40 years ago today, on 7th March 1969, the Victoria line was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She took a one-stop tube journey from Victoria to Green Park, and she even bought her own ticket.
Every station along the line was represented by a unique tiling motif inlaid within the seating recesses on the platforms. Forty years on, the designs are still rather wonderful.
» Point at each thumbnail to see which station it represents (try to guess first!) » Click to view a larger photo and to see what the design represents (try to guess first!)
Victoria line tile-collecting is no easy photographic assignment. It involves catching at least 15 trains to travel stop-by-stop from one station to the next. It needs to be carried out when the platforms are quiet, otherwise you end up with people sitting in front of the designs. It requires a strong sense of purpose, especially when other passengers start staring at you and questioning what you're up to. It's not quite possible to capture the whole of each pattern square-on, not without stepping backwards off the platform onto the live rail. And sometimes (as at Green Park) you discover that all the tiles have been removed during station refurbishment, leaving nothing more than a boring concrete wall above a wooden bench. I can't claim to be the first person to photograph all 16 designs. But, as a child of the Sixties myself, I found this a fascinating assignment to complete. And, unlike the Queen, I did at least make it to the end of the line.
