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Destroyed Tube Station Architecture

Recent decades has seen a huge ruination of the old tube architecture stock. Some stations luckily just get abandoned, others sadly get the refurb treatment, and become a plastic characatures of their former self. Other sad old station facades get wiped off the face of the earth, so might be replaced by sixties catastrophies, or worse, are rebuilt like the euro-stalin halls similar to Canary Wharf station. Anyway, here's a selection of gone but not forgotten places of tube worship, now resting in pieces.

old Stockwell Tube station

STOCKWELL TUBE STATION: Before the terrible modernisation program that rid the Northern line of many of its monumental domed stations, old Stockwell looked like this, with it's magnificent lead lined dome and antique frontage. Just like any other shop front, you probably had to knock on the door to get in, asking politely if one could use the tube please. With the grand architecture and local brick built shops, the area looks so wonderful compared to the present day hell hole, which is one of the ugliest station entrances on earth. But in those old days, Stockwell Tube looks so outstandingly decorative. All that seems to be left of this old photographical scene is the ornamental lamp post you can see at the centre of the side road, which I'm told used to double as the exhaust pipe of the local gentlemans toilets!

old Elephant and Castle station

ELEPHANT & CASTLE TUBE STATION: Faded proof here that, in 1962, just before the building of the shopping centre, the Elephant itself had one of the fantastic domed entrances, just opposite the tabernacle, which you can see at the top right. I'm sorry I couldnt acquire a better picture, although you can make out the silhouette of what must have been a stunning building. Quite how anybody, even the meanest of speculators, could have been sick enough to pull this down, I will never understand. The present day replacement minimalist box is a horrendous eyesore, just look what we could have preserved instead!

old Kings Cross Tube Station

KINGS CROSS TUBE STATION: Now I've never liked the way that, for the last century, the frontage of Kings Cross British Rail has been blocked out by various outbuildings, especially the grotesque booking hall of the last few decades. I will concede, however, that I wouldnt have minded if they had at least stuck with this little item, for did you know that Kings Cross Tube Station once had it's own glorious above-ground section, all done in the height of victorian architecture, with cute fixtures to match. How devastating it must have been, how sad it was when they decided to flatten the lot, just to be replaced with the nasty looking concourse we have today. It might have even been the perfect compliment to the BR facade, but we can only dream of what might have been, thanks to the idiots we have in eternal charge.
Charles (of London Town)

The London Destruction Website.
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