Thursday, September 23, 2021
Two new tube stations means two new tube station names, and this changes a few long-established facts.
For example, it's changed the longest station name on the Underground.
1) Battersea Power Station (21 letters)
2) Heathrow Terminals 2&3 (20 letters)
2) High Street Kensington (20 letters)
2) Totteridge & Whetstone (20 letters)
The Overground can do longer (Caledonian Road & Barnsbury) [24], as can the Dangleway (Emirates Greenwich Peninsula) [26]. The tube map boasts an even longer confection (King's Cross & St Pancras International) [33]. But no tube roundel has a longer name than the brand new Battersea Power Station [21].
It doesn't quite take the title for the tube station name with the most syllables, being narrowly pipped by Heathrow Terminals 2&3. It isn't unique in being named after a listed building, joining (amongst others) St Paul's, Bank, Mansion House and Marble Arch. It's rare in containing the name of a rock band (namely Sea Power, formerly British Sea Power) and almost the name of another (Duran Duran spin-off The Power Station). It's also, tediously, the only station name in the UK to include the word station.
Meanwhile Nine Elms becomes only the fifth tube station with a proper number in its name, joining the three Heathrow stations and Seven Sisters. This allows me, with a little contrivance, to list ten tube stations numbered from 1 to 10.
1) MarylebONE
2) Heathrow Terminals 2&3
3) Heathrow Terminals 2&3
4) Heathrow Terminal 4
5) Heathrow Terminal 5
6) VIctoria
7) SEVEN Sisters
8) Notting Hill G8
9) NINE Elms
10) TotTENham Court Road
Roman numerals and homonyms are cheating somewhat, sorry, but at least the arrival of Nine Elms removes the need to include BrIXton. Interestingly Nine Elms is the second tube station whose name derives from a quantifiable group of elm trees, the other being Seven Sisters.
Nine Elms also joins an exclusive group of tube stations whose names are the anagram of a single word.
see also...
Arsenal - RANALES
East Acton - ANTECOSTA
Eastcote - COESTATE
Mile End - IDLEMEN
Neasden - ENNEADS
Old Street - DOTTERELS
Redbridge - REBRIDGED
South Ealing - LEIOGNATHUS |
Barking - BRAKING
Debden - BENDED
Epping - PIGPEN
Hampstead - HEADSTAMP
Harlesden - REHANDLES
Morden - MODERN
Nine Elms - LINESMEN
Osterley - TYROLESE
Stanmore - ONSTREAM
Temple - PELMET
Wood Green - GREENWOOD
Battersea Power Station is merely an anagram of WETTEST STROBE PARANOIA, and that's nowhere near as special.
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