Yesterday I spent 20 minutes around Hadley Wood station.
And I have questions.
Is Hadley Wood London's only open air rail station sandwiched between two sets of tunnels? Whichever way you look at Hadley Wood there are proper tunnels disappearing into a steep slope. Could be the only place like this in London, but is anywhere else as tunnel-bound?
I wonder what proportion of Londoners have ever been to Hadley Wood?
Not many, you'd think, given how off-piste it is. If you count every Londoner who's ever driven from Cockfosters to Potters Bar maybe it reaches 5%. But actually the East Coast Main Line passes through, so that means everyone who's ever taken the train from King's Cross to towns and cities up north has spent a few seconds here, so maybe a majority of Londoners have been?
What's the point of just one platform having step-free access?
Hadley Wood station has two platforms in general use, only one of which has a ramp to make it step-free. I know they installed it because it was easy, whereas adding a lift to the other platform would be very expensive. But why would you... Ah, hang on, anyone intending to travel south is asked to go one stop north to Potters Bar and change there. But what a faff, and on a line where trains only run every half hour.
Why do Jehovah's Witnesses stand around beside racks of religious literature?
I know it's something that started over 10 years ago. I know they wait in groups of two or more. I know they never approach people, they wait to be approached. I know it's better for all concerned than knocking uninvited on people's doors. I know that time spent here counts towards the 'preaching hours' every Jehovah's Witness is expected to complete. On a practical level it's a waste of time, just an opportunity for a nice chat, and highly highly unlikely to lead to a new convert. And yes, many religions do entirely impractical things because they're spiritually rewarding. But is it really worth the bother?
Why is there a 'London Borough of Enfield' sign outside the station?
I know it's because many years ago the council decided to put up signs outside every station in Enfield as well as on the boundaries of the borough. It's a nice touch but no other London council bothers, so why did they decide to be different?
A heritage poster on the footbridge says 'Hadley Wood By Tram', What, they had trams here?
The tram map I found suggests that trams got no closer than High Barnet, two miles away, so it's a lovely poster but wasn't it a bit naughty?
The 399 is London's least used bus. Why do they bother?
The 399 runs in a big brief loop from Barnet to Hadley Wood and back, and last year had only 8600 passengers. That's barely 30 passengers per day, or just five passengers per journey. Those are impressively low figures. Yes the 399 is an hourly bus which only runs between 10am and 3pm, but even so. Meanwhile Hadley Wood station has 362,000 passengers annually, or 40 times as many as the bus! It's lovely that TfL provide a service for the handful of Hadley Wood's 4000 residents who don't have a car, but practically it's hardly worth bothering with.
Why does it say 299 on the back of the bus?
I know they use a vehicle off route 299 to run route 399 during shopping hours. I know they sometimes use old vehicles and have to prop up the route number on a card in the window. But if the blind on the front can say 399 why not the blind on the back? Or is the driver just being lazy?
Why does the Great North Way Cycle Route start here?
According to a sign outside the station it runs 32 miles from Hadley Wood to Letchworth Garden City. What a weird route. I found a leaflet online which is so old that the train company on the leaflet is WAGN, and they wound up in 2004. I think the idea is that you cycle one way and then ride back. Also it seems to be a Hertfordshire thing which would explain why the route barely nudges into London. But the website www.greatnorthway.org.uk is long defunct and I bet nobody's ridden it for ages so why's the sign still here?
Is Sir Nigel Gresley really the most famous person to have lived in Hadley Wood? Sir Nige is the great railway engineer who designed Flying Scotsman and Mallard. He lived here in the 1920s and Michael Portillo came to unveil a plaque outside the station in 2017. He's so famous he also has plaques in Edinburgh, York, Doncaster and Lytham St Anne's, also a statue at King's Cross. But General William Booth and Jeremy Beadle also lived here, and arguably Emma Bunton is better known than all of them but she doesn't have a plaque, yet.
Does the Nigel Gresley song have the worst lyrics of all time?
It was sung at the plaque unveiling and the lyrics are posted on the footbridge. It was written by someone who once appeared in Cats. I know it was written for kids but blimey it's dire.
What is this gorgeous typeface at 14 crescent west?
It screams postwar typography and I love it, but what is it?
Wow, this must be one of the original numberplates?
Near the station I spotted a Bentley with numberplate A74. That's amazingly early. The first registration mark 'A1' was issued by London County Council in 1903, with 'A' signifying London and subsequent numbers increasing incrementally. The plate's bound to have changed hands several times, also I have a strong suspicion it belongs to an estate agent, but what a thing to own.
How much would it cost to live here?
I checked in the window at Statons, also their online property search. They have 49 properties over £2million and just one under £500,000. So you won't be moving here soon.
Could they sacrifice the Green Belt here for housing?
If they eased the rules technically yes. It's only half an hour by train to the City, but the obvious field is also the village's only park so best not, and beyond that the London/Hertfordshire border muddies things somewhat. But technically yes, hundreds of houses would fit behind Crescent West and the existing residents would absolutely hate it.
Why did I suddenly bump into a huge group of walkers at the top of the recreation ground?
I thought I'd have a nice walk up to the woods on top of the tunnel portal while I was waiting for my train but instead bumped into lots of ramblers standing around listening to a man talk. Why would so many people come here? OK I searched and aha, it's the team at London Walks. This was the start of their 'Ultimate London Walk' from the edge of Hertfordshire to edge of Surrey, done in 14 walks over five weeks. You've missed day 1 but other dates remain, or you can book to do the whole 42 miles in a single week in September.
I also went to Emerson Park station yesterday, but I have no questions there.
