London Underground trivia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Part of a series of articles on The Tube |
|
|
|
|
|
Trivia |
|
Contents |
[edit] Records
- The longest distance between two stations is 6.26 km (3.89 miles), between Chalfont & Latimer and Chesham on the Metropolitan line.
- The shortest distance between two stations is 250 metres (0.16 miles), between Leicester Square and Covent Garden on the Piccadilly line.
- Hampstead is the deepest station under the surface at 58.5 metres (192 feet). However, it is not the deepest below sea level as the line is climbing towards the north and the station's surface building is near the top of a hill.
[edit] Passengers and other inhabitants
- An estimated half a million mice live on the Underground system, and can often be seen running around the tracks. TV personality Anthea Turner has written a series of children's books about these London Underground mice. They are not black, but appear black because they are covered in dirt, mainly brake-dust from the trains.
- Only two people are known to have had their coffins transported on the Underground: William Gladstone and Dr Barnardo.
- On 13 May 1924 Daisy Hammond gave birth on a Bakerloo Line train at Elephant and Castle. Press reports that the baby had been named Thelma Ursula Beatrice Eleanor were widely reprinted, and not debunked until 2000 when she was traced for a TV interview. In fact she was named Mary Ashfield Eleanor; the chairman of the Underground Group, Lord Ashfield, was her godfather.
[edit] Stations
- Regent's Park, Piccadilly Circus, Hyde Park Corner, Bank and Warwick Avenue stations have no associated buildings at or above ground level, being entirely underground except for access stairs. There are surface buildings at Piccadilly Circus and Hyde Park Corner but they are not used by the Underground.
- In January 2005 London Underground announced that it would play classical music at stations prone to loitering by youths. A trial had shown a 33% drop in abuse against staff. This had been first tried, with success, on the Tyne and Wear Metro. [1]
- A fragrance called "Madeleine" was introduced at St James's Park, Euston and Piccadilly Circus stations on 23 March 2001, in an effort to make the Underground smell better. It was taken out of action the next day as it was making people feel sick.
- Arsenal is the only Underground station named after a London football club (it was previously known as Gillespie Road). Watford is named after the area which it serves, as is West Ham. The nearest station to West Ham United Football Club is Upton Park.
- Some Underground stations were used as air raid shelters during World War II. People slept on the crowded platforms throughout the night. Lavatories were available in the form of chemical toilets, while some people brought their own chamber pots with them. Bethnal Green was used as a shelter before its opening to passengers in 1946.
- The phrase "Mind the gap" is played when trains stop at stations with curved platforms. It has become the Underground's best-known catchphrase.
- Five stations are named after pubs: Angel, Elephant & Castle, Manor House, Royal Oak and Swiss Cottage. There might have been a sixth, as the proposed North End Station (between Hampstead and Golders Green) became known as Bull and Bush for the famous nearby drinking house; the station was abandoned before its completion.
- Greenford is the only station that has escalators to take you up from street level to the platforms.
- The Northern Line goes the furthest south of all lines
[edit] Linguistic
- St John's Wood is the only station which contains none of the letters of the word 'mackerel' (as the word Saint is not spelt out). Pimlico is the only station which contains none of the letters of the word 'badger', at least until the proposed 2010 opening of Hoxton, which will then be the only station containing none of the letters of either word. Wapping is the only station with no letters in common with 'lobster'.
- There are only two Underground stations that have all five vowels in them—South Ealing and Mansion House. Heathrow Terminal 4 also contains all five vowels, if 4 is spelled out as four.
- Bank is the only station whose name contains only one syllable. Bank and Oval are the only stations whose name contains only four letters.
- Knightsbridge is the only station whose name contains six consecutive consonants.
- There are five alliterative Underground stations - those with two or more words in their names which all begin with the same sound. These are Clapham Common, Sloane Square, Seven Sisters, Golders Green and Bromley-by-Bow. Charing Cross is a visual but not a true alliteration.
- There are four Underground stations whose name contains the colour of the line they are on (as depicted on the tube map) - they are Parsons Green, Redbridge, Stepney Green and Turnham Green.
[edit] Miscellany
- The Jubilee Line is the only line that intersects all others. The District Line meets all other lines except the Metropolitan Line—which it misses by approximately 20 m at Aldgate.
- The East London Line is the only line without a station in zone one.
- London Underground was arguably the first organisation in the world to have a true corporate identity, with the typography, logo, signage, uniforms, etc., applied across every public and private area of its business.
- You can spend all day travelling backwards and forwards between King's Cross St Pancras and Euston, but only going north. The northbound Northern Line runs from King's Cross to Euston and the northbound Victoria Line runs from Euston to King's Cross. Of course, if you wish, you can always go south when you get bored.
- It is possible to travel through ten stations in a row all beginning with the same letter by starting at Hounslow East, travelling towards Heathrow and round the Heathrow loop and returning to Hounslow East again. Intermediate stations are Hounslow Central, Hounslow West, Hatton Cross, Heathrow Terminals 1,2,3, Heathrow Terminal 4, Hatton Cross again, Hounslow West again, Hounslow Central again, returning to Hounslow East.
- The highest point on the Underground is the viaduct over Dollis Road between Finchley Central and Mill Hill East on the Northern Line. It is approximately 60m above the ground.
- The only station on the Underground with London in its name is London Bridge. The station for London City Airport has it, but is on the DLR.
