please empty your brain below
The pigeons are going to have hours of anarchic fun despoiling those shiny glass boxes.

Waterhouse | 03.12.15 - 7:10 a.m. | #

I liked the old fountains, the planned pedestrian plaza looks very plain and bare.

John | 03.12.15 - 7:29 a.m. | #

The more I look at the new glass entrances the less I like them. They are too tall and just empty space. They spoil the view of Centre point.

John | 03.12.15 - 7:35 a.m. | #

Loads more info at this link to the architect's site.

Kevin | 03.12.15 - 8:03 a.m. | #

Is it just me...or already it looks "tacky" with those multi-coloured shapes on the wall? It the sort of thing that was done in the 80s to tower-blocks and under-passes to "brighten-up" the drab, grey and misery. Surely something better could have been done?

E | 03.12.15 - 8:47 a.m. | #

@E, I agree it looks very old fashioned and will look dingy very quickly.

Cornish Cockney | 03.12.15 - 9:06 a.m. | #

They spoil the view of Centre point.

Never thought I would be reading that.

Pedantic of Purley | 03.12.15 - 9:07 a.m. | #

Pendantic... Centre point is a Grade 2 listed building.

John | 03.12.15 - 9:13 a.m. | #

The new glass entrance is just horrible to look at because it is all sharp corners and edges. Centre Point has a gentle curve and the entrance should have been designed in a similar way. Why is the entrance so tall, that only exacerbates the clash of styles. Ugh!

Julian | 03.12.15 - 9:23 a.m. | #

The fountains weren't the greatest but they were fountains. Sadly London is somewhat lacking in memorable water features. It's a shame they haven't survived.

ap | 03.12.15 - 9:30 a.m. | #

Bold and bright indeed, but orange and green aren't primary colours...


Sorry.

dg writes: Noted :)

Sarah | Homepage | 03.12.15 - 9:43 a.m. | #

<< "tiled with different patterns to help illiterate Londoners to recognise where to alight" >>

Hi - feeling that I've read this somewhere before, but is it true? Literacy levels were very high by Edwardian era. Arguably, branding stations differently helps everyone to distinguish them; but find it hard to believe designers were concerned about illiteracy in early 1900s. Is there a source for this?

Lee

Lee Jackson | Homepage | 03.12.15 - 10:18 a.m. | #

@ap

Have to concur. While the fountains at CentrePoint were not the nicest...they were nonetheless fountains. Think London could do with more...they provide a "relief" in both sound, vision and if required cooling in the city. I guess issue is they need to be maintained and one has also to look at H&S. Plus recall years back that some buildings had ponds/lakes around/near them as a "back-up" water source in case of fire and other sources of water not being available, which is a good reason too.

OnTheBus | 03.12.15 - 10:43 a.m. | #

I just received TfL's weekend travel email:

Central line
Tottenham Court Road station will be closed for station improvement work. From Monday 7 December, Central line trains will resume serving the station.

| 03.12.15 - 11:53 a.m. | #

John,

I know Centre Point is a grade II listed building but it was listed as a classic example of a 1960s tall concrete building - not because of its beauty.

Pill boxes are sometimes listed but it doesn't mean I am anxious that the view of them will not be spoiled.

Pedantic of Purley | 03.12.15 - 12:11 p.m. | #

You mention stairs alongside the pair of escalators. These are of course very often found in many tube stations; other benefits are enabling access for law-abiding push-chair wielders, people with non-portable guide dogs, and escalatorphobes.

Malcolm | 03.12.15 - 12:39 p.m. | #

it's not finished... there's another glass entrance to come, and the new plaza to construct. so to everyone saying it looks a bit rubbish - WAIT until it's completed, and then judge it.

Re: it opening.

back in early Jan of this year, they said TCR would be closed all weekend, and Northern Line train stopping on the Monday. instead, it quietly opened up around 5pm on the Sunday afternoon. I would expect the same to happen again here, and will be passing through TCR on Sunday evening to check!

Geofftech | 03.12.15 - 2:31 p.m. | #

Pedantic - beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But anyway, buildings can be listed if they are of special architectural or historic interest. I suspect most listed pill boxes are listed due to their special historical interest, not architectural interest. The Centre Point listing entry is here - https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1113172

At one stage it was suggested that the old Dernbach-Mayen fountains would be relocated somewhere in London, but it seems they have been moved to Dorset! http://www.camdennewjournal.com/cpfountains

The new TCR "artworks" are not a patch on the old Paolozzi mosaics.

Andrew | 03.12.15 - 2:49 p.m. | #

Sorry DG, off topic, but the bottom of your article showed me why reading about Crossrail on your illustrious blog is going to get awkward for me. Is Crossrail Purple the same colour as wikipedia's followed links colour? I saw the purple and was sure that I hadn't followed all those links, only to find they weren't links.

Ah well, I assume I'll survive.

Philip | 03.12.15 - 4:44 p.m. | #











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