Great set of photos of the 1980s London Underground when you could drink and smoke

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Found this

1984: Smoking banned on London Underground trains.
1985: Smoking ban extended to those stations that are wholly or partly underground.
1987: London Underground smoking ban extended to entire network following the King's Cross station fire, in which 31 people died.

I was obviously being a rebel still smoking on the trains in 1985

 

[Puddy_Tat]

From memory, I think smoking on tube trains was banned before smoking on platforms / within stations.

As for the 'island platform' question, quite a few of the City & South London Railway's stations were built like that (that's what's now the bit of the northern line from Euston to Clapham Common)

Angel got rebuilt in the early 90s, Euston was similar until the 1960s - think most got re-constructed in the 1920s when the City & South London got merged into what's now the 'west end' branch of the northern line which had started off as a completely separate railway (hence the two bits of northern line at Euston being a bloody long way apart)

And no, I still don't know which station that is.

It is amazing now, reflecting just how grotty the underground had become by the late 80s.

although i think the pre-1974 glasgow underground /subway trumped it (i never experienced it)

 

[laptop]

didn't there used to be a bar on a underground platform - Sloane Square?

There were many. I think Sloane Square was the last.

The bar on St James' Park is still there, boarded up.

 

[oryx]

There were many. I think Sloane Square was the last.

The bar on St James' Park is still there, boarded up.

I remember the Sloane Square bar well - me and my flatmates from Battersea used it a lot if our train was a few minutes away! (Inevitably it meant missing that train and waiting for another as we finished halves of lager and cigarettes).

Great pics.

 

[twentythreedom]

Obviously I've not travelled to every station and on every line, but reminds me of the island Northern line platforms at places like Clapham Common etc.

The LU roundel on the left tunnel wall looks like there's only a very short station name. That's what made me think it must be Angel rather than another station with an island platform.

Mad detective skillz ftw

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Bars on the underground discussed here

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/the-pubs-that-once-graced-the-tube-well-underground.258215/

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

The LU roundel on the left tunnel wall looks like there's only a very short station name. That's what made me think it must be Angel rather than another station with an island platform.

Mad detective skillz ftw

Although the text may have been smaller on the Claphams

Anyway, I think the clock is the giveaway for Angel

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Euston used to have an island platform as well

 

[marty21]

Ban on smoking on buses didn't come 'til much later, and whilst looking for the date, I came across this, so confused now

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8136355.stm

I'm thinking maybe it was banned on the tube trains first, then on the platforms and every else

I definitely remember smoking on trains in 1985

I definitely smoked on trains in the 90s - the London to Glasgow route had a smoking carriage, i got a sleeper in the late 90s? maybe even later.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I definitely smoked on trains in the 90s - the London to Glasgow route had a smoking carriage, i got a sleeper in the late 90s? maybe even later.

Trains didn't happen 'til much later

Smoking banned on all trains

Last updated at 14:02 09 October 2005

Main line trains across the country will become totally smoke-free zones.

Should smoking be completely banned on trains? Tell us in the reader comments at the bottom
The final service to allow smoking - First ScotRail's London to Scotland's sleeper service -is now imposing a ban.

While smoking will still be possible at most railway stations across the network, it will no longer be permitted to light up while travelling on any scheduled train service.

Smoking has been allowed on trains for decades, but it has been declining steadily for a number of years. Ended on short-distance journeys initially, provision for smoking has been withdrawn gradually since the mid-1990s across all parts of the network.

 

[skyscraper101]

Love this one, anyone know which station it is?

Which one is editor?

 

[eoin_k]

Why the need to drink on the Tube? It's rather vulgar tbh, some scruffy oik sitting there with a can of Fosters.

Glasses of Beer? From a pub?


Yes, because it's better to have a dreay dirty Tube rather than a nice clean one.


Glasses of Beer? From a pub?

 

[dweller]

the glasgow underground really stinks of stagnant water in some stations (well it did back in da 90s)

 

[trashpony]

Is that Jamie Oliver in the background?

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Is that Jamie Oliver in the background?

Apparently he was born in 1975, so he'd have to still be school age there

 

[Frumious B.]

Bars on the tube feature quite a lot in A Word Child by Iris Murdoch. Try a sample passage from p. 37 and 38 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=c5wBj3-tufIC&lpg=PP1&pg=RA1-PR10#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[mauvais]

Ace photos:

"Don't do it, Grandad!"

 

[marty21]

the smoking carriage on the sleeper to Glasgow was an excellent place to hang out, smoke, and get drunk - sadly missed - of course - all the cool people hung out there

 

[Onket]

http://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/07/19/bob-mazzer-on-the-tube/

these are great, really take you back

Great stuff. Thanks for sharing. My first experience of the tube must have been 90/91 going to away games. A lot of these pictures bring back memories.

 

[dweller]

BBC radio LONDON have photographer bob on todays Robert elms show.
Show has just started.

 

[pogofish]

IIRC the Tube smoking ban was largely ignored/barely enforced until after the Kings Cross fire

 

[Dexter Deadwood]

IIRC the Tube smoking ban was largely ignored/barely enforced until after the Kings Cross fire

IIRC the smoking ban was not introduced until after the Kings Cross fire.

 

[pogofish]

IIRC the smoking ban was not introduced until after the Kings Cross fire.

The total ban, yes - but as Minnie mentioned above, it had been introduced in stages since 1984 but IME, these were not taken particualrly seriously until the fire.

 

[JTG]

Trains didn't happen 'til much later

Yep, I remember spacehopper starting a thread on here when the South West Trains smoking carriage disappeared in the middle of the last decade!

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I went to a talk by this guy this evening - he's had a book of the pictures published. He also has an exhibition at the Howard Griffin Gallery in Shoreditch until the 13th of July - http://howardgriffingallery.com/exhibitions/bob-mazzer-underground

It was good, despite the venue having the world's worst projector, so all the photos were completely out of focus. He's an amiable bloke and has a surprising memory for what was happening thirty or more years ago when he took the pictures. He still takes them on the tube but moved to Hastings a while ago so not nearly in the same volume. It's reassuring that even after several decades of experience, he still worries about people getting cross and not wanting their picture taken.

 

[editor]

I went to a talk by this guy this evening - he's had a book of the pictures published. He also has an exhibition at the Howard Griffin Gallery in Shoreditch until the 13th of July - http://howardgriffingallery.com/exhibitions/bob-mazzer-underground

It was good, despite the venue having the world's worst projector, so all the photos were completely out of focus. He's an amiable bloke and has a surprising memory for what was happening thirty or more years ago when he took the pictures. He still takes them on the tube but moved to Hastings a while ago so not nearly in the same volume. It's reassuring that even after several decades of experience, he still worries about people getting cross and not wanting their picture taken.

Love those pics.

When is that gallery open? Their website seems light on info. Is it free?

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Love those pics.

When is that gallery open? Their website seems light on info. Is it free?

I think it's free - they're trying to sell prints so probably won't be charging people on top. It says Wednesday to Sunday 12-8pm. I might pop along on the weekend.

 

[friendofdorothy]

http://www.playle.com/listing.php?i=KDL64313

slightly off topic but hey, its too good not to post here too - Julian Howes - the only person I know sacked from LU for wearing a skirt, in 1979.

 

[blossie33]

I think it's free - they're trying to sell prints so probably won't be charging people on top. It says Wednesday to Sunday 12-8pm. I might pop along on the weekend.

Yes, it's always free to go in the gallery, it hasn't been open that long but they've had some interesting exhibitions.

The Bob Mazzer photos are great.

 

[editor]

http://www.playle.com/listing.php?i=KDL64313

slightly off topic but hey, its too good not to post here too - Julian Howes - the only person I know sacked from LU for wearing a skirt, in 1979.

They've spelt his name wrong, It was Julian Hows.
There's a piece here: http://www.brixtonbuzz.com/2013/10/...ality-and-julian-hows-london-transport-skirt/

His Mum posted on this piece too:
Brixton Fairies and the South London Gay Community Centre in Brixton (1974-6).