please empty your brain below

On Tuesday 16th November there is a private tour available around '55' in conjuntion with the V&A museum - £46 per ticket though .....

The visit is in conjunction with this free exhibition at the V&A:

Underground Journeys: Charles Holden’s designs for London Transport
2 October 2010 - 13 February 2011
Architecture, room 128a

"This display will examine the designs carried out by Charles Holden and his architectural practice, Adams Holden and Pearson, for London Transport, undoubtly his greatest and most successful patron."

Glad you got on a tour. Did they take you up or down the main staircase? It has some lovely old enamel signs such as a pre-Beck station tube map. I believe the public are allowed to access the TfL library on the 3rd floor; not sure how you go about that though as security on entry is tight.
Worth just noting that TfL's top brass aren't in 55 Broadway since the Ken v PPP shenanigans, when LU wasn't part of TfL. TfL is headquartered around the corner in Windsor House in Victoria Street, with the bigwigs on the 14th floor.

PS just to clarify, DG is right about LU's management being in Broadway, as opposed to the wider TfL

Can I recommend David Lawrence's 2008 book on the Underground Stations of Charles Holden published by Capital Transport Publishing, "Bright Underground Spaces". 55 Broadway, both inside and and out, is covered extensively. Having been reunited with your camera - might I suggest that revisiting the external decoration of the building would be a treat for your readers.

Lovely, thank you. And you are right about the Ministry of Love, I mean Justice, it is horrid.

Yup, Peter Hendy's office is in the south wing of floor 7, or so it said on the board outside one of the lifts.

The view from just underneath the flagpole was one of the best I've ever seen of London. Westminster Abbey, Parliament and the Eye all in one easy photograph and nearby.

@SELondoner - on our tour they showed us one of the pre-Beck maps on the staircase - it had South Acton tube station on it, a one station spur from Acton Town that was affectionately known as 'the tea run'. The platforms for it are still there at Acton Town behind some panelling

This brings back fond memories of when I worked as a temp at 55 Broadway for six weeks in the summer of 2004. Along with five other uni-aged kids, I had to walk around my assigned floors each hour on the hour and count which desks were in use. It was supposedly for an 'efficiency survey,' all I knew was that I was making enough money to pay rent and not have to move home. Plus, I love Art Deco and greatly enjoyed the fine design of 55 Broadway.

After about a week, we were all able to do our rounds in ten minutes or so, leaving us with lots of down time. We started off playing cards in the canteen and going to St James's Park for lunch. Eventually, we began exploring the building, especially the 10th floor. When were weren't meetings going on, we'd sit on the terrace and enjoy the view. At one point, myself and a colleague walked up to the viewing platform you mentioned and took photos of the fantastic views. The tiny staircase to the very top was covered in dust and seemed like it hadn't been used in years. I remember walking next to the interior of those great clock facades and seeing them work backwards.

The job sucked, the efficiency project broke down (I'm pretty sure it was a cog for labor negotiations that year) and I lost touch with my coworkers. But, it was a memorable summer and I cherish the opportunity to work in such a remarkable building, if only for a short while.

Interesting to see a view of someone who doesn't work in 55. It's somewhat touching that it's a building you wanted to visit and yet it's somewhere I've been in and out for nearly 25 years. You have managed a feat I haven't which is the final bit up to the flag pole but I've been in "10" (what we call the tenth floor) lots of times - including doing presentations in team events.

@ Londonstuff - I shall have to check the name board on the 7th Floor next time I have to see my boss. Mr Hendy must be a new addition as I don't recall seeing his name up there. I thought he "lived" in Windsor House.

Had booked for Saturday but couldn't make it - maybe I have missed my closest chance for DG spotting? Thanks for the post, almost as good as a visit

Hoorah, I guessed right! I went on Sunday, and it was every bit as wonderful as you say (and the guides were very friendly and informative too). It went nicely with a visit to the tube maps exhibition in Colchester last week. My inner tube geek is truly satisfied...

I think that shopping centre really doesn't work - it goes against the natural flow of the building. I far preferred it before it was carved out (not least as you could walk right past those "clock" things detailing the passage of trains on each line). Wasn't THAT long ago it was altered, maybe 15 years now: i'm surprised the change was approved, actually, so dramatically has it changed the feel of the ground floor.

The guide said the shopping centre had been put in during the mid-80s, and confirmed that access used to be through the central reception area (the ground floor was formerly LU's library). Although the signs are a bit naff, at least they resisted the temptation to tear all the fittings out.











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