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| Photographs of Underground station platforms before the
Second World War are thin on the ground and there are probably none
at all in colour. This realization is based on a black & white press
photograph taken before the Line opened. |
| Oxford Circus station has had a fascinating history (visit: www.metadyne.co.uk) since the Central London Railway (now Central Line) opened in 1900. Then Bakerloo came along in 1906 and this station holds the somewhat dubious distinction of being partly rebuilt before it opened, as the Board of Trade regarded the arrangement of some of the lower lift passages as unsafe. Over the coming years Oxford Circus would be a frequent host to members of the building profession constantly, it seems, trying to squeeze in more passages here and there. See Station Plan Below |
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| Rather more favourably, the southbound platform was the
only one on the Yerkes tubes to enjoy a genuinely repeating tile pattern,
uninterrupted along its entire length, there being no cross-passages;
access was through the headwall. The arrival of the Victoria Line
put an end to that distinction with the construction of several doorway
openings; the walls were also re-tiled in sympathy with those on the
new line. Sadly, unlike the originals, the new ones spent much of
their life falling off and they were further replaced only a few years
later. |
| The sequence of events which had an effect on the platform
tiling on the Bakerloo are: Central London Railway station opened
30th July 1900 with the Bakerloo following on 10th March 1906; there
were three Bakerloo lifts installed at opening and the platforms were
tiled by W.B. Simpson & Sons; escalators replaced the Bakerloo lifts
on 9th May 1914; the Victoria Line station opened on 7th March 1969;
the Bakerloo platforms were re-tiled after the Victoria Line opened
in a style that matched, though they were re-tiled again from January
1983. |
| The station name can be seen integral to the tiling
and beyond it, repeating patterns made up of 9x3-inch coloured tiles.
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| Click on the sample below or Walk
Along the Platforms. You can then scroll left to right along the
entire 291 feet of the platform length. |
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| The platform level plan below depicts two eras so as
to relate the original layout of the Bakerloo platforms, lifts and
passages to what is there today. The station is shown as it was at
the time of opening and also how it exists today. Other construction
subsequent to opening and now disused is not included at all. One-way
arrows show the original passenger flows between lifts and platforms,
though these are now disused and escalators operate; the lift shaft
formerly had three lifts within it. |
| The visual emphasis is on the Bakerloo station and all
original public areas at lower lift landing and platform level are
bounded by thicker linework. A dark grey infill notes those areas
still in use, whereas the lighter grey tint shows those now disused.
All other relevant parts of the station operated on the Central and
Victoria Lines are subdued with thin linework and without the grey
tints. Other than the surface building outline, areas shallower than
lower lift landing and platform levels are not shown at all. |
| It should be appreciated that any areas depicted as original
and still in use should not be regarded as having had no change taken
place. All platforms surfaces have been renewed for example. |
| Street kerb lines are included as they existed when the
station was built, as they provide the context essential to understanding
the constraints within which it had to be designed. |
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