Victoria Line : Tile Motifs : London Transport : 1969 : Euston, Warren Street and Oxford Circus stations
In May 1969 London Transport published this small folder, printed in full colour and priced at 1/- (one shilling = 5p) showing the twelve tile motifs on the first section of the Victoria line of the Lonodn Underground. This had opened in sections from Walthamstow Central to Victoria between September 1968 and March 1969. As the tube diagram reproduced in this folder shows the extension south to Brixton, and that completed the line, was under construction and opened in 1971/72. The motifs on this latter group of stations are not shown here.
The construction of the first new tube line to serve the central area of the network in sixty years had been a long time in coming; planning, approval and construction itself had taken from the mid-1940s until the mid-1960s. In engineering terms the new line largely followed the established pattern of London's existing deep-tube lines and stations - albeit with some advances in terms of tunnelling and, especially, operation. The stations were designed by the Design Research Unit under Misha Black. The DRU were amongst the most important industrial designers in post-war Britain. The design intention was very plain; at platform level the use of a muted palette of stainless steel with 6" x 6" ceramic tiles in various shades of grey. The roundels were on glass panels, back illuminated. The train exteriors were the now standard Underground plain aluminium bodies and the interiors were also muted with only the seating moquette standing out. The intention behind this cool, uncluttered look was that colour was added by passengers and advertising.
However to distinguish each individual station and to add some sense of colour architecture behind each seating unit is a tiled panel; each was specifically designed for the station and often includes a pun or play on the origin of the name. The designers of these were important artists and designers in their own name and included Julia Black, Hans Unger, Edward Bawden, Tom Eckersley and Crosby/Fletcher/Forbes. Sveral of these artists and designers had produced publicity items for London Transport such as posters.
The panels are still in position although over time some slight amendments have been made notably in the PPP upgrade programme in the early 2000s. Two designs had been replaced; those at Oxford Circus and Green Park and we (I worked for LU's design team at the time) took the opportunity to reinstate the original designs seen here. At the former only the southbound platform has the tiled recesses as the northbound platform, badly damaged by fire many years ago, no longer has recesses. We also put a large version in the main ticket hall but when I recently went through I see some cretin has placed an a/c unit over it. The designs and panels, along with other elements of the DRU design are 'protected' under LU's own Design Policy for the line although this has allowed for the change to some of the field colours of tiles to better give colour contrast as now required under modern design codes.
Victoria Line : Tile Motifs : London Transport : 1969 : Euston, Warren Street and Oxford Circus stations
In May 1969 London Transport published this small folder, printed in full colour and priced at 1/- (one shilling = 5p) showing the twelve tile motifs on the first section of the Victoria line of the Lonodn Underground. This had opened in sections from Walthamstow Central to Victoria between September 1968 and March 1969. As the tube diagram reproduced in this folder shows the extension south to Brixton, and that completed the line, was under construction and opened in 1971/72. The motifs on this latter group of stations are not shown here.
The construction of the first new tube line to serve the central area of the network in sixty years had been a long time in coming; planning, approval and construction itself had taken from the mid-1940s until the mid-1960s. In engineering terms the new line largely followed the established pattern of London's existing deep-tube lines and stations - albeit with some advances in terms of tunnelling and, especially, operation. The stations were designed by the Design Research Unit under Misha Black. The DRU were amongst the most important industrial designers in post-war Britain. The design intention was very plain; at platform level the use of a muted palette of stainless steel with 6" x 6" ceramic tiles in various shades of grey. The roundels were on glass panels, back illuminated. The train exteriors were the now standard Underground plain aluminium bodies and the interiors were also muted with only the seating moquette standing out. The intention behind this cool, uncluttered look was that colour was added by passengers and advertising.
However to distinguish each individual station and to add some sense of colour architecture behind each seating unit is a tiled panel; each was specifically designed for the station and often includes a pun or play on the origin of the name. The designers of these were important artists and designers in their own name and included Julia Black, Hans Unger, Edward Bawden, Tom Eckersley and Crosby/Fletcher/Forbes. Sveral of these artists and designers had produced publicity items for London Transport such as posters.
The panels are still in position although over time some slight amendments have been made notably in the PPP upgrade programme in the early 2000s. Two designs had been replaced; those at Oxford Circus and Green Park and we (I worked for LU's design team at the time) took the opportunity to reinstate the original designs seen here. At the former only the southbound platform has the tiled recesses as the northbound platform, badly damaged by fire many years ago, no longer has recesses. We also put a large version in the main ticket hall but when I recently went through I see some cretin has placed an a/c unit over it. The designs and panels, along with other elements of the DRU design are 'protected' under LU's own Design Policy for the line although this has allowed for the change to some of the field colours of tiles to better give colour contrast as now required under modern design codes.