50 years ago today, on Sunday 1 September 1968, the Victoria line slipped into service. The first train left Walthamstow Central for Highbury & Islington around 6:30am, and headed down to Highbury and Islington, which to begin with was the end of the line. Later that year the line reached Warren Street, in 1969 its namesake Victoria, and in 1971 finally as far as Brixton.
So starting today I'm going to take a journey down the line, station by station, to see how this cutting-edge forward-thinking initiative is looking fifty years on. If nothing else, it'll be a useful reminder that major transport projects delivered way behind schedule are nothing new, and generally come good in the end.
WALTHAMSTOW CENTRAL
Opened: 1st September 1968 Originally opened: 1870 Previously known as: Hoe Street (Walthamstow) Interchange with: The Chingford branch line, now part of the London Overground. It's also a short walk to Walthamstow Queen's Road, via an invaluable cut-through opened four years ago. Tile pattern: Every Victoria line station has its own bespoke mural in the alcoves on the platforms above the benches. Walthamstow Central has a William Morris wallpaper-style pattern, in honour of his house half a mile up the road (and is the finickitiest on the line).
Architecture: The original station building on the southern side of the tracks, has considerable Victorian charm, and more than a few crumbling bricks. The Victoria line station is essentially underground, so all that can be seen is a recent insubstantial ticket concourse, a ramp swooshing up to the roadway and a big toughened roundel on a glass wall. These days most people exit via the bus station, a swirling island tagged on in 2005. Nearby development: Hell yes. The apartment blocks erupting alongside the southern entrance are called Walthamstow Gateway and allegedly "strike a perfect balance between connected urban living and a sense of space and calm." Nothing about this busy location screams calm. A new 2-bed flat will currently knock you back an amount beginning with 5. The undershops include a Costa and a florists. As part of the upgrade the turning circle outside the station gained a spiky sundial, with thirteen chunky blocks around the perimeter. They're Roman-numbered from V round to V, as silent confirmation that the development's tall buildings block out the sun after 5pm.
Ticket hall: No tickets are sold here any more, indeed the gateline's shifted elsewhere, and it's all a bit empty and drab really. Station layout: 3D diagram here Down below: Although this is the end of the line there are only two platforms, which makes turning round a 36-trains-per hour peak service a particular challenge. All that arriving passengers need to know is whether to turn left or right at the bottom of the escalator, which used to be signalled on a lovely old 'First Train' lightbox. But in 2010 TfL installed a digital display, with smaller text it's harder to read as you approach, and switched off the larger analogue option. The new screen lists the time until departure (generally 2 minutes or less) and also the destinations of the next three trains (invariably Brixton, so nobody cares), but as 'improvements' go it's a woeful backward step.
Something to visit nearby: Walthamstow Market, the longest outdoor street market in Europe, which still has a 'proper' feel about it, rather than being a gentrified row of foodie shacks, which is nice. Factnugget: Walthamstow Central wasn't originally intended to be the end of the line, the tunnels were supposed to continue and emerge alongside Wood Street station on the site of an old goods depot. But money was tight, so terminating underground one stop back proved more pragmatic, which is why half of you are now sitting there thinking "Wood Where?" Some photos: Six, here.
BLACKHORSE ROAD
Opened: 1st September 1968 Originally opened: 1894 Named after: Black House, a mansion which stood at the southern end of the road until 1813, which gave its name to Black House Lane, later corrupted to Black Horse Lane, then Black Horse Road, then Blackhorse Road (such are the fascinating etymologies of once insignificant thoroughfares). Interchange with: The Gospel Oak to Barking Line, now part of the London Overground. When the Victoria line opened, Blackhorse Road wasn't promoted as an interchange because it was assumed the Beeching Axe would soon be falling on the Goblin. Instead the line survived, and in 1981 British Rail built a new station on the opposite side of Blackhorse Road for easier transfer.
Tile pattern: A black horse, obviously. It's by Hans Unger, who also did the mural designs for Seven Sisters, Oxford Circus, Green Park and Brixton. A much larger black stallion can be found in a dominant position outside the front of the station, in fibreglass relief, this time by David McFall. It's surrounded by a sparkly mosaic by Trata Drescha, alas currently missing a few tiles under the horse's belly. Architecture: As the Victoria line's only newly-constructed surface station, there's quite a lot to see. The main building appears to be formed of intersecting boxes in glass and brick, a bit like a souped-up 1960s school hall. The most striking feature, from the right backstage angle, is the Brutalist textured concrete ventilation tower with its slanted louvres.
Nearby development: Yes again. To the northwest of the station is/was The Standard pub/music venue, closed in 2011 and since painted in bold stripes as a prelude to being knocked down and replaced by the usual bricky flats. Behind that are some more interesting slanty-roof buildings, many containing tightly-packed student accommodation (as you can tell because they don't have balconies). Ticket hall: This one's spacious and airy, in sharp contrast to Walthamstow Central. Along one wall is a recent Art on the Underground intrusion, a grid of 256 bright ceramic tiles by Giles Round as part of the Design Work Leisure project (2015). Another larger version covers a wall outside, between the stallion and the main entrance. More recently, in a splendid anniversary touch, a trio of original Victoria line posters has been pasted up above the top of the escalators where a string of adverts might more normally be located.
Down below: A bit quiet, especially the northbound platform between trains, because very few people want to go one stop up the line to Walthamstow Central (n.b. trains departing 'northbound' actually run to the south). Step into the concourse between the platforms and the rising escalators look very ordinarily symmetrical. Station layout: 3D diagram here Something to visit nearby: Walthamstow Wetlands, the marvellous outdoor space opened to the public last year surrounding a dozen reservoirs, which you really should have visited by now. Factnugget: Blackhorse Road is the least used station on the Victoria line (but is only half a million passengers behind Walthamstow Central). Some photos: Nine, here.
Anniversary celebrations: If you're at Walthamstow Central this morning at 11:00, expect "refreshments and heritage information" in some form or other. The golden jubilee hoopla will then be moving down the line at 45 minutes intervals, so expect it to pop up at 11:45 at Blackhorse Road, 12:30 at Tottenham Hale (pictured), 1.15 at Seven Sisters, 2.00 at Finsbury Park and 2.45 at Highbury & Islington.
