, the narrow platform looked very precarious, especially when there were no trains, I was well aware of the dangers of electrified track by then. Also, I was used to the normal single track platforms of deep tube stations, but not the cavernous twin track type like Angel's.
I maybe wrong here but I don't think it passes as genuine art deco. That isn't a criticism at all, it looked really good. I used to go there to get red bus, country bus, tube and 'London'* maps. Oh how that has changed.
Yes, and it's always fun to make the short trip from there to the feel of the New York Subway at Mile End, which won't win any beauty contests but certainly has a unique feel.
