021 - Southfields

We get asked so frequently about what is going on with the podcast we thought it was about time to give you all a bit of an update. In short – we are working on more episodes, but there are a few places you can find us in the meantime. Listen to the update for more! Emily's new podcast – All On This Together Guest Episode One on Rails to Nowhere  Guest Episode Two on Rails to Nowhere Thank you for continuing to support the podcast and we're excited to share more stations with you soon!

One of largest and the most complicated stations in London, Tottenham Court Road is the interchange between the Central and Northern lines of the London Underground, and the Elizabeth line. The station’s history is one of constant attempts to keep pace with increasing congestion, culminating in the spectacular reconstruction which commenced in 2009 as part of the Crossrail project. Tottenham Court Road may not have finished expanding yet, with provision made within the station’s passageways for access to the future Crossrail 2. Aside from its sheer size, Tottenham Court Road is famous for the intricate mosaics which cover many of the walls, created by Scottish artist Eduardo Paolozzi in the 1980s. Soaring above the station is the Centre Point tower, once highly controversial, and which lent its name to the Centrepoint charity. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @roundelroundpod, or email us at [email protected] A full list of references for all the sources used for the episode is available here

We explore Woodside Park, a station which has retained many of its picturesque historic details, and talk to Luke Agbaimoni, aka Tubemapper, renowned photographer of the London Underground.  Woodside Park was opened by the Great Northern Railway in 1872, and became part of the Northern Line in 1940. We've covered the history of this section of railway in full detail in episode 004 - Totteridge and Whetstone.   Around Woodside Park we discover the disputed etymology of Tally Ho Corner, and the De Dion Bouton factory which may have built some of London's earliest motor buses.  Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @roundelroundpod, or email us at [email protected]  A full list of references for all the sources used for the episode is available here

For centuries an isolated village, Northolt's first station opened in 1907 as part of the Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway, an ambitious project to build a new line from London to the Midlands. London Underground's New Works Programme saw the route transformed into part of the Central line. Today, another ambitious project to build a new railway from London to the Midlands is underway, with HS2 tunnelling directly under Northolt and building a ventilation shaft near the station. We delve into the ancient history of the village, which was described by a 1920 guidebook as one of the most beautiful in the vicinity of London. We also discover the lost racecourse, experimental social housing, the surreal spiral hills of Northala fields, and a model railway club. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @roundelroundpod, or email us at [email protected] A full list of references for all the sources used for the episode is available here

Our first south London station, Southfields is on London Underground's District Line - but was for many years operated by British Rail, despite none of their trains ever stopping there. We explore how that came about through classic Victorian railway construction shenanigans; the mainline trains which still use Southfields today; and plans for Crossrail 2 to take over the line. Tennis fans will know Southfields as the closest station to the Wimbledon grounds, so Emily went on a tour to discover their history. We also look at London's oldest mosque and investigate rumours of a legal clause banning pubs in Southfields. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @roundelroundpod, or email us at [email protected] A full list of references for all the sources used for the episode is available here

The station with more platforms than any other on the Underground gets a bumper episode with special guest Geoff Marshall.  Baker Street has one of the most fascinating and complex stories of any station on the Underground. It was the flagship station of the Metropolitan Railway, its growth driven by their determination to both carry commuters more efficiently and prove they were a real mainline railway company. Above the platforms the Met built their headquarters decorated with carvings of railway equipment, and the luxurious Chiltern Court apartment block from which daring commando raids were planned during the Second World War. Deep below ground are the platforms of the Bakerloo and Jubilee lines, decorated with images of the street's famous fictitious resident Sherlock Holmes. Baker Street station has also been home to London Transport's lost property office, their canteen training centre, and the only newsreel cinema that could be found at a London Underground station. We also discover the history of the nearby Madame Tussaud's and its now-lost Planetarium. Joining us for this episode is railway YouTube star Geoff Marshall, with whom we discuss tube stations real and fantastical, podcasting and sharing the positivity of railway enthusiasm. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @roundelroundpod, or email us at [email protected] A full list of references for all the sources used for the episode is available here

"Rickmansworth, an ancient township of narrow streets, lies most picturesquely in its valley, where a sharp tongue of Hertfordshire thrusts itself down between Middlesex and Bucks," according to the Metroland brochure produced by the Metropolitan Railway in 1932 to promote the idea of moving out of London to rural areas served by the company's trains. In this episode we look at how the Met came to be extended to Rickmansworth and beyond, and the suburbanisation that it caused. We also discover the long-closed railway to Rickmansworth Church Street station, which used tube trains neither owned nor operated by the Underground. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @roundelroundpod, or email us at [email protected] A full list of references for all the sources used for the episode is available here.

One of the original Central London Railway stations opened in 1900, Queensway retains much of its turn-of-the-century appearance today. In this episode we look in depth at the engineering, construction and operation of the Central London Railway, including its troublesome electric locomotives and their replacement with cutting edge multiple unit trains that pioneered the technology still used throughout London Underground today. A full list of references for all the sources used for this episode is available here.

Best known for having the longest escalators on the London Underground (and indeed the whole UK), and a very wide southbound platform - both products of the station's 1990s reconstruction. Angel was the terminus of the City and South London Railway between 1901 and 1907, was upgraded in the 1920s, then entered a long period of decay culminating in the decrepit state beautifully depicted in "Heart of the Angel", the 1989 BBC documentary on the station by Molly Dineen. The 1990s rebuild brought escalators (but sadly not step-free access, lots of red marble and a postmodern office block overhead, which is itself now facing redevelopment. In this episode we also look at plans for Crossrail 2, the disused City Road station to the south (now the Bunhill 2 district heating project), and the unique disused subterranean signal cabin at Weston Street to the north. A full list of references for all sources used for this episode is available here

Renowned for its fantastically complex junction, Camden Town station is where the Charing Cross, Bank, Edgware and High Barnet branches of the Northern line come together. Opened in 1907 on the Hampstead Tube, the famous junction was added in 1924 to integrate the City and South London Railway into what is now the Northern Line. Ongoing efforts to increase capacity have lead to recent proposals for the Northern line to be split apart again, requiring another rebuild at Camden. The area surrounding the station also has a rich railway history, as well as the famous markets, and plans for a Camden High Line linear park. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @roundelroundpod, or email us at [email protected] A full list of references for all sources used for this episode is available here