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Oval tube station, the best in London

ska invita

ska invita

back on the other side
Just came out of Oval station for what might be the first time in my life... Amazing... Green and white tiles, wooden handlebars, Deco uplighting, and then the foyer, filled with pot plants and a little music playing, poetry on the wall, good atmosphere all round... Even the staff seemed kind of cheery...

There can't be a better station, can there?


Will post some pics later... Or just look them up...
 
Perhaps it's great inside but the view outside is very underwhelming, I think it used to look alot worse too:

673757316_5d952f02ed_b.jpg
 
Take away the braying mob of angry commuters and it's not that bad a building from the outside...

Anyhow, it's all about the interior... ;)
 
ska invita said:
Just came out of Oval station for what might be the first time in my life... Amazing... Green and white tiles, wooden handlebars, Deco uplighting, and then the foyer, filled with pot plants and a little music playing, poetry on the wall, good atmosphere all round... Even the staff seemed kind of cheery...

There can't be a better station, can there?


Will post some pics later... Or just look them up...
Click to expand...

the green & white tiles are fairly standard at the former city & south london railway stations that were modernised in the 1920s, and the new (1926) stations between clapham south and morden.

and most have the 1926 street buildings by Charles Holden

P1330863a.jpg


the original (1890s) station at Oval was like the current building at Kennington, only more so (the dome was at the top of the lift shaft)

9884124.jpg
 
and of course the holden station buildings were designed to stand out more by night

316772_f45b2ce3.jpg


(morden - photo which manages not to show the bloody awful 1960s office block that was built round the 1920s station building - :mad: )

Holden went more art deco in the 30s - the stations for the Piccadilly Line extension to Cockfosters represent the later era. Southgate is probably the highlight.

1605783_e8816c42.jpg
 
I do like the Holden stations, but I think the photo of Southgate is a little kind to it... They look a little less impressive in real life I think.

I guess what I like about Oval is that it feels like the staff have taken it over with their pot plants and music.. Its more about that than the physical building... Though oval also has some nice tiled cricketing scenes I forgot to mention....
 
ska invita said:
I do like the Holden stations, but I think the photo of Southgate is a little kind to it... They look a little less impressive in real life I think.

I guess what I like about Oval is that it feels like the staff have taken it over with their pot plants and music.. Its more about that than the physical building... Though oval also has some nice tiled cricketing scenes I forgot to mention....
Click to expand...
Where's these pics you promised? :mad:
 
Fez909 said:
Where's these pics you promised? :mad:
Click to expand...
I'm still on a phone and that's beyond my skills... Though I did do a quick image search and not much came up that was relevant so we might be forced to imagine this tube utopia.....

Basically picture 30 mature pot plants and a little hi-fi and you're nearly there (I'm easily impressed ;) )
 
ska invita said:
I'm still on a phone and that's beyond my skills... Though I did do a quick image search and not much came up that was relevant so we might be forced to imagine this tube utopia.....

Basically picture 30 mature pot plants and a little hi-fi and you're nearly there (I'm easily impressed ;) )
Click to expand...
(((Londoners)))
 
ska invita said:
Oh yes oval had a book swap too... There must be a connection!
Click to expand...
Well, maybe it's a South London Northern line thing? From London Brudge and Waterloo down they seem to have escaped much 'updating' so they're still pleasant buildings to work in, which would promote pride in the heritage perhaps? And also if you've already got the tiles, wood, skylights and windows it's easier to make them look amazing with a 6' foot ficus and a shelf of ratty paperbacks :thumbs:

I'd assume there's two shifts (?) of people per station and you would decide to make your office lovely, wouldn't you :)
 
Exactly... It's the fact the staff have claimed it for themselves... There must be a reason other stations don't do this... Who wouldn't want to at least have a little music while sitting by the ticket barrier for hours on end
 
ska invita said:
Exactly... It's the fact the staff have claimed it for themselves... There must be a reason other stations don't do this... Who wouldn't want to at least have a little music while sitting by the ticket barrier for hours on end
Click to expand...
LUL is special and different as an employer so that helps. If I had the workplace support they do if feel very different about working :D

For other stations - on that same line Clapham Common only has music, probs as its tiny and there's no room for plants. And for lots of zone 1 places it's too busy and there simply isn't room, and it's impossible to have a relationship with the space in the same way. I bet TCR staff don't feel much fondness for the new grey shiny box compared to the warm and nutty old one with the tiles.
 
What's lul and tcr? Sorry!
Yeah I get the feeling working on the tube allows for a bit more personality and solidarity than some other workplaces on the same scale, and public facing...
 
Right, im back infront of a proper computer!

This video really captures the atmosphere of the foyer...the camera does a slow pan so you get to have a good look around

 
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