Disabled and Normal Access on the Docklands Light Railway
When I was in Bank station yesterday, I noticed that there is a lift down to the Docklands Light Railway. Where it comes out at the surface, I don’t know. and it is worth an investigation. As it is foggy today, perhaps I’ll go and have a look. According to Wikipedia, the lift gets to the surface in the rectory of St. Mary Woolnoth
i should say though, that access to the DLR has greatly improved from the Northern line and now it is just one short staircase and twenty metres or so in a tunnel. There are also escalators everywhere, which is one of the reasons I didn’t use the lift. so sometimes, when they refurbish a station, like they have at Bank, they do get it right.
But this web site for Stratford International station doesn’t. Type disabled or wheel-chair into the site search engine and nothing is found. Although the station is known to be step free and if you want to transfer between the DLR and say a service to Ipswich, Southend or Dalston, it’s lifts all the way.
Why can’t people who design web sites get them right? I suspect that there’s full information on how to get to Eastfield, the Shopping Centre though!
To take the Golden Syrup picture, I travelled to West Silvertown station, which is a typical elevated DLR station, with a lift and a staircase to both platforms. Incidentally, this station has some short term parking, as many do on the DLR, so it is an ideal place to set someone on their way in a wheel-chair say and then go and find somewhere safe to leave the car for a longer time.
An Unusual Clock
Piccadilly Circus Tube station has a classic Art Deco interior. It also has this unique World Clock
World Clock at Piccadilly Circus Station
I’ve never seen another like it.
London Is Alive With the Sound of French
I don’t know why, but London this morning seemed to be full of the French. I thought it might have something to do with the rugby, but France play England in Paris on the 11th.
I was travelling to Westbourne Park station and back and both ways I had to sort out groups of French travellers, who had got lost. One thing that seems to have confused them, is that the Circle line, is no longer what it says on the tin. So experienced travellers to London, who want to get between say St. Pancras International and Victoria stations with heavy cases, get rather confused with having to change trains at Edgware Road station. The first group had been so confused they’d actually got on the westbound, rather than the eastbound they needed. I came back from Paddington and there it is more confusing, as all eastbound trains terminate at Edgware Road. The information leaves a lot to be desired.
I still haven’t found out why all the French were here, but something was up, as why would there have been a TV crew at St. Pancras.
TV Crews at St. Pancras
I think they could have been French!
How Various Nationalities Could Get to the Olympics
London has always been a multi-national and multi-cultural city, so there has always been large groups of various nationalities in various parts of the city. Where I live is just a stone’s throw away from where my French Huguenot ancestors lived and go a little bit further south and east and my Jewish ancestors could be found at the start of the 19th century. Even now, certain Caribbean groups have settled in places like Brixton,New Malden has been populated by Koreans and there’s an area of Camden with lots of Georgian restaurants. London is a complete jigsaw of nationalities.
So you can get a few mildly humorous rules about how the various nationalities might get to the Olympic Park.
The Koreans in New Malden, as do many, have an easy trip. They just take a train into Waterloo and then take the Jubilee line round to Stratford.
Remember the London Underground rule to estimate journey times; 2 minutes per station and add 5 minutes for an interchange.
The French should walk to the Park from West Ham or Hackney Wick stations, on top of the Greenway, as this walk and cycle path, sits on a major part of London’s sewerage system, which was built by a man called Joseph Bazalette, whose grandfather was French.
A few of the Russians will be very rich, so will be in VIP limos, but if they and their fellow countrymen do go by public transport, they’ll take the Olympic Javelin Shuttle from St. Pancras station. But one day they might like to go by the Central line and go a few stops past Stratford to look at Gants Hill station, which is to a design for Russia by Charles Holden. There’s some pictures I took of the station here.
The Tube
I watched the first part of this documentary about the London Underground on BBC2 last night and it was fascinating.
The thing that impressed me most, was how a very multi-racial staff acted as a coherent team and stood up so well to the hassle they got.
I shall be watching next week.
An Art Gallery With Its Own Station
I went to the Whitechapel Art Gallery today to see some of the Government’s art collection. It is a charming modern gallery tucked away in the East End of London, hard by one of the entrances to Aldgate East station.
Note the roundel in the station paying an artistic tribute to the gallery.
The exhibition was worth seeing, but the gallery had lots of other things to see and an excellent cafe.
A Lock Is a Gate
This is a mini concept album and drawing project for the Central Line. These pictures were taken at Bethnal Green station.
There is more on the project here. Note the poster for the Stairway To Heaven, which will commemorate the 173 people who died in the Bethnal Green tube disaster in 1943.
Is Bob Crow Going to the Olympics?
I suspect that if he does go, he won’t be too popular after holding the organisers to ransom over extra payments to his members.
Unless of course Ken wins the London Mayor election and he’ll be a guest of honour, along with a lot of other strange people.
On The Only Way To Essex
Gants Hill station on the Central line on the London Underground is not only the furthest east of any totally below level station, but it is built to a unique design.
Note the seats and the barrel roofs. The station was designed by Charles Holden before the Second World War although it didn’t open until some years after the war finished. Holden did some work for the Moscow Metro and this station is reminiscent of some of those there.
Note that I’ve contrived the title of this post as the old way to Essex by car, went past the station.
The Greenford Escalator
Here’s a video of the Last of the Many.
It could have been longer, but people kept using it.
The Anonymous Widower 