Bounds Green tube station
Encyclopedia
Bounds Green tube station is a London Underground
station, located at the junction of Bounds Green Road and Brownlow Road, in North
London
.
The station is on the Piccadilly Line
, between Wood Green
and Arnos Grove
stations, and is on the boundary between Travelcard Zone 3
and fare zone 4
.
Like all stations on the Cockfosters extension
, Bounds Green station which opened on 19 September 1932, set new aesthetic standards, not previously seen on London's Underground. During the planning period of the extension to Cockfosters, alternate names for this station, "Wood Green North" and "Brownlow Road" were considered but rejected.
Architecturally, this tube station, designed in the typical "Box-style" of the architect Charles Holden
by his colleague C. H. James, is a well-preserved example of the modernist house style of London Transport in the 1930s. The octagonal frontage is flanked by a ventilation tower.
Two escalators take passengers from the ticket hall down to the platforms with a central fixed stairway. These machines were installed in 1989 and 1991, replacing the original 1932 machines. The current installations are Otis
MH-B type of 15.8m vertical rise.
The sub-surface areas of the station are tiled in biscuit coloured tiles lined with red friezes. The station tunnels have, in common with those of Southgate
, a diameter of 21 feet (6.4 metres). In contrast, the much busier Wood Green, Turnpike Lane
and Manor House
have 23 foot (7 metre) diameter platform tunnels. The construction of "suicide pits" between the rails was also innovative. These were built in connection with a system of passageways under the platforms to give access to the track.
On the night of 13 October 1940, a lone German
aircraft dropped a single bomb on houses to the north of the station. The destruction of the houses caused the north end of the westbound platform tunnel to collapse, killing or injuring many people amongst those sheltering from the air raid. The train service was disrupted for two months. A memorial plaque (at the north end of the westbound platform) erroneously commemorates "sixteen Belgian refugees and... three British citizens who died" in the attack. The records of the civilian deaths held by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
indicate that in fact sixteen people died at the scene - only three of whom were Belgian -
with a seventeenth dying in hospital the following day. Approximately twenty people were injured, but survived.
The station was refurbished as part of Transport for London’s £10 billion Investment Programme. The works were completed overnight and in a series of weekend closures. New train indicators were placed and much of the flooring and tiling has been cleaned/replaced.
Unlike others on this extension, the station was not previously nationally listed as of special architectural interest. As of August 2008 an application was made to English Heritage
for a listing recommendation and in February 2010 the station was Listed at Grade II.
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
station, located at the junction of Bounds Green Road and Brownlow Road, in North
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The station is on the Piccadilly Line
Piccadilly Line
The Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the fifth busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line, running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
, between Wood Green
Wood Green tube station
Wood Green is a London Underground station on the Piccadilly Line. The station is between Turnpike Lane and Bounds Green stations and is in Travelcard Zone 3. It is located at junction of Wood Green High Road and Lordship Lane...
and Arnos Grove
Arnos Grove tube station
Arnos Grove is a London Underground station on the Piccadilly line between Bounds Green and Southgate. It is in Travelcard Zone 4 and is located in Arnos Grove, near Arnos Park on Bowes Road, London. The station and surrounding neighbourhood of Arnos Grove take their names from the Arnos Grove...
stations, and is on the boundary between Travelcard Zone 3
Travelcard Zone 3
Fare zone 3 is a zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services...
and fare zone 4
Travelcard Zone 4
Fare zone 4 is a zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services...
.
Like all stations on the Cockfosters extension
Piccadilly Line Cockfosters extension
The Piccadilly line extension to Cockfosters added eight new stations to the northern end of London Underground's Piccadilly Line. The extension through north London from to was opened in three stages between 19 September 1932 and 31 July 1933.-Need:...
, Bounds Green station which opened on 19 September 1932, set new aesthetic standards, not previously seen on London's Underground. During the planning period of the extension to Cockfosters, alternate names for this station, "Wood Green North" and "Brownlow Road" were considered but rejected.
Architecturally, this tube station, designed in the typical "Box-style" of the architect Charles Holden
Charles Holden
Charles Henry Holden, Litt. D., FRIBA, MRTPI, RDI was a Bolton-born English architect best known for designing many London Underground stations during the 1920s and 1930s, for Bristol Central Library, the Underground Electric Railways Company of London's headquarters at 55 Broadway and for the...
by his colleague C. H. James, is a well-preserved example of the modernist house style of London Transport in the 1930s. The octagonal frontage is flanked by a ventilation tower.
Two escalators take passengers from the ticket hall down to the platforms with a central fixed stairway. These machines were installed in 1989 and 1991, replacing the original 1932 machines. The current installations are Otis
Otis
-People:*Otis family, Prominent American political family*Otis *Otis -Fictional characters:*Otis, a puppy in The Adventures of Milo and Otis*Otis the Aardvark, a BBC puppet character...
MH-B type of 15.8m vertical rise.
The sub-surface areas of the station are tiled in biscuit coloured tiles lined with red friezes. The station tunnels have, in common with those of Southgate
Southgate tube station
Southgate is a London Underground Piccadilly Line station in Southgate. It is located between Arnos Grove and Oakwood stations and is in Travelcard Zone 4.-History:...
, a diameter of 21 feet (6.4 metres). In contrast, the much busier Wood Green, Turnpike Lane
Turnpike Lane tube station
Turnpike Lane tube station is a station at Turnpike Lane on the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground, between Manor House and Wood Green stations, and in Travelcard Zone 3.It is located within the London Borough of Haringey...
and Manor House
Manor House tube station
Manor House tube station is a station on the Piccadilly line of the London Underground, on the boundary between Travelcard Zone 2 and Zone 3. It straddles the border between the London Boroughs of Hackney and Haringey, the postal address and three of the entrances being in the former, and one...
have 23 foot (7 metre) diameter platform tunnels. The construction of "suicide pits" between the rails was also innovative. These were built in connection with a system of passageways under the platforms to give access to the track.
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
aircraft dropped a single bomb on houses to the north of the station. The destruction of the houses caused the north end of the westbound platform tunnel to collapse, killing or injuring many people amongst those sheltering from the air raid. The train service was disrupted for two months. A memorial plaque (at the north end of the westbound platform) erroneously commemorates "sixteen Belgian refugees and... three British citizens who died" in the attack. The records of the civilian deaths held by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
indicate that in fact sixteen people died at the scene - only three of whom were Belgian -
with a seventeenth dying in hospital the following day. Approximately twenty people were injured, but survived.
The station was refurbished as part of Transport for London’s £10 billion Investment Programme. The works were completed overnight and in a series of weekend closures. New train indicators were placed and much of the flooring and tiling has been cleaned/replaced.
Unlike others on this extension, the station was not previously nationally listed as of special architectural interest. As of August 2008 an application was made to English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
for a listing recommendation and in February 2010 the station was Listed at Grade II.