please empty your brain below
Hopefully it won’t still be postponed when you finish this in 2021.

Sprout Eater | 03.09.18 - 6:49 a.m. | #

On the bottom line diagram I wonder why Finsbury Park and Walthamstow are in capitals why the other stations are in lower case?

Simon Guy | 03.09.18 - 7:11 a.m. | #

I wouldn't describe Jazzie B as a singer: he's a DJ/producer. He gets others to do the vocals.

dg writes: Noted, thanks.

Enthuso | 03.09.18 - 7:39 a.m. | #

What is really depressing about Finsbury Park station is that several people now live underneath the bridge on Stroud Green Road. Anyone leaving the station and heading north has to walk past these homeless people, who have made semi-permanent sleeping places for themselves. The level of rough sleeping in London has more than doubled since we embraced austerity. I'm guessing that it will get even worse post Brexit.

ganching | Homepage | 03.09.18 - 7:50 a.m. | #

Regarding the closure of the Wells Terrace entrance at Finsbury Park, your link to the ES suggests that there will be a new entrance in 2019 (OK, that's probably using 'Crossrail-style' forecasting so maybe 2020?). Will the replacement northern entrance also be on Wells Terrace?

dg writes: Do read on to my next paragraph, titled "Nearby development".

RayL | 03.09.18 - 8:09 a.m. | #

Another "something to visit nearby" for Finsbury Park is, the Sylvanian Families shop at 68 Mountgrove Rd N5 2LT.
This compact treasure trove is just off Blackstock Rd and for collectors age 6+, because of the walk. The perfect place to spend gifts of money. The number 4 bus enables lunch and a potter at the Museum of London to be added. For the moment, at least, it will also take you to Waterloo for the train home.

RosemaryT | 03.09.18 - 8:10 a.m. | #

Tom Eckersley also designed the scissors "cut travel time" poster featured in your Blackhorse Road piece.

Lorenzo | 03.09.18 - 9:34 a.m. | #

I can't quite believe that the works to remove the H&I gyratory system could not be included with any of the other roadworks that seem to have afflicted the H&I roundabout for at least the last 5 years!

Tom | 03.09.18 - 9:42 a.m. | #

Finsbury Park doesn't, sadly, have a ticket office: we lost it around the time (ish) the Wells Terrace entrance closed. The one on Station Place is National Rail only. There are a couple of TFL ticket machines tucked in next to the tube entrance, and always seemingly a surplus of staff.

Sashina | 03.09.18 - 9:46 a.m. | #

The Stroud Green bridge/tunnel also has fluorescent flashing lighting above to allegedly deter people from using needles...

BP | 03.09.18 - 10:06 a.m. | #

"very ugliest monstrosity..." - I thought it can't be that bad, so I clicked the link. Hell's teeth, you're right!

Joho | 03.09.18 - 10:07 a.m. | #

Interesting story about homeless in Hull, seems that there are more than enough hostel places and rough sleeping is a lifestyle choice there, more lucrative. Wonder what an emotion-free analysis of the situation in London would find...

Max Roberts | 03.09.18 - 10:18 a.m. | #

I have long thought the duelling pistols motif at Finsbury Park to be dubious, wondering why those motivated to duel - most likely in order to publicly avenge some form of slight - would travel to an area (then) so remote from the main populace?

Frank F | 03.09.18 - 10:41 a.m. | #

Sir - may I request permission to liberally use the wonderfully apt term "slappably-groomed incomers" ?

Frank F | 03.09.18 - 10:48 a.m. | #

Always liked the dot in circle symbol for interchange with BR.

Worth remembering when the building currently used as a church at Finsbury Park was the from 1971-1981.

Still Anon | 03.09.18 - 11:18 a.m. | #

Finsbury Park station is a right mess to change between NR and Underground or to exit and catch a bus. Really annoying that the other exit no longer exists, as it's a surprisingly long walk to the other bus station

Not my team but surely the major "sight" near the station is the Arsenal football ground, as I imagine more fans use Finsbury Park than any other station in the area.

Mikey C | 03.09.18 - 11:45 a.m. | #

I only took the Vic once and Highbury & Islington was my boarding station. As I entered after morning peak it's not so crowded beyond its control, but I did feel that things would have been smoother if the staff had been more assertive -- as far as I remember some punters had difficulties either topping up their Oysters or keeping themselves in one place.

Patrickov | 03.09.18 - 12:51 p.m. | #

Grew up in Highbury and recall the original 1904 tube station, dark and dingy with wooden lifts and a spiral staircase. Unless you worked in the City, it was of little use. The rear entrance faces Highbury Fields; the current swimming pool was open-air then.

The North London Line station was where the current entrance is, a multi-storey brick building. We used it on summer Sundays to go to Kew Gardens, and Hampton Court via Richmond.

H&I is incredibly busy these days, not sure where all the people are going locally!

Keith | 03.09.18 - 2:56 p.m. | #

@Mikey C
Arsenal is still the main (and closest) tube station for the Emirates Stadium. Finsbury Park's actually quite a long trek away – about ¾ mile from the station exit to the stadium gate, although some fans will go this way anyway to avoid the crowding around Gillespie Road. Some may also come from H&I.

If you measure from the centre circle of the pitch Drayton Park is marginally closer than Arsenal, but it's on the wrong side of the stadium, it's historically had a poor service at weekends, and it has a single narrow island platform meaning it gets closed on matchdays.

Gregg | 03.09.18 - 5:59 p.m. | #

Finsbury Park - "freeloading is now a thing of the past". Err, not completely. The tube can be freely accessed via the spiral staircases which lead to the still ungated 'British Rail' entrance in Station Place.

Dave | 03.09.18 - 6:23 p.m. | #

The spiral stairs at Finsbury Park used to be a double helix. I'm not sure when the second deck was removed, or whether I just imagined the proposal to reinstate them, but it would be an easy way to increase flow to the platforms.

martin | 03.09.18 - 7:02 p.m. | #

@martin
The double helixes were reinstated in the last few years, in the same project that put up the 'featureless white cladding'.

alex | 03.09.18 - 7:28 p.m. | #

@alex thanks! I used to pass through fairly often when I lived in Wood Green, but clearly haven't been there recently.

martin | 03.09.18 - 8:38 p.m. | #

I think the reference to "slappably-groomed incomers" was ill-advised. They may not be your (or my) type but hinting at casual if moderate violence against them is a different matter.

Some of the clothes shops around Finsbury Park station seem so specialised that I would hope they will survive the onslaught of the bijou retail options.

Andrew Simpson | 03.09.18 - 11:32 p.m. | #

@Andrew: are you for real, or is my irony detector seriously on the blink?
Do you really think the reference was an incitement to "casual if moderate violence"..?
Do you think that the readers of this blog are primary school age? For goodness sake, I really hope you were joking!

Frank F | 04.09.18 - 8:51 p.m. | #











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