Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Balham, London


Spreading it around

The stations on the Morden extension of London’s Northern Line were designed by Charles Holden. They were the architect’s first job for the Underground (he later went on to design more stations, including textbook examples of station modernism, such as Arnos Grove on the Piccadilly Line). Balham’s station, which opened in 1926, has two ground-level buildings, both on corners at the same road junction, both clad in white Portland stone, and both displaying the Underground roundel prominently.

The central roundel, clearly visible in my picture, is in the glass of the large window that lights the double-height ticket hall by day and sends light out on to the street at might. What I’d not noticed until I looked closely when taking the picture was the design of the pair of columns that divide the window in three. These are very plain and square except at the top, where something charming happens. Instead of a capital at the head of the column there’s a three-dimensional stone version of the roundel, with a sphere instead of a disc. This ‘3D roundel’ appears on the other Holden stations on the Morden extension too.
No doubt Frank Pick, the Underground director* who commissioned Holden to design the station, appreciated this detail. Pick was the man who masterminded the design of the Underground, making the look of the network consistent – not just the stations, but all the publicity, the signage, the schematic map† of the lines, and so on. Pick made sure that the roundel was used widely – in stations and on platforms, trains, posters, advertisements… This subtle addition to the collection of roundels must have pleased him. 

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* He was Joint Assistant Managing Director when Balham station opened, and still had several promotions ahead of him. Even when a senior director he maintained the interest in design and publicity that he had always had.

† Or diagram, as its creator Harry Beck insisted it should be called. The famous diagram first appeared in 1931.

10 comments:

Joseph Biddulph (Publisher) said...

This frontage certainly lets the traveller know where the tube station is - not always the case with the Underground, as one or two unplanned walks in winter darkness have showed me. And the 3-D logo is nice. But apart from this, this austere face looks like an architectural opportunity wasted, a bit of sense-deprivation to accompany so many others in the Great City. One is tempted not to look at it, but to dive into the entrance and proceed with the journey, hopefully to visit some really interesting and stimulating building elsewhere in the Metropolis...

bazza said...

I don't quite agree with Joseph (above). This is a nice piece of Art Deco and, although quite simple, it does have something to say about Underground design. The clean lines and modest adornments are still attractive. There are at least two very interesting stations here in the London Borough of Redbridge. Newbury Park is notable for Oliver Hill's Grade II bus shelter, Gants Hill has a beautiful interior modelled on Moscow's metro but my favourite is the lovely 1903 station at Barkingside with a superb hammer-beam roof (also Grade II). I think there is a lot of potential material in London's underground stations!
CLICK HERE for Bazza’s unlikely Blog ‘To Discover Ice’

Philip Wilkinson said...

Thank you both. I'm with Bazza, on the whole. One point is that the frontage DOES ask to be looked at in its context - it stands out from its surroundings without being a sore thumb, in my opinion.

Gants Hill is already on my list of stations to see when I have time on my hands to explore the Underground (which I never seem to have). Now I'll have to add Barkingside: thank you.

Eileen Wright said...

Yes, I like it too. It stands out from, and yet forms a connection between, the two buildings either side, which accentuates both it and them. At first glance it looks very similar to the former railway station in Seaton, Devon, which was also built on a junction but is now sadly long gone.

Peter Ashley said...

And as Peter Sellers had it in 1958: Balham: Gateway to The South.

Philip Wilkinson said...

Indeed, Mr Ashley, indeed. 'A rose-red city half as gold as green.'

bazza said...

If you come to see Gants Hill or Barkingside I'll buy you a pint (or maybe you seem to prefer a large glass of claret!).

Joe Treasure said...

All the times I've walked into this building and never noticed that playful detail! Thanks for drawing my attention to it.

Philip Wilkinson said...

Thank you Bazza. Either would be good!

Philip Wilkinson said...

Joe: Thank you! Part of me was hoping that a comment like that might come form the direction of London SW12.