182. Battersea Power Station

 

Monday 10th July, 11.45am

I hadn't planned to visit this, or it's neighbour Nine Elms, until I'd finished visiting all 270 Tube stations, just to keep it neat with percentages, but then I found myself visiting the area so I ticked it off anyway.

The station is very much like the new Jubilee line ones although somewhere along the way their individuality has been lost and it's just a bit plain and boring. In the space with the barriers and the entrances/exits there's artworks on opposite walls where things flip over to make a long horizontal panel change colour. Badly explained, better in reality. The bit of the exit above ground is unimpressive but then I guess it would be silly to try and compete with Battersea Power Station.

Wikipedia entry here.

181. Epping

Saturday 8th October, 12.58pm

The end of the line at the eastern end, which I probably wouldn't have visited so soon if their hadn't been a train strike - this is my nearest Tube station (74 miles, so not that near).

It's hard to see the station building itself as there's a roundabout directly in front of it, a drop off point, and a you have to go past it to get to the car park, so it doesn't really encourage loitering. There's a nice bridge over the tracks, and the platforms had flower beds so that's a nice touch. I wasn't expecting it to be so busy (although that might have been because of the train strike).

Wikipedia entry here.

180. Stonebridge Park

Friday 31st January 5.00pm

This has got the tiniest station building you could imagine, nestling beside the road with covered walkways to the platforms at higher level. The platforms are long, serving the Overground and national rail as well, with modern waiting rooms. But the platforms feel exposed, looking out over the surrounding areas, and I guess if it was light and you knew where to look you'd probably get a good view of Wembley stadium.

Wikipedia entry here.

179. Wembley Central

Friday 31st January 4.30pm

There are three stations serving Wembley and although it's a long time since I've been to the Arena (and I've never been to the stadium) I don't think this is one I've ever used. I may be confused as it seems to have been redeveloped and you come out of the front of the station into the middle of a sort of plaza with shops, restaurants and hotels all very nearby. It's all very modern, and busy which I guess is partly due to the station also serving the Overground and mainline train services. But it's not very memorable.

Wikipedia entry here.

178. Colindale

Wednesday 29th January 4.55pm

This sounds like it might be in Metroland but it's actually nearly at the end of the Northern Line, which somehow feels different - not so planned and speculative. The outside of it looks like it's been modernised recently, possibly in keeping with all the flats that are going up around it, which was a surprise as the walk to it is through the usual suburban streets with gardens concreted over to make room for cars and houses extended until bursting point. It doesn't seem like the kind of place that would have flats.

There's a very small ticket office with a newsagents in it then stairs down to the platform. All very familiar and practical. Nothing to suggest it was badly bombed in the war. Maybe that's something people don't like to be reminded of on their way to work.

Wikipedia entry here.

177. Burnt Oak

Wednesday January 29th 4.30pm

A fairly standard north London suburban station: island platform between the lines, stairs to the tickets hall. The ticket hall doesn't straddle the lines but is instead at right angles to the platform, which messed with my sense of direction when I left and sent me off in completely the wrong direction (as usual).

The ticket hall is a cube with some windows in the roof and a few panels of nice tiles, which might be grand if it was fancied up a bit. It was also too busy to stop in and take pictures of tiles without feeling like a madman.

Wikipedia entry here.

176. Willesden Junction

Saturday June 8th 10.35am

That sign makes me cross. This station has had Underground trains going through it since 1915 but there are no Underground red roundels on either of the Underground platforms, just orange Overground ones. The Overground didn't exist until 2007 - where did all the red roundels go?! How annoying. Confusingly the Underground and Overground services are listed on the same arrivals board by the time they're scheduled to arrive and their destination, like in all train stations, but unlike all Underground stations where it just counts down the minutes to their arrival. There is no differentiation between what service they are, so unless you're used to it you don't know what's coming until it rounds the bend.

The platforms are old but the station building is mush newer, although not in any fancy or interesting way - it hardly looks much grander than a bus shelter, not helped by it's location just off a main road above the railway in what feels like a bit of a wasteland.

Wikipedia entry here.