HOLLOWAY ROAD Piccadilly Line, LONDON TUBE RAMBLES
This short route is mainly for those interested in architecture. Some
oddities old and new. Can be extended to explore the area round the Emirates football stadium.
The station itself was built in 1906 for the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway whose initials still appear on the red tiled arches outside the station. It is in the typical style of Lesley Green and the original ticket office windows remain.From the Tube turn right down Holloway Road. A glance down Hornsey Street reveals cheerful examples of contemporary architecture in the form of colourful flats [architects; Hawkins & Brown (yellow building on left 2004-7)and CZWG (flats on right with coloured glazing 2004-6)]. Back in the Holloway Road you will see on the other side an angular heap of stainless steel. This mysterious and exciting construction is the Graduate Centre of The Metropolitan University of London (2004). It was designed by deconstructivist architect Daniel Libeskind (he of the V&A extension plan that was refused funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund).
A little further on (west side) is George's Road. The squat buildings on the left are the remains of The George's Road Works that once supplied electricity to the area. Wander down a short way to see the old St. James School. This is a somewhat scary Italianate pile with its foundation date, 1854, displayed on the façade. Go back to the main street and continue to Chillingworth Road where there are a few attractive Victorian cottages next to a large deconsecrated church with tall neo-classical portico. Built in the 1830's, this curious building was originally the church of St.James to which the school you saw in Georges Road was attached. In the 1980's it was converted into flats, studios and offices which resulted in the west wall being peppered with small windows. For some years the facade was painted bright red (as in photo), but it is now a more dignified grey. From here you can return to the Holloway Road and go back to the Tube - you may already have noticed that there are some interesting ethnic cafes on the way.
Alternatively, you might like to see the nearby Emirates football stadium, home of Arsenal FC. To get there, turn right from Chillingworth Road and cross Holloway Road at the traffic lights to Drayton Park. You will reach the stadium in under ten minutes. To follow my route for the area, ending at Arsenal Tube station, click here.
Note: you might want to check for Arsenal football fixtures as the Holloway Road Tube Station is one of those used by fans to get to the nearby Emirates Stadium.
MAP
www.londontuberambles.co.uk
Holloway Road is just one walk from the many to be found at London Tube Rambles. There are architectural gems, beautiful country views, historic places and quirky buildings even in the most unpromising areas covered by the outer London Underground stations. Usually the discoveries are within a mile of the Tube - often only five minutes walk away. If you reached this as an individual page via a search engine, you might like to click on the link above and see the other destinations explored. You'll be amazed at what's out there!
© DR
The station itself was built in 1906 for the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway whose initials still appear on the red tiled arches outside the station. It is in the typical style of Lesley Green and the original ticket office windows remain.From the Tube turn right down Holloway Road. A glance down Hornsey Street reveals cheerful examples of contemporary architecture in the form of colourful flats [architects; Hawkins & Brown (yellow building on left 2004-7)and CZWG (flats on right with coloured glazing 2004-6)]. Back in the Holloway Road you will see on the other side an angular heap of stainless steel. This mysterious and exciting construction is the Graduate Centre of The Metropolitan University of London (2004). It was designed by deconstructivist architect Daniel Libeskind (he of the V&A extension plan that was refused funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund).
A little further on (west side) is George's Road. The squat buildings on the left are the remains of The George's Road Works that once supplied electricity to the area. Wander down a short way to see the old St. James School. This is a somewhat scary Italianate pile with its foundation date, 1854, displayed on the façade. Go back to the main street and continue to Chillingworth Road where there are a few attractive Victorian cottages next to a large deconsecrated church with tall neo-classical portico. Built in the 1830's, this curious building was originally the church of St.James to which the school you saw in Georges Road was attached. In the 1980's it was converted into flats, studios and offices which resulted in the west wall being peppered with small windows. For some years the facade was painted bright red (as in photo), but it is now a more dignified grey. From here you can return to the Holloway Road and go back to the Tube - you may already have noticed that there are some interesting ethnic cafes on the way.
Alternatively, you might like to see the nearby Emirates football stadium, home of Arsenal FC. To get there, turn right from Chillingworth Road and cross Holloway Road at the traffic lights to Drayton Park. You will reach the stadium in under ten minutes. To follow my route for the area, ending at Arsenal Tube station, click here.
Note: you might want to check for Arsenal football fixtures as the Holloway Road Tube Station is one of those used by fans to get to the nearby Emirates Stadium.
MAP
www.londontuberambles.co.uk
Holloway Road is just one walk from the many to be found at London Tube Rambles. There are architectural gems, beautiful country views, historic places and quirky buildings even in the most unpromising areas covered by the outer London Underground stations. Usually the discoveries are within a mile of the Tube - often only five minutes walk away. If you reached this as an individual page via a search engine, you might like to click on the link above and see the other destinations explored. You'll be amazed at what's out there!
© DR
