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Location Profile: EUSTON STATION Click here for Euston Square |
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What can I say about Euston Station that is printable? Well not much really as the once fine LMS built station with its famous Doric Arch was tragically vandalised (The term used at the time was modernised though), being replaced with the nasty late 1960's concrete monstrosity we have today. |
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| I mean, look at it! The concourse is shown above left and is little more than plain dismal, the exterior is not much better despite recent attempts to tart it up with 'art' and benches for the local dossers to park up on. I had to quickly snatch the picture on the left as the Railway Authorities are not overly keen on photography here, mostly because they are too embarrassed by the awfulness of the place! |
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| Outside, it doesn't get much better with dire office buildings
enveloping the unbelievably poor bus station area as seen on the left. On the right we have Euston Road which is little more than a race track but at least has a few buildings worthy of appearing in public. |
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Below ground, there is irony to be found as the Victoria Line
platforms use as their motif a representation of the long since demolished Doric Arch!
The National Rail icon for Euston also features a representation of the Arch as
well. The Underground part of the station which is passed through in both 'Waterloo' and 'Embankment' albeit different lines, is served by the Victoria Line and both the City and Charing Cross branches of the Northern Line which means a total of six platforms exist below. |
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The Northern Line (Charing Cross Branch) southbound platform is a
point of departure that appears in 'Embankment' and is shown above left. It is
decorated with a pattern inspired from the coat of arms of Henry James FitzRoy, the first
Earl of Euston and one time owner of much of the surrounding area. Indeed the crest
and an explanation of this piece of history can be found on the platform wall (seen left). The Victoria Line southbound platform (seen above right) appears towards the beginning of the exciting Euston to Waterloo journey made by Tracy Caverner (and her motorbike!) in 'Waterloo'. |
| The Northern Line (City Branch) southbound platform also features
in Embankment at the very end. Its unusually wide as it used to be an island
platform with both the north and southbound tracks passing through here. When a new north bound Northern (City Branch) platform was put in in the late 1960's as part of Victoria Line construction work, the old northbound track was filled in and this extra large platform was the result. A similar scene is also to be found at Angel station where a similar exercise was undertaken in the early 1990's. |
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There is one part of Euston Station that was thankfully not wiped
out by the terrible modernisation and its also one of the least known parts. This is
the original lift era Leslie Green designed entrance which can be found in Melton Street
down the west side of the current station complex. It is mainly retained as it provides a ventilation outlet via the old lift shafts, hence the removal of the upper corner windows and replacement with grilles. I have used this location in the final act of Embankment with a little imagination thrown in! |