Tracking the Tube: Northern Line 03: Euston to East Finchley

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Weather: Sunshine and scattered heavy showers, cool.
Distance Walked: 13.12km 
Distance By Tube: 7.62
Stations Visited: 8
Fantastic Place: Temple of Bastet Greater London House

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Not the best weather for walking, a mixture of relatively mild sunshine and blue skies suddenly changing to heavy grey cloud with penetrating drizzle. So I was both too warm from wearing a coat but it the rain was too frequent to take it off.

Just 8 stations on this leg

The walk started off at possibly my least favourite terminus, Euston. The current station is a rather unappealing blocky structure while round the corner the original tube station in the traditional ox-blood red tiles stands rather forlorn and decrepit.

The Original Euston Tube Station

Just past the station there is a small open space which looks at first like a small public garden, or a space that had been cleared after WW2 bomb damage but in fact turns out to be the grace yard for the church of St James Piccadilly. There is one grave in particular that shows several generations of the Christie family that all seemed to have died in interesting ways such as a fever caught in Port Royal or in Persia by Russian troops.

Walking north in bright winter sunshine under a dome of blue sky the walk improved with one of the most fabulous art-Deco buildings in London. The Carreras Cigarette Factory, now named Greater London House, was inspired by an Egyptian temple to the goddess Bastet. As someone who is owned by three cats I could not fail to be enchanted by this and it was good to see that it has been well maintained.

Greater London House

Bastet

 The next station on the route is Mornington Crescent made famous as a complicated game in the long running BBC Radio 4 comedy show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. Like many of the stations on this part of the walk the station displays the ox-blood tile frontage with large arched windows designed by Leslie Green.

Moving on I reached Camden Town station just as the rain was settling in for much of the rest of the walk so I didn't detour via the famous Camden Market. Instead I continued heading north towards Kentish Town. In between Camden Town and Kentish town there is a very distinctively styles building - the former site of South Kentish Town.

Ghost Station - South Kentish Town

 I have visited this part of London quite frequently but only a small part of it, the road between the station and the Forum. Many a cold winter's night I have spent queueing outside here to get close to the front to watch bands, in particular, Marillion.

Doesn't seem the same without a queue

The next station, Tuffnell Park is currently closed, for refurbishment which is an ongoing business on the underground network. Many of the lifts, escalators and pumps (many of the stations are below the water table) are old and there is an ongoing program of replacement and repair going on.

The road from Tufnell Park climbs steadily and steeply, just as the sun came out again making me quite warm in my nicely moist coat! The area between Camden and Archway has lots of nice looking coffee shops but they were filled with rather hip looking gents (beards, those strange earlobe plug things and tattoos) who were probably web designers, advertising executives and other such b-ark type occupations (yes I wish I was as hip as them!) into which circles I wouldn't have fitted in.

Archway station was invisible behind hoardings where a new tower block is being built so I can't tell you what it looks like. As I was waiting at the crossing a horse drawn hearse went by.

The on and off rain stopped for a bit as I joined the disused railway line (and the Capital Ring) for a time as it soars above back gardens (lots of very nice conservatories and dining room extensions on the backs of some of the houses). The ground was heavy black sticky mud and I had to keep dodging cyclists and dog walkers (one of which had eight dogs of various sizes (all muddy) before emerging at Highgate station. Before the station there are some old tunnels occupied now by several types of bat according to a helpful information panel. The rain started up again as I walked to East Finchley and the end of this leg, familiar territory as this was again part of the Capital Ring route I walked several years ago.

Next month I hope to complete this side of the northern end of the Northern Line with the spur to Mill Hill East and the terminus at High Barnet, two places I have never been before.

Camden Town Graffiti

Tracking The Tube: Bakerloo Line 01: Harrow & Wealdstone to Kilburn Park

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Weather: Very sunny, warm and humid
Distance Walked: 21.2 km
Distance By Tube: 13.2 km
Stations Visited: 10
Fantastic Place: Mentmore Close

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This was not the most inspiring of lines to walk. Most of the northern stretch of the line lies within 1930s suburbia, numerous terraces and associated light industrial units and the North Circular. Still there must be some highlights. In desperation I turned back to Mark Mason's "Walk the Lines" the inspiration behind this project. I spotted that not far 'off the cotton' was the scene of one of my favourite comedy moments so noting that on my route plan I shrugged on my rucksack and set off.

Most of the northern part of the line is shared with mainline services hence the stations are large and lack the traditional Underground architectural aesthetic (ooo get him!). It is not  until I reached Kilburn Park at the end of this leg that I got to see a 'traditional' station building.

Harrow & Wealdstone station has an interesting mural produced by local school children marking the Millennium and all the famous events that have happened in the area. This included a record of the major train collision that happened in 1952 which led to a raft of improvements in rail safety. On the subject of the railways it is worth reading Christian Wolmar's books in particular "Fire & Steam" and "The Subterranean Railway". Both are written in an entertaining style and bring across the chaos and corruption of the early years of the industry.
Walking through light industrial units beside a busy road towards the pleasent open spaces of Kenton Recreation Ground I passed a gloriously colourful Hindu wedding party that lit up the grey drabness of area. The car parks were full to bursting and lots of people were sitting eating rather tasty looking food.

Passing Kenton Station I diverted from the direct route to visit Mentmore Close site of this classic comedy moment.

It would be easier now with the dropped kerb but he'd need to watch out for the bollards.

Should have a blue plaque if you ask me!

The whole estate, in particular the nearby Northwick Circle is an attractive area. This is another of those places I'd never been to nor did I realise that Kenton and Northwick Park stations are so close together, no more than a 5 minute walk yet by tube it would take the best part of an hour and a change of trains at Baker Street!

My route then took me under the tracks at South Kenton where I had a case of deja vu  - this is also the route of the Capital Ring. On to North Wembley through more nondescript suburbia and on to Wembley Central. I'll associate much of this part of the walk with the smell of bins, Friday being collection day, and the large wheelie bins parked on the pavement and in the small front yards were warming up nicely giving off that fragrant aroma you get with heated seepage at their bottom. These seepage has now been given the name farage in one of the 'urban dictionaries.'

Wembley Central has been undergoing building works for some time so I've no idea what the station used to look like hence the rather odd photo! Onwards we travel between high metal fences beside a playing field with Wembley Stadium in the distance.

Stonebridge Park is one of those places I've driven past too many times to mention as it lies on the North Circular road. As a pedestrian it is a maze of road crossings, semi-derelict office blocks and numerous railway lines. The station is up a cul-de-sac and is another of the brick shed style of buildings I've seen before on this leg, Harlesden next up is another. Leading up to Stonebridge Park you pass through the area known as Tokyngton "the farm of the sons of Toca" - not much farmland around now though.

I considered walking along the Grand Union Canal between Stonebridge Park and Harlesden but this section runs through more industrial buildings than you can shake a stick at and may not have been any more interesting than the more direct route.

After Harlesden I came across some attractive mosaics at the junction of Acton Lane and Minet Avenue.

Willesden Junction is a complicated station with lines and platforms running in all directions (which is why it is called a junction I suppose). Took me a while to work out which way to go through the station to end up at the correct exit onto the Harrow Road towards Kensal Green. Willesden Junction is the first of four completely different designs of station. In this case quite modern ticket office on a higher level above the more traditional style platforms. Kensal Green is like a wooden chalet, Queens Park a strange metal box and finally Kilburn Park the first of the traditional blood red tile constructions typical of the main part of the old Underground network.

The walk from Kensal Green to Kilburn Park started to lead into more 'upmarket' properties with gastropubs, the odd art gallery and many eateries. Portuguese restaurants were fairly common, I normally associate Vauxhall where I work with Portuguese shops and cafes but it appears there are at least two little Lisbons in London.  Just before Queen's Park, the area named for Queen Victoria, there is a very pleasant park with an active local preservation group where the QPR football club started.

Next leg will hopefully be more interesting as I head through the heart of the city and out the other side.