Friday, May 31, 2013
PICCADILLY - Sudbury Town
Before we leave the royal blue line, let me take you to one of my favourite stations. That's Sudbury Town on the Uxbridge branch of the Piccadilly line, on the border between Brent and Ealing. Although the station's now 100 years old, the station building's a replacement octogenarian. It was designed by Charles Holden, who did so much to amaze on the outer extremities of the Piccadilly. He created what's essentially a brick block, rising tall at the end of a broad cul-de-sac, with clerestory windows below a flat concrete slab roof. The interior of the ticket hall contains smoothly curving kiosks and a minimalist modernist waiting area. High on the wall are a smart blue clock and a barometer, because Holden credited the station's passengers with a bit of nous. And if you think the signage looks a bit odd, a bit spiky, you'd be right. Sudbury Town's lettering is a variation on the standard London Underground Johnston typeface with slightly curvier corners, a 'petit-serif' font developed by Percy Delf Smith. This alternative lettering also crept out at Arnos Grove and Cockfosters but wasn't deemed a success, so Sudbury Town is its last hurrah. I took a few photos of the station that I'm not proud of, so instead I've curated a Flickr gallery of other people's shots for you to enjoy virtually. Do step inside and admire.
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