Monday, 18 March 2013

7. Charing Cross



Sunday 17th March 10.30am.

Firstly, how wrong are the words "for Trafalgar Square" across that sign?? This kind of location thing is something I don't think I've seen anywhere else, and it doesn't appear on pictures of the Northern line platform at the same station - I wonder what's so special about the Bakerloo line platform that it gets this kind of sign? Having just read a book about design on the Tube it seems to go against their whole way of doing signs, and it's also not really in the spirit of the underground: I always think there's a certain arrogance to the Tube - it expects you to know where you're going, and to know that some of the stations aren't quite where you think they are and you might be better using another one.

Charing Cross is quite an interesting station historically as it was two separate stations that were joined into one, which would explain why at one end there's an entrance on Trafalgar Square and at the other you can get to it from the railway station. And yet somehow I managed to find an exit that was neither, and was somewhere on the Strand and involved a walk to the station.

I wouldn't normally use the station, because coming from King's Cross it involves a change, so it would be easier to get off at Leicester Square and walk, but I was meeting someone at Charing Cross, it was raining and I had the time so I did (and added another station to my list at the same time).

Wikipedia entry here.

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