Talk:Old Street station

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I have reinstated the claim that there is no trace left of the original station building. A local history book shows a photo of this building: it is a single-storey building, faced with light-coloured tiles and with a curved frontage so that it goes round one corner of a crossroads. This is clearly a major junction, with traffic lights and tram tracks, and must, I feel, be the Old Street/City Road junction. Looking at old maps makes it clear that the main alignments of the roads have not changed radically and this would place the original junction somewhere near the centre of the present roundabout. As far as I can see there is no trace of any building resembling the original station anywhere near the current junction and consequently I have no hesitation in restoring the claim. The photo in question is held by a local history collection and if I can get a copy of it for the article I will do so. Reference: Tames, R, Clerkenwell and Finsbury Past, Historical Publications Ltd, London, 1999. ISBN 0 948667 56 7. Plate 172, p. 122: "The old ground-level Old Street station". --Nevilley 09:23, 25 Jun 2004 (UTC)

I have been there and there is very obviously a building on the north side of city road now disused and grey. It is directly above the original emergency staircase (which is still in use) to the platforms, making it the prime candidate for a station building.

Do you mean the staircase which is still in public use as the non-escalator access to the platforms? That you get to, on your way in, by turning right after the ticket gates? Or is this some other staircase? Do please elucidate, I'm very confused. Thanks. Gonegonegone 17:35, 4 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Also, where exactly do you mean? City Road, being a road that runs N-S, tends not really to have a north side. Do you mean the north side of Old Street perhaps?? Gonegonegone 07:25, 6 Dec 2004 (UTC)

However, it does not look like the original building, but rather a later replacement, apparantly used for ventilation purposes to the platforms. This is notable by the large airvents and grills, and apparant lack of other use.

These buildings are a dead give-away for the original tube station buildings, and are visible at city road, waterloo, st. pauls, kings cross, and many other places besides.

I'm sorry but I don't think any of this, and the user's rather sarcastically phrased edit in the article (not really encyclopaedic), really add much to the question of where are the original station buildings, which has been addressed. They are gone, because where they were is now smack bang under the middle of the roundabout: this is indisputable. If there is some bit of building that looks like it once had a lift shaft or something then fine, document it (with some evidence please - a personal opinion based on how it looks to you won't really do) but even so this is not, repeat not, the original station building, of which nothing remains (oops I am repeating myself now). If the comments claiming the original buildings are there are added again, I'll revert them, sorry. Having said that I note that the argumentative stuff from "Anonymous" comes from 81.156.181.83 some of whose other contributions at the same time were vandalism, so with a bit of luck he's gone. This is why, having had time to consider, I reverted some of my angrier comments initially made on this topic. :) 82.35.17.203 19:22, 18 Nov 2004 (UTC)

So I suppose you owe the other person a pint. Anonymous 13:30, 24th October 2004 (GMT)

No, afraid he does not, but as they have both left ... 82.35.17.203 19:22, 18 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Sounds good ... and I guess I owe you that pint sometime! --VampWillow 11:13, 25 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Cheers! :) --Nevilley 21:28, 25 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Note - all the above speculation was a touch unnecessary though well-meant. The London Transport Museum has astonishing amounts of detail on individual station histories and could confirm the above, along with dates, descriptions etc. I hope this is useful to future editors. Anon. --82.35.17.203 08:24, 17 Jul 2004 (UTC)

hmmmn ... rather rude. Anon: part of the reason why many of us write and edit articles on WP is because we enjoy the discussion ... If we were just interested in "the facts, the whole facts and nothing but the facts" then we'd probably go out and buy a 'pedia of some other sort. So far as London's Transport Museum (to give it its correct name) is concerned, I used to be an active member of its Friends' society, which included seeing some of the non-public-access route maps and station plans in the archive at Acton, so I doubt I will be 'astonished' at all. ymmv. --[[User:VampWillow|VampWillow]] 18:45, 17 Jul 2004 (UTC)

I was rather under the impression that the Transport Museum was absolutely forbidden to allow people to view station plans on security grounds, especially with regard to terrorism. Anonymous

It was not intended as rude. You have missed the point, in a somewhat pompous way. Anon. --82.35.17.203 07:30, 24 Jul 2004 (UTC)

As you hide behind anonimity it is difficult to tell, but I doubt anyone else would disagree that "a touch unnecessary though well-meant" would be seen as unreasonable (indeed pompous!) by most other editors, so hard to determine an alternative 'intention' on your part. --[[User:VampWillow|VampWillow]] 09:57, 24 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Sigh. I really can't go on with this. Have it your own way: it seems to be what you are used to. --OldStreet 09:56, 29 Jul 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Surface buildings

Here is the official word, the result of an enquiry at ltmuseum.co.uk:

1961 - 1985

In 1963, the area occupied by the station entrance and an adjoining substation was required by the London County Council (LCC) for a new roundabout at the intersection of City Road and Old Street.

The surface building completely disappeared during the subsequent alterations, whilst the booking hall was reconstructed to support the new road and extended so that it directly linked into an extensive subway system connected to a large number of stairwells on the edge of the roundabout.

[snip - not relevant thereafter]

82.35.17.203 19:30, 18 Nov 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Islington or Hackney

There was a question rasied at Talk:London Underground about which borough the station is in - apparently quite a few people assume it is in Hackney, which is contrary to what the article says.

I asked on a London Underground forum I read, frequented by many current and former LU staff (amongst otherS), and one of them went decidedly out of their way to find the answer, "Having spent all afternoon researching and being in contact with City of London Corporation, Islington, and Hackney councils and studying up to date maps I can tell you that the whole of Old Street including the tube station is in ISLINGTON. All three councils say the same thing." [1].

I have added this as an external reference to the article. Although forum posts are not normally consisdered reliable sources, that the poster (who posts only using a pseudonym) has cited his sources, which are undoubtedly reliable, I feel makes this acceptable. Thryduulf 19:12, 28 September 2006 (UTC)