Arnos Grove tube station
Encyclopedia
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 estate, which was north of the station. The station is the first surface station north after the long tunnel section from Barons Court
via Central London
.
from Finsbury Park
to Cockfosters
. It was the terminus of the line until services were further extended to Oakwood
on 13 March 1933. Its name was chosen after public deliberation: alternatives were "Arnos Park", "Bowes Road" and "Southgate".
Like the other stations Charles Holden
designed for the extension, Arnos Grove was built in a modern Europe
an style using brick, glass and reinforced concrete
and basic geometric shapes. A circular drum-like ticket hall of brick and glass panels rises from a low single-storey structure and is capped by a flat concrete roof. The design was inspired by the Stockholm City Library and Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund
. A similar design was employed by Holden for the rebuilding of Chiswick Park
on the District Line
(also in 1932), although the drum there is supplemented with an adjacent brick tower. The centre of the ticket hall is occupied by a disused ticket office (a passimeter in London Underground parlance) which houses an exhibition on the station and the line. In July 2011 Arnos Grove became a Grade II* listed building. The building is one of the 12 "Great Modern Buildings" profiled in The Guardian
during October 2007, and was summarised by architectural
critic Jonathan Glancey
as "...truly what German art historians would describe as a gesamtkunstwerk
, a total and entire work of art."
Three parallel train tracks pass through the station, with two double-sided platforms between the central track and the outer tracks. The edges of the platforms are labelled platform 1 and 2, and platform 3 and 4, in such a way that the two outer tracks are accessible from platforms 1 and 4, and the central track, usually used by trains that terminate and reverse at Arnos Grove station, is accessible from platforms 2 and 3. Platforms 1 and 2 are designated for trains to Cockfosters
, platforms 3 and 4 for trains to Central London
. When operational problems occur on the line, Arnos Grove station may act as a temporary terminus of a reduced service - either a shuttle service between Arnos Grove and Cockfosters or a truncated service from Central London. The station has a set of seven sidings to its south for stabling trains.
In 2005 the station underwent a refurbishment programme including improvements to signage, security and train information systems. Some of the original signs are in a 'petit-serif' adaptation of the London Underground
typeface
, Johnston Sans
. This type-face was designed by Charles Holden
and Percy Delf Smith.
The station is part of the Arnos Grove group of stations, comprising all seven stations from Cockfosters to Turnpike Lane, and the management office for the group is in Arnos Grove station. Linked to the station by a lineside passageway is Ash House, which is a drivers' depot. Arnos Grove is often noted for its station cat
(a rarity on the London Underground
network), called Spooky, who now occupies the station car park after being evicted due to the introduction of UTS gates.
TV series with David Suchet
as Hercule Poirot.
routes serve the bus station (the tube station forecourt):
is a five minute walk from Arnos Grove or a two minute bus journey on the 232 and 382 bus routes.
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 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 Bounds Green
Bounds Green tube station
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 ...
and 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:...
. It is in Travelcard 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...
and is located in Arnos Grove
Arnos Grove
Arnos Grove is an area in the south west corner of the London Borough of Enfield, England.It sits close to Enfield's borders with two other boroughs: Barnet and Haringey...
, near Arnos Park on Bowes Road, 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 and surrounding neighbourhood of Arnos Grove
Arnos Grove
Arnos Grove is an area in the south west corner of the London Borough of Enfield, England.It sits close to Enfield's borders with two other boroughs: Barnet and Haringey...
take their names from the Arnos Grove estate, which was north of the station. The station is the first surface station north after the long tunnel section from Barons Court
Barons Court tube station
Barons Court is a London Underground station in West Kensington, Greater London. This station services the District Line and the Piccadilly Line. The station is located on Gliddon Road, a short distance from Talgarth Road in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham...
via Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
.
History
The station was opened on 19 September 1932 as the most northerly on the first section of the Piccadilly Line extensionPiccadilly 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:...
from Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park station
Finsbury Park Station is a busy transport interchange in North London. The interchange consists of an interconnected National Rail station, London Underground station and two bus stations. The main entrances are by the eastern bus station on Station Place...
to Cockfosters
Cockfosters tube station
Cockfosters is a London Underground station on the Piccadilly Line for which it is the northern terminus. The station is located on Cockfosters Road approximately 9 miles from central London and serves Cockfosters in the London Borough of Barnet although it is actually located a short distance...
. It was the terminus of the line until services were further extended to Oakwood
Oakwood tube station
Oakwood is a London Underground station on the Piccadilly Line. It is the second most northerly station on the line, between Southgate and Cockfosters stations, and is in Travelcard Zone 5...
on 13 March 1933. Its name was chosen after public deliberation: alternatives were "Arnos Park", "Bowes Road" and "Southgate".
Like the other stations 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...
designed for the extension, Arnos Grove was built in a modern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an style using brick, glass and reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
and basic geometric shapes. A circular drum-like ticket hall of brick and glass panels rises from a low single-storey structure and is capped by a flat concrete roof. The design was inspired by the Stockholm City Library and Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund
Gunnar Asplund
Erik Gunnar Asplund was a Swedish architect, mostly known as a key representative of Nordic Classicism of the 1920s, and during the last decade of his life as a major proponent of the modernist style which made its breakthrough in Sweden at the Stockholm International Exhibition...
. A similar design was employed by Holden for the rebuilding of Chiswick Park
Chiswick Park tube station
Chiswick Park is a London Underground station in Chiswick in west London. The station is served by the District Line and is between Turnham Green and Acton Town stations...
on the District Line
District Line
The District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels. It is the busiest of the sub-surface lines. Out of the 60 stations served, 25 are underground...
(also in 1932), although the drum there is supplemented with an adjacent brick tower. The centre of the ticket hall is occupied by a disused ticket office (a passimeter in London Underground parlance) which houses an exhibition on the station and the line. In July 2011 Arnos Grove became a Grade II* listed building. The building is one of the 12 "Great Modern Buildings" profiled in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
during October 2007, and was summarised by architectural
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
critic Jonathan Glancey
Jonathan Glancey
Jonathan Glancey is an architectural critic and writer who is the architecture and design editor at The Guardian, a position he has held since 1997. He previously held the same post at The Independent. He also has been involved with the architecture magazines Building Design, Architectural Review,...
as "...truly what German art historians would describe as a gesamtkunstwerk
Gesamtkunstwerk
A Gesamtkunstwerk is a work of art that makes use of all or many art forms or strives to do so...
, a total and entire work of art."
Three parallel train tracks pass through the station, with two double-sided platforms between the central track and the outer tracks. The edges of the platforms are labelled platform 1 and 2, and platform 3 and 4, in such a way that the two outer tracks are accessible from platforms 1 and 4, and the central track, usually used by trains that terminate and reverse at Arnos Grove station, is accessible from platforms 2 and 3. Platforms 1 and 2 are designated for trains to Cockfosters
Cockfosters tube station
Cockfosters is a London Underground station on the Piccadilly Line for which it is the northern terminus. The station is located on Cockfosters Road approximately 9 miles from central London and serves Cockfosters in the London Borough of Barnet although it is actually located a short distance...
, platforms 3 and 4 for trains to Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
. When operational problems occur on the line, Arnos Grove station may act as a temporary terminus of a reduced service - either a shuttle service between Arnos Grove and Cockfosters or a truncated service from Central London. The station has a set of seven sidings to its south for stabling trains.
In 2005 the station underwent a refurbishment programme including improvements to signage, security and train information systems. Some of the original signs are in a 'petit-serif' adaptation of the London Underground
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...
typeface
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
, Johnston Sans
Johnston (typeface)
Johnston is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by and named after Edward Johnston. It is well known for its use by Transport for London....
. This type-face was designed by 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...
and Percy Delf Smith.
The station is part of the Arnos Grove group of stations, comprising all seven stations from Cockfosters to Turnpike Lane, and the management office for the group is in Arnos Grove station. Linked to the station by a lineside passageway is Ash House, which is a drivers' depot. Arnos Grove is often noted for its station cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
(a rarity on the London Underground
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...
network), called Spooky, who now occupies the station car park after being evicted due to the introduction of UTS gates.
Underground In Bloom 2011
Arnos Grove Drivers' Depot won Best Newcomer and Best Overall Garden for their new project which also got them an award in the London In Bloom competition. Their website tells the whole story with photographs of the garden and the awards ceremonies.Film Location
The station building appears as "Marble Hill" underground station in the episode "Wasps' Nest" of the Agatha Christie's PoirotAgatha Christie's Poirot
Agatha Christie's Poirot is a British television drama that has aired on ITV since 1989. It stars David Suchet as Agatha Christie's fictional detective Hercule Poirot. It was originally made by LWT and is now made by ITV Studios...
TV series with David Suchet
David Suchet
David Suchet, CBE, is an English actor, known for his work on British television. He is recognised for his RTS- and BPG award-winning performance as Augustus Melmotte in the 2001 British TV mini-drama The Way We Live Now, alongside Matthew Macfadyen and Paloma Baeza, and a 1991 British Academy...
as Hercule Poirot.
Nearby places
- Bounds GreenBounds GreenBounds Green is an area in the north of London, in the London Borough of Haringey. Parts of Bounds Green are also known as New Southgate, but most of New Southgate lies in the London Borough of Enfield to the north west....
- Muswell HillMuswell HillMuswell Hill is a suburb of north London, mostly in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated about north of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. Muswell Hill is in the N10 postal district and mostly in the Hornsey and Wood Green parliamentary constituency.- History :The...
- New SouthgateNew SouthgateNew Southgate is a residential suburb in the south-east corner of the London Borough of Barnet and the south-west corner of the London Borough of Enfield in North London, England....
- Palmers GreenPalmers GreenPalmers Green is a place in the London Borough of Enfield. It is a suburban area situated 7.6 miles north of Charing Cross. Postally, it is in London N13...
- SouthgateSouthgate, LondonSouthgate is an area of north London, England, primarily within the London Borough of Enfield, although parts of its western fringes lie within the London Borough of Barnet. It is located around north of Charing Cross. The name is derived from being the south gate to Enfield Chase...
Arnos Grove Bus Station
The following London BusLondon Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
routes serve the bus station (the tube station forecourt):
- 34London Buses route 34London Buses route 34 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.-History:...
- 184
- 232
- 251London Buses route 251London Buses route 251 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London Sovereign.-History:...
(Terminates at Arnos Grove) - 298London Buses route 298London Buses route 298 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.-History:The route was created in September 1968 as a replacement for part of route 29 and all of route 29B...
(Terminates at Arnos Grove) - 382
- N91 (Night bus)
New Southgate railway station
New Southgate railway stationNew Southgate railway station
New Southgate railway station is on the boundary of the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of Enfield in north London, and is in Travelcard Zone 4...
is a five minute walk from Arnos Grove or a two minute bus journey on the 232 and 382 bus routes.
External links
- London Transport Museum Photographic Archive
- Plan and elevation of station, drawings, 1931, from the Royal Institute of British ArchitectsRoyal Institute of British ArchitectsThe Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
- Charles Holden.com - Early image of Arnos Grove tube station
- History of Arnos Grove and Southgate
- The Guardian's Great Modern Buildings Series
- Arnos Grove 3D model for Google Earth
- Underground In Bloom Awards
- Garden created by green-fingered drivers